Love God and Love Others / Matthew 22:34-40
Preaching to Myself
One of the occupational hazards of being a pastor is that if you do something else—let’s say I make widgets for a living and my spiritual life is dry—who cares? The widget doesn’t care if I’m right with the Lord or not. The widget doesn’t care if I’ve spent time with Jesus. The widget doesn’t care if my heart is full, so you can just shut up, make a widget, and work on your spiritual life later. You can set your spiritual life aside and say, “Okay, I know that’s a mess, but I’ll set that over there. I need to just do my job, and then I’ll deal with that.” You can do that in most careers.
When you’re a pastor, you can’t do that because you don’t make widgets. In fact, not only do you not make widgets, you teach the Bible on a regular basis—like all the time. People assume that you are rock solid all the time, that you and the Lord, like Moses, just spent time together and your face is aglow with the presence of Jesus as you dispense godly wisdom. But y’all know better, don’t you?
Thankfully, I have an opportunity to preach to myself tonight. Thank you very much for being present, because this message really is not about you; this message is for me. It is kind of like counseling, only it is a lot cheaper, so I appreciate it. In all honesty, I am teaching this message tonight not from a position of authority, as in, “I’ve got this nailed right now, and I want you to listen to how awesome I am and be like me.” If anything, what I want to do is place myself under the authority of the Word of God and say, “I need to hear this tonight. I need to wrestle with this text. I need it to do something in me just like I’m hoping it will do in you.”
There are times in my spiritual life—now being one of them—where I just feel a little dry. Don’t worry, I’m not binge drinking. I’m not living stupidly. I just don’t feel a hundred percent, and I wanted to be honest with you. I was walking the parking lot earlier—people probably thought I was crazy because I like walking the parking lot praying before I teach—and I said, “Lord, I need this tonight.” Thank you that I have a church that gives me the freedom to preach whatever I need. So here it comes.
If you have your Bibles, I would love for you to turn to Mark chapter 12. We are going to talk about a very familiar passage. Even those who are new to church and the things of God, if I say “The Great Commandment,” you at least think, “I think I’ve heard something about that.”
You see this concept mentioned in Matthew 22, where he talks about loving God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind.
Matthew 22:37 (NASB)
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.’
Tonight, I want to look at Mark’s version in Mark chapter 12, starting in verse 28.
Mark 12:28 (NASB)
One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’
Mark is fascinating. John Mark was a young man who went with the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey and completely fell apart almost immediately, threw a fit, and went home. If you read through that passage, it is sad that this kid was so weak initially. Most likely, the church was meeting in his mother’s home, so he was a kid of privilege, kind of like a deacon’s kid where you assume more from him. But Barnabas came alongside him and encouraged him. Barnabas literally means “Son of Encouragement.” He restored Mark and introduced him to Peter. Mark interviewed Peter and recorded Peter’s eyewitness account of his time with Jesus. That is the Gospel of Mark. It is riddled with Peter’s driven, Type-A personality. He uses the word “immediately” about forty times, as if Mark is in a hurry to capture everything Peter is saying.
The Setup: A Four-Way Tag Team
To give you a little context, in Mark chapter 11, the religious leaders start gathering around Jesus like jackals around wounded prey. They circle Him and ask questions about His authority.
Mark 11:27 (NASB)
They came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him,
They wanted to know His pedigree: “Who are you? You didn’t go to our schools. You don’t have an approved rabbi. What are your credentials?” Of course, Jesus’ authority came directly from the Father, but they rejected that.
In chapter 12, you see four key religious groups that normally could not agree on anything. These guys couldn’t agree on where to get shawarma in the Old City of Jerusalem, let alone agree on theology, except for one thing: their common distaste for Jesus.
The four groups are:
- The Pharisees: These guys strictly observed the law with immense piety. Think old-school legalists. If drinking is wrong, alcohol is wrong. If premarital sex is wrong, premarital dancing is wrong. You know the type.
- The Scribes: These were the perceived experts and scholars of the law. They knew the text inside and out, which is why they were bothered by Jesus, who hadn’t attended their Ivy League institutions.
- The Sadducees: The religious and political elite who denied supernatural realities like the resurrection and enjoyed living comfortably under Roman influence.
- The Herodians: Jewish political figures who compromised with Rome to maintain power—essentially wanting to worship God while wearing a Roman toga.
These groups despised each other. In the book of Acts, when Paul is on trial, he looks around the room, sees Pharisees and Sadducees, and simply says, “I am on trial for the resurrection of the dead,” and then backs off to watch the brawl unfold.
In Mark 12:13, you see the Pharisees and Herodians teaming up.
Mark 12:13 (NASB)
Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement.
In verse 18, the Sadducees step in.
Mark 12:18 (NASB)
[Some] Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and [began] questioning Him, saying,
And in verse 28, the scribes arrive.
If you grew up watching old-school WWF wrestling—Hulk Hogan leg drops and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka—you remember tag-team matches. One guy would beat down an opponent, get tired, tag his partner, and the partner would jump in. This is a four-way tag team trying to trap Jesus.
One of the scribes observes this scrum, notices that Jesus has answered well, and reaches in for the tag. He asks Jesus a question: “Which commandment is the foremost of all?”
We might think, “Aren’t there only ten?” No, that was just the beginning. There are 613 laws in the Old Testament. These religious groups divided them into 248 affirmative commands and 365 negative commands. They categorized them by “light” and “heavy” precepts, charting them out to debate which was most critical. So they ask Jesus to settle the debate.
The Greatest Commandment: Loving God Completely
Jesus cuts straight through the religious debate and drops a bomb. He begins by quoting something they all knew by heart.
Mark 12:29-30 (NASB)
Jesus answered, ’The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6—the Shema—which every pious Jew quoted twice a day.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NASB)
’Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! ’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
It was the passage you taught your children, placed in the mezuzah on your doorpost, and bound in phylacteries on your forehead and arm. The word Shema means not just to hear, but to listen with the assumption of obedience.
Notice the foundation: “The Lord our God is one Lord.” Whether this emphasizes God’s exclusivity (He is the only God) or His preeminence (He is first above all), both are entirely true. God is the sovereign Creator of the universe. He spoke worlds into existence and fashioned humanity in His image. He is our strong tower, mighty fortress, shield, guide, and vindicator. Through Him, all things were made, and in Him, all things hold together. He is eternal, preexistent, and unchanging. That is who He is.
Because of who God is, He is worthy to be loved—not a little bit, but with everything:
- All your heart: In Hebrew thought, the heart is not merely emotion or shedding a tear; it is the intellectual core and the fountain from which all of life flows.
- All your soul: The biblical concept of the soul is the seat of your will, desires, affections, and deepest longings.
- All your mind: Your thoughts, processing, reasoning, and imagination.
- All your strength: Your might, physical power, abilities, and disciplines.
The summary is clear: we must love God exclusively and preeminently with the absolute core of our being, our desires, our imagination, and our strength. He is worthy. He doesn’t want cold duty; He longs for us to enjoy Him, delight in Him, and love Him with everything.
The Second Commandment: Loving Others Unconditionally
When Jesus quoted the Shema, the religious leaders would have nodded in agreement. They had great passion for the law. But as Paul wrote in Romans 10, they had a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
Romans 10:2 (NASB)
For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
They had passion without compassion. When you read the Gospels, notice how often Jesus is moved with compassion. Biblical compassion is not mere empathy—it is being stirred at a visceral level and compelled to take action. The religious crowd loved the idea of loving God, but they lacked compassion.
In verse 31, Jesus drops the real bomb, stepping entirely outside their comfortable theological sandbox.
Mark 12:31 (NASB)
’The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’
He quotes Leviticus 19:18 and ties it directly to the first command.
Leviticus 19:18 (NASB)
’You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “The second is like it.”
Matthew 22:39 (NASB)
’The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
These two commands are not an unequal hierarchy where one is essential and the other is an afterthought. They are given together. In the original language, this command is not a gentle suggestion; it is obligatory. You must love your neighbor as yourself. End of discussion.
In Luke 10, a lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, and after reciting these commands, Jesus said, “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:28 (NASB)
And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.’
Wanting to justify himself, the lawyer asked, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:29 (NASB)
But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’
He wanted qualifiers: “Which people am I obligated to love, and which people can I ignore?” In response, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, showing that neighborly love crosses every comfort zone, prejudice, and boundary. We are called to love God with everything and love people unconditionally.
Jesus concludes in Mark 12:31: “There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Matthew 22:40 (NASB)
‘On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’
Connecting Love for God and Love for People
The entire Bible pivots on these two commands. Jesus is showing the interdependent relationship between loving God completely and loving people unconditionally. A genuine love for God will always flow into a love for people.
John makes this crystal clear in 1 John 4.
1 John 4:20 (NASB)
If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
You cannot say, “I love God, but I just don’t like people; I’m an introvert.” That card does not play in the kingdom of God. You are called to love God completely and love others unconditionally.
If you find that you lack love for people, the solution is not simply to fill your calendar with religious activities. You must examine your heart and ask, “Do I truly love God?” When our love for God is vibrant, it overflows toward others. If our hearts do not overflow with love for people, it is ultimately a God issue, not a people issue.
James addressed this in James chapter 2.
James 2:14-17 (NASB)
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, [being] by itself.
Faith without deeds is dead. If we claim to love God but do not care for our neighbor, take initiative, or serve others, our faith is practically useless. God chose to reveal His love to the world through us. If we do not reflect His love, how will people see the Father?
It is easy for a church like ours—The Well Community Church—to fall into the trap of loving information. We love studying our Bibles, debating theology, taking classes, and attending small groups. That is good, but if we have theological precision without love for people, we are just like the Pharisees.
On the other hand, there are those who throw themselves into social justice and serving the poor without being rooted in love for God. If you provide clean water to the world but withhold the gospel, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
Mark 8:36 (NASB)
’For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
Without Christ, serving makes you a fine civic organization, but not the church. Our good works must be energized by the gospel and rooted in our love for God.
Breaking Consumer Christianity: Serve Fresno
We are at a significant season in our church and in the city of Fresno. God has raised up a movement of people committed to loving Him fully and loving others unconditionally. Through Serve Fresno, churches across our city unite to unleash the body of Christ into our community so that people may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
It is tempting to say, “I’m glad my church does that.” But you are the church. This is what you and I must do. It is easy for you to sit and listen, and it is even easier for me to hide behind study and sermon preparation. That is why I am preaching to myself tonight. I don’t want to be like a Pharisee who studies God’s Word constantly but never steps out to love people.
So will you come with me and go be the church? Find a place to serve this week. You might feel too busy, but you will always be busy unless you make the time. Step outside of yourself. Connect your service to your love for God so that it is gospel-energized.
Let us break the chains of consumer Christianity—where we constantly consume teaching without ever pouring our lives out. Take your love for God and express it through unconditional love for people.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Your patience with us. Week in and week out, Your Word convicts our hearts. We ask that Your Holy Spirit would move among us, empowering us to do what our flesh resists. Help us to reflect Your glory by loving You completely and loving people unconditionally.
Lord, meet the needs in our city and valley through Your people. Let this season of serving not be a one-time event, but a gateway into a lifestyle of giving our lives away, knowing that we truly find our lives when we lose them for Your sake. Enable us to live out the Great Commandment on which all of Scripture hangs. In Jesus’ name, Amen.