Ex. 22:20-26; Ps 18:2-4, 47, 51; 1 Thes. 5c-10; Mt. 22:34-40
The two great Commandments reflect both the law and the spirit of the law. Today the Pharisees continue to test Jesus in an effort to trap him into error of the law. For the Pharisees all the Commandments had equal value so to choose one would indicate less priority to the others and a way to trap Jesus. Jesus takes the first three commandments in summary as the love of God and the rest in summary of love of neighbor capturing the spirit of all ten.
In Exodus from the Old Testament law, we hear the words “You shall not” repeated often comprising of many specific laws of how to treat others. They offer clarity to how we are to behave, how our hearts are to respond to certain situations as signs of both obedience to God and care of others. This was a time when the people were governed by legislative authority as subjects to a king and responded to a God who ruled by the law. For these people the word, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord” meant keeping all the laws. Jesus comes to transform all the law into two great Commandments because he is about to establish the law of God in the hearts of his people.
We would think that with the coming of Jesus the transformation of the law would happen rapidly but for many even today God remains more as a distant, authoritative, and legalistic God than a personal, compassionate, loving Father. It begs the question, how are these individuals in their authority as parents, bosses, judges, or in their priesthood or religious authority? It can be easier to follow the rule of law than the spirit of the law in practice. It is easier to say to a child “because I say so” than to have a teaching moment that builds trust. If we cannot build trust within our home, how are we to raise a child to trust in God?
Christ came to transform our hearts that by his mercy upon us we may to be a people of mercy and charity. It leads us to a greater good in the true image of God. Charity places the good of the other before our benefit because we trust in God to provide for our needs as we provide for others. This is the law of reciprocity in which it is in giving that we receive. We cannot outgive our God who multiplies our riches in Christ with his blessings. It today we see the need let us be open to Christ’s transforming love in which our charity is both the love of God and neighbor.
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