The Second
Why is the second commandment like the first? Ever wonder that? We read how Jesus responded to the lawyer's inquiry, but do we consider why He created a hierarchy for the two commands? And why is the second like the first?
Here is my paraphrase of the encounter between Jesus and the religious leaders as described in Matthew's gospel:
It seemed that the religious leaders wanted to test Jesus in order to find fault in his knowledge of God's word and commandments. First came the Sadducee. These were the aristocratic, politically adroit, religious elite among the Jewish sects. They knew the Law of God and understood, at least in their own minds, how it was reflected in their society. The Sadducee adhered closely to the book of the Law, the Torah, and did not believe in life after death. They decided to quiz the Messiah on marriage after death. They were sure this topic would be one in which this blasphemer would be trapped since, once again, in their own minds, the Old Testament had nothing to say about the resurrection or life after death. They postulated a scenario where a woman has a husband who dies, she is remarried to the dead husband's brother, who dies as well, then marries the next brother who dies, and so on through seven brothers. Their "gotcha" question was, "At the resurrection, whose wife will she be?" Understanding that these guys were trying to get Jesus in a tough spot is critical. They needed to publicly show him to be a heretic so that they could have him killed. They thought through this question trap and were sure they had him nailed. The trap had all the makings for a good debate snare. It was based on an absurd scenario. It dealt with things little known to the general public. And it was offered in such a manner that the Sadducee could surmise Jesus' answer before asking it.
The Second Commandment is like the Greatest Commandment according to Jesus Christ.
They got a surprise. Jesus did not even address the preposterous nature of the scenario. There was no need. The makeup of the question showed the lawyers' intent in asking it. Jesus cut to the chase, bypassing the ridiculous scenario and the Sadducees' rejection of the resurrection and life after death. The Messiah pointed out their "error" based on their lack of understanding of "the Scriptures or the power of God." Talk about being kicked in the teeth. While His adversaries were still reeling, Jesus unloaded the knockout punch by addressing marriage in the afterlife - there will be none - and giving deep insight into resurrection, "have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob?'" Jesus points out to these religious posers that God Almighty demolishes their stance on resurrection and life after death in how He refers to Himself in the book they proudly proclaim to know better than anyone else. "God is not the God of the dead but of the living." The Sadducees were down for the count, and all who heard Him were astonished by Jesus' knowledge and authority.
Now, it was time for the Pharisees to venture into the ring with the Messiah. Their elite brothers, the Sadducees, were humiliated; now they needed to save face on behalf of the religious establishment. Where the Sadducees were the wealthy, politically influential men of the Jewish society, the Pharisees were made up of the more common folk. They did believe in the resurrection and eternal life. They were trained in the Book of the Law and were more connected to everyday life in Israel. They confronted Jesus Christ with a more useful topic. Hoping that he would either not have a response or respond with the wrong commandment, they asked Jesus which of God's commandments was the "greatest." The Messiah immediately replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind." Note that this comprehensive command encompasses the first four commands of the Ten Commandments. Within one statement, Jesus showed how thoroughly He understood the Law and scripture. He also transformed the Law, removing its earth-bound conditionality and replacing it with an eternal relationship. Then, the Lord doubles up by giving a "second" commandment for the Pharisees' consideration. He said the second commandment is "like" the previously mentioned greatest commandment. The second commandment is "love your neighbor as yourself." With this command, Jesus encapsulated the remaining six commandments of the original ten, and in just two commandments included the full ten commandments found in the book of the Laws.
In fact, the Lord states, "All the law and the prophets hang [are dependent upon] these two commandments." Not only do the stated commandments encompass the full ten previously given to Moses, but they are also the foundation on which all Law and the words of the prophets are established. If the greatest and the second commandments are not followed, the words of the Law and those of the prophets are of no consequence.
This magnificent statement shut the religious leaders up for a while. There was no question that Jesus Christ fully understood God's word. The Sadducee and Pharisees would have to use other unscrupulous methods to entrap the Messiah.
I will not go further into the monumentally bad decision the Jewish religious establishment made concerning Jesus Christ, their Messiah. My main objective in recounting this meeting between Jesus and the religious elite of His day is to pose a question to the reader. Why is the second command like the greatest? What makes "love your neighbor as yourself" like "love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind"?
They are not similar in length. The greatest commandment is obviously longer from a textual standpoint. The greatest deals with a person's relationship with God. While the second commandment deals with a person's relationship with other human beings. They are similar in that they encapsulate parts of the original Ten Commandments handed down to the Israelite nation in Moses' times. However, they encapsulate different parts of the Law and, therefore, are inherently different in focus, one on the Almighty God and the other on the treatment of fellow humans.
The two commands may be similar in their likelihood of being accomplished. They both express nearly impossible instructions to achieve. Love God with everything you are and ever will be! Love other people as you love yourself! Both of these are basically unattainable by every human being - except One. Ah-ha! Therein lies the true similarity between these two commands. They both relied upon a perfect life to be followed. Just as humankind could never live up to the Law delivered through Moses, so too were humans incapable of holding to the greatest and second commands outlined by Jesus Christ to the Pharisees. A Messiah was required to make a way, and through Jesus Christ, the way was made for the impossible to become possible.
While all the Law and the Prophets hang on the Greatest and Second commands given by Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of all who believe, came to fulfill both the Law and the Prophets. The Second, like the Greatest, commandment would not be followed except that Jesus lived them out and died for those who could not accomplish them. Through this same Jesus Christ, believers have the power to adhere to these commandments. The Second Commandment is like the Greatest Commandment because it was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ.