The Great Indivisible Commandments

by Tom Johnston

I love the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. It is one of my favorite teachings of Jesus. We see the Master approached by one of the religious elite of the day, a “lawyer” – one schooled specifically in the proper keeping of the Mosaic Law, who has obviously been listening to Jesus. The man ask Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus, in true rabbinical form, asks the man to try to answer his own question from the Law. He quotes the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and the second half of Leviticus 19:18, and Jesus commends him for his answer. But the man presses his point in the dialog by asking “But who is my neighbor?” To expose his heart (to himself and the others listening) Jesus tells the wonderful story about the Samaritan.

Jesus uses the story to illustrate the inseparable nature of love – how love cannot be divided or compartmentalized, how the loving of God is indivisible from the loving of humankind and how love, the very nature of God Himself (1 John 4:8), must be demonstrated in action. One cannot truly just love in thought or emotion – Jesus shows us that love demands action. He uses the character of the Samaritan – one who is ceremonially unclean, a religious heretic and a social outcast – to demonstrate this truth. At the end of the parable, Jesus asks the lawyer which of the three characters in the story “proved to be a neighbor.” The lawyer is forced to admit that it was “the one who showed mercy” – he can’t bring himself to say “Samaritan.” Jesus then admonishes him - “You go, and do likewise.” You go, and be like the Samaritan. Demonstrate you neighborliness, your love for others, your love for God. Demonstrate your love. Do something. Here Jesus shows us that not only are the Two Great Commandments inseparable, indivisible, but also that true love is something which is lived out in action.

Now, remember why Jesus came to us – to reconcile all things in Himself to the Father (Colossians 1:19-23). He came with a Gospel of the Kingdom, declaring God’s right to rule in the affairs of men, a Kingdom which lays demands on both our allegiance and our affections. But the Gospel message Jesus both taught and embodied was not just motivated by truth, but by love. It was the Father’s love which compelled Him to redeem us, to gather Him back into communion with Himself, and indeed, with other people as well. In Jesus’ discourse in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19), Jesus lays out the benefits to humanity of God’s loving Kingdom rule. Too often we Christians are too satisfied to stop when someone enters in the Kingdom and its salvation, and we neglect to bring them into the aspects of their inheritance in the Kingdom which can be at least partially realized in this life. If I love God, then I will contend for my “neighbor” to inherit the Kingdom to the fullest possible degree. And to that end, my love MUST take form in action, and here are some things which I have personally embraced, and you might feel moved to lay hold of as well.

• All humanity deserves my respect because we all bear the Imago Dei, whether we are redeemed or not. Such respect is demonstrated in my relational behavior – my actions, my speech, my serving of them.
• Within the realm of my relationships, I should care for the practical, emotional, relational and spiritual needs of others simply because it is Christ-like to do so.
• I choose to advocate for the poor, the broken and needy whenever and wherever I encounter or am made aware of such people.
• I work for BOTH personal transformation of individuals AND the transformation of society around me through the application of the Gospel message.
• Care for the incarcerated, rehabilitation and reconciliation with society should be an element of my Christian ministry.
• I make sure that the broken, the sick, the disabled and the addicted all have a place in God’s “house of healing,” the Church.

I want people to know the Triune God and His truth as embodied in Christ and explained in His Scripture, but I also want them to be free from governmental tyranny, have access to health care, be able to pay their bills and put food on their table. I want them to inherit eternity with Jesus in His Kingdom and I want them to experience the effects of His dominion in their life now – freedom from spiritual bondage to sin as well as the bondage of drug and alcohol addiction, having the eyes of their heart enlightened and filled with His glory – and having the eyeglasses they need. I want to see the lonely placed in His family and those entrapped in abusive relationships freed by living in His embrace through His community. Why do I want this? Simple – I love God, and because I love God, I must love others. And if I truly love others, it will take shape in action (James 2:17). Because you can’t love God and hate your neighbor. My encouragement for you – “You go, and do likewise.” The Great Commandments truly are indivisible.