About the commandment “and love your neighbor as yourself”

What is the greatest commandment in the law? What is the greatest commandment of all? Jesus was asked this question, which He had to answer.

(Mark 12:28-31)

One of the scribes, hearing their debate and seeing that
Jesus
answered them well, came up and asked Him: What is the first of all the commandments? Jesus answered him: The first of all commandments: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength—this is the first commandment! The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other greater commandment than these.

(Matthew 22:40)

All the law and the prophets are based on these two commandments.

It is worth remembering that Jesus was asked a question and He had to answer when He was asked, what is the greatest commandment? He answered by saying which one.

For 1500 years God placed man under the law. But even David could not fulfill it. God said: “Love Me.” And everyone failed.

The greatest commandment in the law

No one could fulfill the commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” Only Jesus alone fulfilled this commandment.

He alone, 1500 years later, said: “Enough, now I will love you with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength.” And today we love God because He first loved us.

Definition of love

Love is patient and merciful. These are the characteristics of love. But there is a verse of Scripture that says:

(1 John 4:10)

This is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

What is the greatest commandment in the Old Testament? Love the Lord your God with all your heart. But John says that we did not love God. Or was he wrong? Or does he have revelations beyond what an ordinary, law-abiding person can understand?

“We did not love God (law), but He loved us (grace) and sent His Son...”

Keep yourself in the love of God. Many people have this idea: “Keep yourself in the love of God.”

But what does the letter of Jude say?

(Jude 1:21)

Keep yourself in the love of God, awaiting mercy from our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

Jesus Christ gave commandments to humanity during the Sermon on the Mount

The Ten Commandments were given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ during his delivery of the Sermon on the Mount. Christ preached the Sermon on the Mount around 30 AD.

Chapters 5 - 7 of the Gospel of Matthew testify to this. The text of the sermon itself is contained in the first part of this Gospel.

Sermon on the Mount. N.P. Lomtev. 1841 During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gave people his commandments

Most Christians believe that the Sermon on the Mount is a commentary on the Ten Commandments. In it, Christ becomes the interpreter of the Law of Moses.

The New Testament commandments contain the essence of Christian teaching. Christian pacifism has its origins in them.

Such famous philosophers as Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and others often turned to them in their work. They especially revered the idea of ​​the need to do good in secret.

None of the philosophers and theologians disputed the position that if you do this, the Lord will clearly reward you.

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

There was one disciple of Jesus who knew exactly what it meant to abide in the love of God. He called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. Therefore, John knew what none of us know, because Jesus loved him in a special way compared to the rest of the disciples.

Jesus loved all his disciples equally. Only John realized this. John calls himself, especially in the last hours of our Lord's earthly life, the disciple whom Jesus loved.

(John 13:22-23)

Then the disciples looked around at each other, wondering who He was talking about. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ breast.

This is a picture of peace in the love of God. When you lie at the breast of Jesus, you rest in His love for you. The main thing is His love for you, not yours for the Lord.

John reclined at Jesus' chest. The Lord just said, “One of you will betray Me.” Then the disciples looked at each other.

Important: we will never find the answer to our questions by looking at each other.

(John 13:23-25)

One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ breast. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was that he was talking about. He fell to the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is this?

It was Judas Iscariot who had no love for the Lord - a man who carried a box of money. The devil entered him. And this man hanged himself. If he had waited a few hours, he would have been saved. Jesus died for him too.

Jesus told John who would betray. John was the only one of the disciples who knew about the traitor.

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He who relies on God's love for him has the closest communication with God and hears His heartbeat.

The meaning of the third commandment is submission to God's will and peace with others

The Savior teaches us to be submissive to the will of the Heavenly Father, as He was submissive. Only those who have taken upon themselves the burden of Christ can find peace in both earthly and heavenly life.

Christians, through meekness and humility, without leading a war, were able to convert the vast Roman Empire to the Christian faith.

An example of submission to God is Saint Seraphim of Sarov. He is revered in Rus' not only for the miracles he performed, but also for his humility.

He did not resist the robbers who were weaker than him and allowed himself to be beaten. The saint simply did not dare to break God’s commandments and thereby fall into sin.

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. Non-canonical icon

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. The saint is an example of a meek person. When robbers attacked him in the forest, he could have hacked them to death with an ax, but he did not do this, because he was afraid to break the commandment of God.

Until the end of his life, beatings received from robbers, he walked bent over with a stick.

Meek people should not get angry and make other people angry. Such a person will definitely receive earthly blessings and will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who rebel against the will of God and their neighbors will not receive this. The Gospel of Matthew says that one cannot even sacrifice in the temple if a person is in a quarrel with someone:

“...leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother...”

(Matt. 5:23)

The Disciple Who Loved Jesus

On the other hand, Peter is the opposite of John. Because Peter boasted of his love for the Lord.

Jesus told them, “I will go through persecution and die.”

How circumstances can change character, read in this article!

Peter said, “Lord, this will never happen to You. Even if everyone leaves You, I will never leave You.”

And he said this in front of all the other disciples.

(John 13:38)

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times.

Peter was very confident in himself. However, he denied the Lord three times. Why did he renounce? After all, Peter's love was true. But the problem was that he relied on his love for the Lord.

1. Peter represents the one who loves the Lord.
2. John, through his words and actions, shows who Jesus loves.

When Jesus was on the cross, John was there. Where was Peter? Where is the man who trusted in his love for the Lord?

Self-righteousness is deeply rooted in a person and is difficult to notice.

Because of self-righteousness, people cannot accept good from the Lord. The fact is that sinners receive good things from Jesus. Lepers, harlots, tax collectors receive the benefit. But the self-righteous cannot receive good from Jesus, so they fall from grace.

(Gal 5:4) You, who justify yourselves by the law, are left without Christ, you have fallen from grace.

The essence of the Ten Commandments of Jesus Christ is not to do evil

The commandments of Jesus Christ speak about how a Christian needs to build his life. Since they talk about how to achieve Christian perfection, and therefore the Kingdom of Heaven, they are called the Beatitudes.

Their essence is to bring a person closer to God, since only He contains true joy for a person.

"Commandments of Beatitudes", Orthodox icon. The commandments of Christ say that not only is it not necessary to observe the prohibitions imposed by God, but also to lead a virtuous life

Thus, in contrast to the Old Testament, all the commandments of the New Testament say that a Christian must not only not sin, but also banish even thoughts about it from his soul.

Sins create an invisible wall between man and God. To destroy it, it is not enough to do no evil. It is necessary to do good. Only in this case can you get closer to God. To do this, it is necessary to lead a moral life.

The Ten Commandments given to us by Jesus Christ begin with the word “blessed.”

It must be remembered that these are the Beatitudes. There are nine of them. The commandments of love stand alone. In total, they form the ten commandments that we know.

Boast of the Lord's love for you

(John 19:26-27)

Jesus, seeing His Mother and the disciple standing there, whom He loved, said to His Mother: Woman! Behold, Your son. Then he says to the disciple: Behold, your Mother! And from that time on, this disciple took Her to himself.

In other words, when you rely on and boast about the Lord's love for you, you will benefit spiritually to His glory. He will use you for timely service.

Don't boast about your love for the Lord. Boast in His love for you.

Our love is fickle. His love for us is eternal.

You should not place your trust in something that fluctuates and changes. But place your trust in God's love for you.

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When you look at something permanent, you become more confident. And then the Lord will be able to use you.

The Jordan River flows downwards, reaching the lowest place on planet Earth - the Dead Sea. This is where the true place of Jesus' baptism was.

When Jesus came out of the water, the Father opened heaven to Him and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22).

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You won't know how much God loves you until you understand how much God loves His Son. Because He gave His Son for you.

Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert. There He was tempted by the devil for 40 days. Coming to Jesus, he said: “If you are the son of God.” But before that, Jesus heard the words of the Father: “You are My beloved Son.” The devil removed the word “beloved.” This is the devil's tactics. Before forcing a spouse to commit adultery, the devil convinces him that he is unloved by his wife.

First, the enemy convinces you that God does not love you. And after that you turn away from God.

Everyone who preaches that you are loved by God is sent by Him.

The first commandment speaks of the blessedness of the poor in spirit

The text of the first commandment of the Beatitudes speaks of the blessedness of the poor in spirit. Saint John Chrysostom says that a person who is poor in spirit is contrite in heart and humble.

His opposite is a proud person who has a great opinion of himself and considers himself spiritually rich.

Miroslav Yotov. Grandfather Dobry. The Bulgarian elder Dobri is an example of a man poor in spirit. He was humble before the Lord, lived the image of a beggar and used the alms he collected to help orphanages

Spiritual poverty implies that a person sees himself in his true light. Just as a beggar wears someone else’s clothes and eats what is given to him, so he understands that he received everything from God. This commandment seems to continue the commandment of love, which says:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

Thus, only those who are humble before the Lord are promised the Kingdom of Heaven, because they understand that everything they have is not their merit, but the gift of God. It must be increased for the salvation of the soul, and not used for enrichment and power.

The Father opened the heavens to confirm His Son

God said: “This is My beloved Son.” Twice He did this in a voice that everyone present heard. The second time God called Jesus Beloved on Mount Hermon, at the moment of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Mount Hermon is considered the highest in Israel. And the baptism of Jesus was at the lowest point on Earth (430 m below sea level).

Notice that God called Jesus “the Beloved Son” in the lowest place of Israel and in the highest.

That's how it is with our children: talk to them about love not only during their highest achievements, but also when they are at their lowest point. Even if your children fail you, say, “I still love you!”

Do the same with your husband or wife.

Only by knowing how much God loves us can we give our love to our neighbors. We love because God loved us first.

Peter's denial

When Peter denied Christ for the third time and the rooster crowed, Jesus looked at Peter. In the eyes of the Lord it was read: “Peter, I still love you.” And going out, Peter wept loudly.

This broke Peter's heart. The law cannot do this. Words inscribed on stones cannot break a person's heart, but love can.

Jesus rose from the dead. The students fished that day and did not catch anything. But when they did what Jesus said, they could no longer pull out the nets from the multitude of fish.

(John 21:4-5)

And when morning had already come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus says to them: children! do you have any food? They answered Him: no.

The disciples did not recognize Him. But one of them found out.

(John 21:6-7)

He said to them: cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch it.
They cast, and could no longer pull out the nets
from the multitude of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “This is the Lord.” Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, girded himself with clothing - for he was naked - and threw himself into the sea.

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The fastest perception is for the one who rests in the Lord’s love for him.

(John 21:9)

When they came to the ground, they saw a fire laid out and fish and bread lying on it.

The Second Commandment promises blessedness and comfort to those who mourn

When pronouncing the second commandment, the Savior did not mean every cry, but only a person’s cry for his sins. They are promised bliss because without repentance there is no unity with God. This is prevented by human sins.

Video: Gospel of Matthew: 11. Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are those who mourn.

The Holy Fathers speak of repentance as the second salvation. In addition, tears of compassion for one’s neighbor are called blessed.

Christ calls for forgiveness of people’s sins throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

Everyone has sins, so there is no need to boast of imaginary sinlessness, but to repent.

The neighbor needs to have compassion, and only then can the crying person be comforted by entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Eighth Commandment speaks of those who were persecuted for the sake of righteousness

Christians know that Truth is the Lord. That is why He is also called the Sun of Truth. For him, for the Truth, Christians accepted and accept suffering.

That is why the path of a Christian is considered the path of a warrior of Christ. Even if there is no persecution or oppression, a Christian is always forced to fight sin.

Ilya Glazunov. Eternal Russia. The period of persecution of Orthodoxy in Russia during the Soviet era is an example of the commandment about those expelled for their faith

Many of those around him do not accept a righteous lifestyle. Therefore, a believer can be subject to ridicule and reproach. That is why the Lord promises the Kingdom of Heaven to those who suffered for the truth.

The merciful are blessed and will have mercy: this is what the fifth commandment of Christ says

Charity refers to good deeds towards others. Christ says:

“For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...”

(Matt. 6:14.)

God loves everyone and sends good things to everyone. At the same time, he rejoices if the sinner repents.

Last Judgment. V.M. Vasnetsov. Western wall of Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885 - 1896. The merciful will be justified by good deeds at the Last Judgment

We must do good to our neighbors without expecting a reward for it.

By doing good, we thereby serve God. He will give us the reward himself according to His Will.

The merciful will be able to be justified by their good deeds at the Last Judgment. Those who do not repeat the good will not be able to justify themselves and will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The sixth commandment speaks of the pure in heart who will see God

Purity of heart in this commandment means spiritual and mental purity. A person must abstain not only from sinful acts, but also from sinful thoughts. A person may not kill another or steal, but still be absolutely sinful.

Video: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5: - Osipov A.I.

Any dark thoughts will subsequently become dark deeds. Only a person with pure thoughts can become closer to God and see him.

He who is unclean will not see the Lord. You can see the Lord only with the help of a pure heart and a pure soul. If they are clouded by sin, then a person will never see God.

What should Christian love for oneself and one's neighbor be like?

The lawyer wanted to know more precisely who his neighbor was, as if he was afraid that he might love someone who did not need to be loved. The Lord answered: become a neighbor to the person who needs you and your help, and do not try to find out who he is to you. There is no need to monitor those around you, you should be attentive to yourself, so as not to allow anger or indifference towards people, but to show mercy, like the Samaritan.

Everyone we help becomes our neighbor. Every person on earth at one time or another needs help and support. This means that we all must become close to each other.

Love for people should be expressed in mercy, help, support, in fulfilling the words of the Holy Apostle “bear one another’s burdens.” But you cannot proceed to indulging the passions of another person, because the most valuable thing is his soul and its eternal destiny, and not worldly pleasures. Therefore, along with mercy, one must have severity and firmness in order, if necessary, with humility to protect a person from all sin and passion. For example, one cannot justify oneself by love and not resist his deviation into heresy or schism, and not try to reason with him.

Love for people should be expressed in mercy, help, support

Self-love in the form of self-indulgence is dangerous and soul-destroying. St. John Chrysostom teaches: “The best way to cleanse the soul is to constantly bless yourself.” We will show healing love for ourselves if we fight passions and sins, work on ourselves, and fulfill the commandments of the Lord.

By observing the commandment of love for others, a person can easily follow all the other commandments. After all, there will be no place in his heart for anger towards the people around him.

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In the fourth commandment, Christ promises to satisfy those who seek true knowledge of God

This commandment is not about those who constantly complain, conflict with others, are outraged by the actions of the authorities, etc. Jesus Christ here speaks about those people who desire the Highest Truth, that is, life in God. For such people, God's law is more important than all human laws.

An antique bible from the 16th century. The Bible sets forth Divine teaching. The Lord appointed the Church as the bearer of God’s Truth

The Lord gave us the word of God. This is the Bible. It sets forth the Divine teaching. The bearer of God's Truth is the Church. Every Christian should thirst for this truth like a hungry man.

To do this, you need to visit the Temple, read church literature, the Gospel, and pray. As a result, such people receive saturation from the eternal source - our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.