Abide in His Word: Matthew 22:37 – 39

Welcome to the first “Abide in His Word” post. As mentioned here, I believe it is important for us to memorize the Word of God as it is the Sword of the Spirit. Also, Jesus tells us in John 15 to abide in Him. One way to abide in Him is to have His words abide in us.

So, I thought it would be fun if we could memorize the Word of God together. Everything is better when done with others, right? Here’s how it will work: every two weeks, I will post a new verse or group of verses to memorize and give an explanation of the verse(s). Throughout the next two weeks, I will write notes of encouragement and give suggestions on my Facebook page (click here if you would like to follow my page), where you can also leave your own comments.

Let’s get started!

The Verses

These next two weeks, we will focus on Matthew 22:37-39. I prefer the ESV translation, but feel free to use the version you’re most comfortable with. Here are our memory verses:

“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. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV): quote of Jesus

Definitions

Let’s define some of the words in these verses so we have a clear understanding of what Jesus is saying here.

Love: the original Greek word for love in this text is “agapao” which means “to be fond of, to love dearly.” (Strong’s Concordance). This is the type of love God shows towards us.

Neighbor: I’m sure you’re thinking the person living next door to you is your neighbor. And while that is true, it also means any other person regardless of their faith or country of origin. (Strong’s Concordance). It also relates to anyone you happen to meet. As my pastor says, our neighbor is “…someone God has put on your path.”

Heart: The Greek word for heart is “kardia” and it means “The center and seat of the spiritual life.” The heart refers to thoughts, passions, desires, affections, emotions, and so on. (Strong’s Concordance and Holman Bible Dictionary).

Soul: “Psuche” is the Greek word for soul in this context. It means “regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life; as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death.” (Strong’s Concordance). It can also mean our emotional energy and willpower (Holman’s Bible Dictionary).

Mind: The Greek word for mind is “dianoia” and it means “understanding; way of thinking and feeling, thoughts, either good or bad.” (Strong’s Concordance).

Grammar

The sentences “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” are imperative sentences. He’s not stating a fact or asking us a question, but rather commanding us. He confirms this by calling these “commandments” in verses 38 and 39. In other words, He’s not suggesting we love God, He’s commanding us to love God.

Also, note the use of the word “love.” It is used as an active verb, meaning the subject of the sentence (You) is doing the action. It requires action on our part. We are to actively love God.

Context

If we go back several verses, we read how the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to trip Jesus up in His speech. They wanted to catch Him in an untruth to prove He was not who He said He was. He had just triumphantly entered Jerusalem, flipped the tables over in the temple, healed the blind and the lame, and cursed a fig tree, causing it to wither (see Matthew 21). The questioning begins in Matthew 21:23 where the Chief Priests and Elders of the Temple asked Jesus who gave Him the authority to do the things He was doing.

Jesus answers them by saying He would answer them if they would answer His question first. Afraid their answers would either confirm Jesus as Messiah or prove John the Baptist a liar and make the crowds angry at them, they refused to answer His question. Knowing what they had discussed in private (because He’s Jesus), He refused to answer them as well. He then proceeds to tell three parables (the two sons, the tenants, and the wedding feast; see Matthew 21:28 – 22:22).

It’s at this point the Pharisees gathered to plot out how to “entangle Him in His words.” (Matthew 22:15). After they embarrassingly fail at their attempt, the Sadducees attempted to do the same. Jesus told them how wrong they were in their reasoning, which silenced them, but astonished the crowd.

The Pharisees, ready for round two, approached Jesus again. I like how the Scripture points out that the one questioning Jesus was a lawyer. Not only does he know the religious law, he’s an expert. He’s also probably good at debating others and thinking logically. He approaches Jesus and asks him “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36). Notice how “Law” is capitalized? The Pharisee is referring the the Law of the Old Testament, not a civil law.

This is where our memory verses come into the story. Jesus replied to the lawyer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Application

So, what’s our takeaway from our memory verses? Let’s start with verse 37. Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We are to love (to be fond of, love dearly) Him with every desire, passion, affection, purpose, and endeavor (heart). We are to love Him with every emotion and attune our will to His (soul). Finally, we are to love Him with every thought (mind).

In verse 38, Jesus explains to the lawyer (and the rest of us) that loving God with everything we have is the first and greatest commandment.

Finally, in verse 39, Jesus commands us to love our neighbors – those people God places on our journey. This commandment is just as “great” as the first commandment. We are to love our neighbors the way we love ourselves. I find this last part a bit interesting. Do you love yourself? His comment implies we must love ourselves, but how? Here’s what Matthew Henry’s Commentary says: “We must love ourselves, that is we must have a due regard to the dignity of our own natures and bodies…We must honour and esteem all men, and must wrong and injure none; and, as we have opportunity, must do good to all.” (pg.1319) Basically, the way we take care of ourselves and treat ourselves is the way we should take care of our neighbors.

Just a little side note here: If you don’t love yourself – let’s say you have a low self-esteem, or you think negative things about yourself (like “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m too fat,” or “I’m not smart enough,” or “I deserve to be treated this way,” or “I don’t deserve the love of God because I’ve done too many terrible things,” and so on) then you are not speaking truth to yourself. You are believing the lies the enemy has fed you. You are also not seeing yourself the way God sees you. He loves you so much He sent His Son to die for you, so that you can have a relationship with Him. Pray and ask God to show you how He sees you. Learn to love yourself as He loves you.

Final Thoughts

I find it worth noting verse 40: “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Remember the Ten Commandments (click here for a refresher)? Well, loving God is reflected in the first four commandments. Loving your neighbor is reflected in the last six commandments. See what Jesus did there? Also, if you follow the commandments without love, then you have only religion, not relationship (refer to 1 Corinthians 13).

I hope you find these verses encouraging and helpful in your walk with God. What are some ways you love God with everything you have? Share them in the comments!