SUNDAY HOMILY: 30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
THEME: THE TWO COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE
By: Father Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA
In today’s gospel reading (Matthew 22:34–40), a Pharisee and a scholar of the law put Jesus to the test by asking him a rabbinic question. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:36). In response, Jesus gives him the two commandments of love.
The Jewish Bible consists of three main sections, namely the Law (Torah in Hebrew), the Prophets (Nevi’im in Hebrew), and the Writings (Ketuvim in Hebrew). Christians use the term “Old Testament” to designate the Jewish Bible. So, the scholar is referring to the Law (Torah).
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It is said that the Torah (the Law) contains approximately 613 commandments. The scholar is asking Jesus for the one commandment that holds all others together. This Pharisee is testing Jesus to tell him the glue upon which the 613 commandments depend. His question is thoroughly a rabbinic question.
Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and stating that the greatest and first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. In other words, the greatest and first commandment is to love God with our whole being.
However, there is a second commandment, which Jesus quotes from Leviticus 19:18: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. The key phrase is “as you love yourself,” and it assumes that we love ourselves, which is a rather risky assumption today.
To be kind, compassionate, and generous to our neighbor, the second commandment says we must first be these things to ourselves. It means that you are more likely to dislike or be mean to other people if you are mean to yourself. Also, if you love yourself, you should love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. This is what it means to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.
In Jewish usage, commandments were said to ‘depend on’ a particular biblical passage. It indicates that a commandment may be shown to be implied or derived from a passage (John P. Meier).
Jesus quotes the Books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. The glue upon which the 613 commandments depend is giving God what belongs to God—our heart, soul, mind, and strength—and putting God at the center of our lives, which are the source and summary of God’s entire will in Scripture.
The love of God and neighbor is the basis for all the 613 commandments. The love of God must come first, but it must be manifested in the love we have for our neighbor. And the measure of this love for our neighbor is the love we have for ourselves.
Someone once asked, “How do I know I truly love God?” “Whoever claims to love God but hates a brother or sister is a liar,” says Saint John. The logic is straightforward: if you don’t treat the people around you properly, how can you claim to love God, whom you cannot see? As a result, the command is clear: “Whoever loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:20–21).
There is no alternative legitimate way to carry out God’s will that does not include obeying the two commands to love God and others. They must be the principles of all our actions and words. This love, while not without emotions, is first and foremost a question of commitment and action. The love of God and the love of a neighbor is a question of doing good rather than feeling good. Have a blessed and fantastic Sunday.
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