Jesus was no antinomian, believing that His coming made the Old Testament Law of no importance anymore. Instead, He came both to teach and to illustrate the central meaning of that Law – He came to teach unconditional, self-sacrificial love and to model it.

For, if we really were to consider God to be more important than anyone or anything else, if God and God’s approval really were our greatest desire, then all the other commandments related to God would naturally fall into place. Anyone who has ever really loved someone else knows that. Of course we don’t misuse the name of our beloved, but cherish it. Of course we want to spend, not just one day a week with our beloved, but every waking moment. When we are in love, we certainly don’t worship anyone or anything else – we don’t even want to think about anyone else! That’s the same sort of singleminded, exclusive devotion Jesus says we should have for God.

And if we really were to consider our friends and neighbors to be more important than ourselves, if we really were to love them just as much and in the same way that we love ourselves, of course we wouldn’t try to kill them or steal from them or tell them lies. We wouldn’t even want the things they have, but instead would be eager to give them everything we consider our own. That’s the sort of love Jesus says we should have for others, the same sort of love He demonstrated for us on the cross.

Yes, if we really love God, and if we really love other people, all the other Old Testament laws become interesting examples of how we should demonstrate that love, helpful ways we can put our love into practice in the real world. On the contrary, if we put ourselves first – above God and above others – then we’ll see the rest of the Law as a drudgery at best or an unfair imposition at worst.

So, where is your heart? Who or what is your greatest desire? Maybe we need to let the Law of God redirect our priorities today.

Matthew 22:37-40 KJV

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.