“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 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.” Matthew 22:34-40 (NLT)
It is easy to get wrapped up in the details of the law. We can worry about every little detail, concerned that we are falling short of what God expects from us. The Pharisees and Sadducees knew the law and was looking for a way to trap Jesus into picking the most important law from all that was given to the Israelites through Moses. But Jesus had a different way. He told them to focus on two commandments instead of everything – love God and love people. Jesus made the law simple.
Prayer: God, thank you for helping us understand the basics of obeying your law. Help me to love you and love people. In Jesus name. Amen.