02/11/2021
Do we love Jesus? This appears to be a very straight forward question, but people view love in different ways. To some it is incredibly complex as they try to hold a relationship together by performing a long list of deeds, or expressions of emotion. To others, like the saying in the movie ‘The Love Story’, it is boiled down to one simple thought, like “Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” But Jesus tells us how we determine if we love Him... we reveal our love by keeping His commandments.
““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 14:15 ESV
At first blush this seems very simple, but is it really? In the Old Testament God gives us 10 commandments, and writes them in stone, but what exactly are the commandments that Jesus is referring to in this verse? Some scholars will quote Jesus as he tells us the two greatest commandments...
““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””
Matthew 22:36-40 ESV
Two... well we should be able to do that, right? But wait, other believers say there are five, or seven, or... well, Matthew is full of verses that a great many Christians call commandments of Jesus. Here are a couple examples...
Jesus commands us to repent...
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Matthew 4:17 ESV
And He also commands us to rejoice and be glad...
““Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:11-12 ESV
The book of Matthew includes at least 42 such commandments, and there are more in the other books of the New Testament. Can we recite them all right now? Are we obeying Him in all of them? Do we even know all of them? So as we think on this let’s ask ourselves the larger question... Are we truly loving Him as He says we should?
As I was studying, and contemplating today’s scripture verse this morning, I read a list of 49 commandments on the web that were taken from the gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, but at the end of the list there were pages upon pages of comments regarding other commandments that had been left out, and some of them were rather big ones like the great commission.
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
Mark 16:15 ESV
So if we can’t even agree on what comprises the list of commandments that Jesus is referring to in this one verse, then how can we possibly know that we are loving Him as we should?
Well, I propose to you that we should love Him in a way similar to how we love our earthly spouse; that we love Him first, and then do the things he commands out of that amazing love we have for Him. As we strive to learn more about Him every single day, we should realize that it isn’t just about compiling a list of things that we should do, but about our pursuing a loving relationship, and doing all that we can possibly do to love Him more... and more. Jesus is in us, and we are in Him, so as He helps us to love and know him more, we are perfecting this relationship, and in this way, every moment of every day, the mystery of His indwelling, and commands, subsides a bit further.
Great, or small, the number of commandments that Jesus has spoken are not meant to be stumbling blocks placed to deny or discourage us as we grow in love for Him, but are representative of all the things in our lives of faith that shout to all creation about the everyday presence of our love for Him. How many scriptures do you recall that speak of your demonstrated love for Him today? Each one is a testament to your love.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your commandments, and the commands of Jesus Christ, that give us the opportunity to show ourselves the depth that our faith is reaching, and to demonstrate before the world what faith in you looks like as it is put into action. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who loves us while we are yet sinners, and who we love even as we perfect our ability to do perform your commandments. Praised be your name Father for sending your Son to redeem us, and your Holy Spirit to guide us in our understanding. Help us to love Jesus, and by our love of Him, to adhere to His commandments. We come before you in contrition to pray for your forgiveness Father, and pray in the name of Jesus that you find us worthy. We love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength Lord, and cherish the grace you pour out over us! We strive day by day to please you Father, but know it is only by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ that we are found worthy, and by our love for Him that we can obey His commandments. Help us in all these things, and bring us to your table forevermore.
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”
John 14:21-24 ESV
Rich Forbes