God’s GOAT—The Greatest Commandment of All Time
Photo by Cian Leach on Unsplash
By Kimberly Ellison
Most of you have probably heard the acronym “The GOAT,” meaning the Greatest of all Time. In football, Tom Brady holds the title; in gymnastics, Simone Biles wears the crown; and most agree that Muhammad Ali is still “The GOAT” of boxing. Their records are the ones to beat. If you can surpass them, your reign begins as “The GOAT.”
Likewise, just as sports have their greatest champions, there is a commandment from God that is “the greatest.” While we do not refer to it as the GOAT, it is, in essence, the greatest commandment of all time. Unlike sports heroes, the greatest commandment will never be surpassed or replaced by a new one. Centered on love, it stands tall for all eternity because God is love. The Word of God says three things will remain or last forever: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Come with me to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 22. First, we will read the passage in the New King James version, and then in the New Living Translation.
Matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV) Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:35-40 (NLT) One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Related passages in Luke 10:27 and Deuteronomy 6:5 convey this same message. In addition to what Matthew says, the Gospel of Luke adds that we are to love God with all our strength, and Deuteronomy speaks of loving Him with all our might. Overall, we are to love God with our whole being. This can be a major challenge, and we need the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance to achieve this kind of love. But I believe that if we keep these two commandments, we will not violate or break the others. Loving God and people is not a suggestion; it is a commandment and our highest calling.
Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind means giving Him every part of ourselves – our will, thoughts, morals, motives, actions, and so forth. We must keep our minds focused on Christ. Daily prayer, worship, and Bible reading can help us develop our love for God and others. Our whole inner person, our soul, belongs to Christ; keep it in check by living for Him and loving Him completely.
To help us understand how to live out the greatest commandment, consider a few Scriptures that highlight how we should live and love God.
John 14:15 (NKJV) If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Keeping God’s commandments is a heartfelt act of obedience and one way we can express our love for Him. The Bible is God’s Word and instruction manual for life. Read it daily. Each command, directive, instruction, or decree will guide us to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help.
John 15:12-13 (NKJV) This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Jesus commands us to love others as He loved us. He laid down His life for us. This raises an important question. How do we give our lives for others? Some, especially in war, give the ultimate sacrifice for their country and loved ones. Christians have been martyred for the faith. But not all of us go to war, and not all of us will be martyrs. So, what does it mean for the rest of us to lay down our lives for our friends?
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
In practical terms, we are called to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This means we are not to follow the ways of this world, but instead give our lives, desires, and plans to God. Our approach to life needs to align with His Kingdom purposes. Loving God often requires personal sacrifice. Sometimes we must forego our dreams and ambitions to fulfill God’s purposes.
For example, I knew a man named Johnny, a Christian musician and singer. He was offered a substantial sum of money to sing secular music; he was tempted, but did not accept. Financially, it was a sacrifice, but he loved God more. He chose instead to sing for Jesus in churches, camp meetings, and even overseas. Today, he is in heaven with the Lord.
1 Cor. 2:9 (NKJV) But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
There is another story I once heard about sacrifice. It went something like this. A man took his son and his son’s friend fishing. When their boat capsized, he faced an agonizing decision about which boy to save. He chose to save his son’s friend, believing his own son would go to heaven because of his son’s faith in Jesus. He knew his son’s friend did not have a relationship with Jesus, and he feared he would be lost for all eternity. As a result, he made the painful decision not to save his own son. Either decision would have been painful, but the choice he made came with a huge personal cost.
The Second Greatest Commandment
Recently, I read a Scripture passage about loving our neighbor to my husband. I asked Neil for his thoughts. He put his head down for a moment, then looked up and said, “Well, it depends on the neighbor.” He was quite serious, but not the response I had hoped for. Now, before you judge him too harshly, he had what most people would consider to be a good reason for his answer. We had just come through eight months of frustration with some ever-so-difficult neighbors whom the owner finally evicted.
Pounding, drilling, clanging, and banging assaulted our ears late into the night. Their illegal car shop was up and running within a week of their arrival. At any given time, six to eight cars were parked in the driveway, with several men working on them. Tow trucks and trailers blocked local traffic as they moved the vehicles in and out and shuffled them around. Imagine our surprise and shock as they boldly disrupted our neighborhood.
Given this situation, how and why should we love such neighbors? Well, Jesus loves them and died for them just like He did for you and me. I think that answers the why of it. The “how” is more difficult. It is important to note that we do not have to love or excuse what they do. They were wrong, and I am glad I no longer live next door to all that commotion. Nor should my neighbors or I have put up with the situation as long as we did.
Criminal types count on the fact that we will remain passive and not do anything. Often, they are right. But we must not confuse loving people with loving what they do and how they act. God loves us all, despite our bad behavior. He desires that none of us perish. He desires that we all receive Him as our Lord and Savior. Remember, love for others does not require approval of their actions, but seeks their good. One way to seek their good is to pray for them and show kindness.
But lest I be neglectful, the last part of Matthew 22:39 talks about loving yourself. Yes, that is right, I did not make it up. It says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Not only are we to love others, but we are also to love ourselves. I am not talking about being self-centered. I am not referring to the popular cultural view of accepting yourself as you are. Rather, recognize your worth and value to God. He created you in His image. Allow Him to change you. Accept His love for you and allow it to flow out to others. Do not permit others to abuse you; set some boundaries so you can live a healthy and peaceful life.
Romans 5:8 (NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16-17 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37 (NKJV)
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He (Jesus) said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
So, he (the lawyer) answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.”
And He (Jesus) said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this, and you will live.”
But he (the lawyer), wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now, by chance, a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 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. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and 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.’ So, which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he (the lawyer) said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus clearly tells us in these verses what it means to be a good neighbor. The Priest and Levite saw the wounded man but did not stop to help. To avoid him, they passed by on the other side of the road. It is difficult to understand their behavior. They were religious leaders in the community. Surely, they would stop and show compassion, but they did not. Did they think they were too important, too busy? Were they fearful that perhaps the robbers were still nearby? So many questions we could ask.
Perhaps they did not want to become defiled by touching blood or a corpse, which would prevent them from performing temple duties as they underwent purification rituals. There were many priests during Jesus’ time; most ministered only two weeks per year. Could it be that the Priest and the Levite did not want to miss their time of temple ministry? Could it be that religious legalism was more important than showing love and compassion to the wounded man? Perhaps, but we really do not know for sure.
Now, let us turn our attention to the Good Samaritan who stopped to help. I find it interesting that Jesus made the hated Samaritan the hero of the story. The Jews disliked the Samaritans because they had become a mixed-race people descended in part from the 10 northern tribes of Israel. They were not purely Jewish in their lineage, faith, or customs, so the southern Jewish tribes had nothing to do with them.
When the Good Samaritan saw the wounded man, he did not cross the road and pass by. Instead, he showed mercy and compassion. He bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He set him on his own animal and took him to an inn where he cared for him. When he left the next day, he gave the innkeeper two denarii, close to two days’ wages, to watch over him.
The Good Samaritan helped the man at his own expense and was willing to give the innkeeper even more if needed. He gave of both his time and money. According to Jesus, being a good neighbor means showing love, compassion, and mercy not only to our friends and family, but also to strangers and even to those who may not like us or who are different from us.
In conclusion, I would like to share a quote from a sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah. He said, “We cannot separate our relationship with God from our relationships with other people.” This statement shows us the strong connection between loving God and loving others. Our love for God should cause us to love people and consistently treat them with love and respect.
What is tugging at your heartstrings as I bring this message to a close? Is there someone you could show the love and kindness of God to this week? Is there a neighbor that you can begin to pray for? Is there a practical need you could meet? Is there someone you need to forgive?
1 John 4:20-21 (NKJV) If someone says, “I love God; and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
1 John 4:7-11 (NKJV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 Cor. 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
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