Sermon Snippet – How Can We Be Commanded to Love?
INTRODUCTION – In Mark 12:28-34, Jesus, God the Son, is asked to name the greatest commandment. He responds, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (verse 30). Here, Jesus is quoting from (and expanding upon) Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the Shema, Judaism’s basic confession of faith. How, though, can we be commanded to love? We recognize and rejoice in God’s sovereignty: we know that He has the authority to command and that all of His commandments are good. We also know that love is good. Still, how can we be commanded to love?
1. BIBLICAL LOVE IS MORE THAN A FEELING
I recall reading a sermon by the estimable A. W. Tozer that was entitled something like “Our Greatest Mistake: Measuring God’s Love by Our Own.” When we think of love, we focus on emotions; we also use “love” in a variety of contexts and connotations, some of them quite casual. The Word of God is blessedly specific. “Heart” is a comprehensive term in the original Hebrew and especially points us to the human will. Because we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we have the capacity to choose. The right decision – and the one that is always the best for us – is to love God. “Soul,” as we discussed recently in a couple of sermons, is the true essence of who we are, the actual person. That at the very center of our being we can be characterized by love for God should be a most welcome revelation, for we know of the wrong things that lurk and linger there. “Strength” (the KJV of Deuteronomy 6:5 uses “might”) translates a vivid phrase that means, “Give it your all!” Such whole-hearted commitment indicates that this “love” is to become a way of life. Jesus added “with all thy mind” to the original Shema, for our love is not to be unthinking. Our God is interested in our “understanding” (verse 33). This command to love is comprehensive, transcending feelings.
2. SOMETIMES, THOUGH, WE HAVE QUESTIONS
I remember an older gentleman who had been taught that it was sinful to ask questions of God. After a message on the subject, he was relieved, for he had always had questions. Do we think that we are going to stump God? John 14:6 tells us that Jesus is “the Truth”: He has the answers. Our primary passage in Mark began with a question, which Jesus fully and masterfully answered. Of course, many of our questions are deeply personal, based upon our experiences in life. Recently, I have been doing a slow study of the life of Moses; I have tried to place myself in his sandals. In Exodus 5:22-23, Moses laments that his faithful efforts have borne no fruit; in fact, the slavery of the Israelites had become even more onerous because of the boldness of Moses before the hard-hearted pharaoh (Exodus 5:1-18). Moreover, the Israelites placed the blame on Moses (verses 19-21). All of us can relate to this predicament: we are faithful, nothing good seems to result, and no one appreciates our efforts. Surely Moses was wondering, “Have I done something wrong? Did I misunderstand God’s commands?” He specifically asks, “Why?” – a frequent question in Scripture. One Bible scholar thoughtfully commented, “If we don’t figure out how to process the whys of life, we’ll end up cynical, resulting in a catastrophic loss of faith.”
3. GOD HAS ALREADY KEPT HIS OWN COMMANDMENT
Let us humbly meditate upon the words of our Lord and Savior from His Cross: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46); we can love and ask questions at the same time. Jesus fully God and fully man, demonstrated His love for the Father and for us by giving Himself completely – with all of His heart, His soul, His mind, His strength. We see the glorious outcome… but may we remember that Jesus’ suffering and death were real and that the ultimate answer to His question did not occur until three days later in His bodily resurrection.
CONCLUSION – Both Moses and Jesus had to wait for answers, but they continued to fulfill the first and greatest commandment by choosing to love God the Father, by obeying, by knowing that He was listening – and also loving. May our souls find rest in the surety of eternal salvation through faith in Jesus, and may we love Him with a determined, intense, thoughtful love.