THE BOTTOM LINE IS...

What are the spiritual/behavioral issues for which you are held accountable? Going to church, not drinking, staying pure, being nice, witnessing, giving money, loving family, etc? What if there was one issue that would define you spiritually and prepare you for all other issues? There is! It is basic, foundational, prerequisite, and necessary. Love The Lord Your God With All Your Heart, All Your Soul, All Your Mind, And All Your Strength! If God has your love, he has you. He won’t have to ask for attention, time, good behavior or wallet. It is a fact that we do honor, in every way we possibly can, the persons (and things) that we love.

In Matthew 22 verses 35-36, we note the activity of an inquisitive mind (to use an advertising phrase, Inquisitive Minds Want To Know). To be inquisitive is to ask many questions. The lawyer in the text asked Christ a question. He was an expert in the Law - nomikos – of the law. Not a legal authority to represent one in court. But a person whose work was to copy, study, and interpret Moses Law. This man was an expert in Old Testament Law. Luke describes his as a scribe (Luke 12:28).

The question itself was designed to test. Question: what is the greatest commandment in the entire Law of Moses and/or the Old Testament? Although it is a question designed to test Christ, it is also one frequently d ebated among the religious leaders. The question is something like this, in your opinion, which do you believe is greatest of the commandments? Among the scholars who were on the national stage of Israel, various commandments were championed as the preeminent one. In their thinking, the smallest detail of the ritual law was as binding as the great moral laws of God and their choice was made from this larger pool of options. In actuality the lawyer proposed the question to test Christ’s knowledge of the law. The Pharisees thought they could trap Jesus by proposing such a question. After all, Christ had not endured the same level of raining and preparation as the lawyers/scribes.

However, the omniscient Christ has a purpose of his own. He would turn an attack into a strategy for victory over his adversaries. And he would provide spiritual instruction which would not only serve well the Jews of the 1^st century, but also the Christians of the 21^st century. His answer: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

Howard L. Wilburn