The Great Commandment Pastor David Lazarus 25/10/2026
Matthew 22:34–46
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s pray…
Good morning, dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
There is a moment in every Christian’s life when the words of Jesus feel impossibly heavy: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind… and love your neighbour as yourself.”
All your heart.
All your soul.
All your mind.
And your neighbour — as yourself.
If we are honest, these words are beautiful, but they also expose our limits.
They expose us that we cannot love God perfectly and we cannot love our neighbour perfectly.
They expose us.
They reveal how divided our hearts are, how distracted our minds are and how selective our love is.
They show us that we do not love God fully and we do not love our neighbour consistently.
And Jesus knows that.
He is not giving us a motivational speech.
He is not setting a performance target.
He is revealing the truth: the Law demands perfect love, and we cannot produce it.
The Law says: You shall love… But we do not.
And that is precisely where Jesus wants us — not confident in our love, but aware of our need.
But these passages point us to Christ—the only One who has fulfilled them.
His love is proven by His cross.
His life, death and resurrection are the living expression of the Great Commandment.
His arms stretched wide: that is loving God with all His heart.
His blood poured out: that is loving His neighbour — us — as Himself.
Jesus is the Great Commandment in human flesh.
He loves the Father perfectly.
He loves us sacrificially.
He fulfils the Law completely.
And He gives that righteousness to us freely.
Because Christ has fulfilled the Law for us, we live in His mercy.
That mercy shapes how we meet people, especially those who live outside God’s ways or do not know Him: not to judge but to embody mercy.
As Lutherans, we believe that the Great Commandment is not a measuring stick.
It is a signpost pointing to Christ.
The Law says: You shall love.
The Gospel says: Christ has loved you.
The Law says: Give everything.
The Gospel says: Christ has given everything for you.
The Law says: Be perfect.
The Gospel says: Christ is perfect for you.
Jesus wants us to see that the Great Commandment is not about human achievement — it is about divine fulfilment.
So, the Great Commandment becomes not a heavy burden but a gracious gift.
We love because Christ first loved us.
We show mercy because Christ has shown mercy to us.
We walk gently because Christ has walked gently with us.
The Spirit produces love in us — not perfect love, but real love.
Not flawless love, but growing love.
Not self‑generated love, but Spirit‑given love.
We do not love perfectly, but we love faithfully, trusting the One who has fulfilled the Law on our behalf.
We begin to love God because He first loved us.
We begin to love our neighbour because Christ has loved us in our unloveliness.
Finally, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen
