Matthew: The Moral Basis of Scripture is Love
22 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love (Ἀγαπήσεις) the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love (Ἀγαπήσεις) your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Deuteronomy: How Important is Moral Love?
6 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess,
2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and [a]be careful to observe it,that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
4 “Hear, O Israel: [b]The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Leviticus 19: We are to Love Our Neighbor(s)
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord
Luke 10: Who then is/are Our Neighbor(s)?
10 25 And behold, a certain [h]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among [i]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him,and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, [j]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Ways in which we Love Our Neigbor
- Don’t bear false witness against another (Ex. 20:16)
- Starting or sharing Gossip/Rumors (Lev 19:16)
- Lying, Slander, or Libel
- Manipulating
- Condemning
- Don’t envy or be jealous of someone else’s personal property (Ex. 20:17)
- Cars, Houses, Land, Boats, etc
- Don’t desire another person’s spouse (Ex. 20:17)
- Respect their relationship/partnership/marriage
- Do not have intimate relations with a married person (Lev 18:20)
- Don’t Harm People (Ex. 21:14)
- Don’t unreasonably withhold wages for people you hire (Ex 19:13)
- Don’t Defraud people you do business with (Ex 19:13)
- Don’t steal from people (Ex 19:13)
- Don’t hate people (Lev 19:17)
- You can correct someone if
What if I see my neighbor doing something bad?
- You can correct them or offer advice so that they don’t make the mistake
- You should not avenge the wrong done to someone else on their behalf (
- You should not bear a grudge against them
What if I made a mistake and wronged my neighbor?
- If you have wrongly stolen from someone, you must repay that person double the value of what you stole (Ex. 22:19)
- If someone lent you something and it broke on its own, or you were watching his/her pet and it got sick and died of natural causes – you are not obligated to repay the lender/owner
John 13: Is There a Biblical Pattern for How to Love?
13 “A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love (ἀγαπᾶτε) one another;
as I have loved (ἠγάπησα) you,
that ye also love (ἀγαπᾶτε) one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love (ἀγάπην) one to another.
Matthew 12: Who is My Brother/Sister?
10 46 While he was still talking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with him.
47 Then one said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with you.”
48 But he answered and said to the one who told him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”
49 And he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”