ABOUT THIS EPISODE
October 4, 2026
Today's Reading: Matthew 22:34-46
Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40; Matthew 8:1-17
“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ 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.’” (Matthew 22:36-28)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
“Jesus, tell us, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Who’s asking and why? The question comes from a so-called “expert” in the Law, he’s a lawyer from the Pharisees. Why does he ask? Is he testing Jesus to see if he remembers what he was taught in his Torah classes? Or is the question digging at something deeper? Is the lawyer trying to satisfy Old Adam’s attempt at keeping laws to gain God’s approval? “Give me the greatest law, Jesus, and I’ll focus on keeping that!” Boil all the commandments down to one; surely, I can keep one, right?
Can you hear it? The voice of Old Sinner wants to prove himself to God. “Give me the greatest commandment, and if I can keep that one, the rest should be easy.” Oh, how we all love to turn the law into a ladder. Each rung, each step, is a step closer to God. We are wired to think this way. Man-made religions are built to operate this way. Give me a list, give me something to do, give me a ladder to climb, and with a determined will, up we go. The problem is, if we take Jesus at his word, we can’t even get off the ground. If the first step up the ladder to heaven is the “great commandment,” who are we kidding?
Why is loving “God with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind” such an insurmountable step? The simple answer is that our hearts, souls, and minds are diseased by sin. Not only do we not want to love God in such an all-encompassing way, but we also can’t. Our love is naturally bent inward on ourselves. We love ourselves above God and above others. That’s the hard facts. The truth is, the only way forward is going to require a death. Our old self must die. Who wants to do that?
The one who answered that lawyer’s question is also the one who came to die. Jesus came down from heaven, knowing you could not climb up. God has first loved you, so now in Christ, you may freely love him back - not to earn anything from God or climb some ladder, but to live as one loved by Jesus. Faith can’t help but love him back, and that love is well-pleasing to God.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live; The Law no peace can ever give (LSB 555:8)
Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.
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