You hear it all the time from those who want to use the Bible to prove you are a terrible Christian who is nothing like Jesus. “You are a hateful bigot who doesn’t understand that all Jesus really came to do was teach us to love,” or something like that. But, is that really true? And if so, what does that love look like? 

Now look, I understand what our culture would say is the definition of love. But that is the problem here isn’t it? Our culture takes the totally warped and depraved definition of love that is being force fed to us constantly through television, social media, etc and applies it to their reading of what the Bible has to say. The culture brings the context. That is wrong. That is what is known as eisegesis, and it is a very poor method of interpretation.

So, how should we approach this topic then? Well, we need to set aside our personal experiences, opinions, etc. In other words, lose your preunderstanding. However, we should come to the table with certain presuppositions. For the interpretation to matter at all, we need to presuppose a few things, but chiefly that the Bible is the infallible word of God and that Jesus IS God. If neither of those is true, or we don’t presuppose they are, then it doesn’t really matter how we read it does it?

Who Is This For?

So, who is this article for? This article is for 1) believers who want to understand how to love our neighbor and 2) unbelievers who want to truly understand the context of the message in order to have genuine conversation. Who is this not for? This article is NOT for those who just want to “own Christians” with their own Bible because, face it, you can twist anything out of context to do that with. However, you probably are not interested in conversation at that point, you probably just want to hate Christians. 

The Context

So, where does the idea that Jesus just wanted us to love one another come from? Well, there are a few verses I have encountered in arguments posited by detractors of Biblical Christianity. In the interest of brevity, we’ll just deal with the main one.

For over 50 verses prior to the verse in question, Jesus is enduring questioning meant for the purpose of challenging His authority and knowledge (among other things). Then, in yet another attempt to discredit Him, a lawyer stands up and asks another question.

 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Mat 22:34-40 (ESV)

Well, there you have it. Case closed. Jesus said love God and love one another and that is all you have to do right? Well, not exactly.

The Questions We Should Be Asking

• Why is a lawyer the one asking Him the question? 

• Is Jesus’ answer something new that He just made up? 

• Is there basis in scripture for Jesus’ answers here? 

• If so, what is the basis for those answers? 

• Based on law, how would the people hearing this have received it?

With these questions in mind, let’s see how we should understand this commandment.

So, Why Is A Lawyer Involved?

The question of what commandment in the law was greatest was one that was being debated among the religious leaders of the time. So, given that the Pharisees were trying to trip Jesus up, this presented an ideal opportunity to challenge Him.

Reading the preceding verses we find that Jesus had already silenced the Sadducees. So then, quickly, the Pharisees send in an expert on the law.

This “lawyer” or expert in the law asks the question. Jesus answers in the verses in question. However, Mark records that the lawyer (Mark says that he is a scribe) confirms that Jesus answered correctly. Mark also says that no one dared ask Jesus any more questions after this.

32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Mark 12:32-34 (ESV)

The question now is, how did this expert in the law know that Jesus answered correctly? There must have been a reference point. There must have been something previously in the law to establish that He was correct. This brings us to our next point which will answer the next three questions we asked previously.

Jesus Wasn’t Making Up A New Answer

The answer that Jesus gave was an answer that would have resonated with those listening because it echoed what they already knew from the law. His answer was based on a couple of things.

Love the Lord your God would have reminded them most likely of what was written in Deuteronomy 6. You see, in Deuteronomy 5, the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) was laid out in detail. Then as a summary, chapter 6 opens with this passage.

1 “Now this is the commandment–the statutes and the rules–that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 6:1-5 (ESV)

Love your neighbor as yourself would have reminded them of what was written in Leviticus 19. You see, in verse 19:18 you’ll find those words written.

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:18 (ESV)

However, this is not a standalone verse. It is the end of a complete thought. Most people like to start that thought around verse 9, but I like to start that thought from the very beginning of the chapter because those first 8 verses once again echo the first few commandments. You will find though, that all of the Decalogue is echoed in one way or another in these 18 verses.

In these verses you’ll find expansions on those ideas such as reasoning frankly with your neighbor. Indeed, the original language suggests that you may even rebuke or correct your neighbor. That sort of throws a monkey wrench in the idea that we shouldn’t judge or that we should just live and let live doesn’t it?

All of those commandments are summarized in verse 18 as being ways to love your neighbor as yourself. So, let’s answer the last question shall we?

How Would The Original Recipients Have Understood This?

Given that there was already an understanding of what those commandments meant and Jesus didn’t just choose them at random, they would have understood them as they had always been understood. That is to say, they would have understood that Jesus was summarizing the Decalogue with those two commandments. 

Also, bonus points for you if you picked up that the lawyer said that Jesus was right in saying the Lord our God is one and there is none besides Him. In Mark, Jesus opens that statement with the Shema, which is a central affirmation in Judaism. Mark recognizes it and is struck by it. What is the Shema? Let’s look at it in English.

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV)

This is further proof that Jesus is referring to those passages in the Old Testament that we just looked at and was certainly not making something new up. He was using their own understanding of the law, specifically the Ten Commandments to answer this question.

So, the way the original recipients would have understood this version of “Love your neighbor” would have been to keep the commandments applicable to doing so. This means that Love the Lord your God would mean keeping commandments 1-4 and Love your neighbor would mean keeping commandments 5-10.

Is There New Testament Confirmation Of This Understanding?

I can hear people screaming now that we aren’t under the old covenant, we are under the new one. You would be correct. However, there are still commandments to follow. After all, why would Jesus say in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” if there weren’t.

But, if you are looking for confirmation of how people would have understood His response to the lawyer, then let’s take some words from Paul.

Remember that Paul had been a Pharisee. This means he would have had a strong understanding of the law. What was his understanding of “Love your neighbor as yourself?”

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:8-10 (ESV)

As you can see, Paul also understood “Love your neighbor” to mean keeping the commandments.

Summary

People who want to hold our feet to the fire as Christians and say that our main job is to love God and love others are sort of right, but very wrong in their understanding. The depraved definition of love that our culture today clings to in no way resembles the sort of love that Jesus is talking about in this teaching.

Jesus, in fact, does want us to focus on loving God and loving our neighbor. However, what that looks like is to remember that the Lord our God is one and He is holy. Loving Him means keeping His commandments. Loving our neighbor the way He wants us to also means doing so by way of keeping His commandments.

Sometimes loving our neighbor means supporting them and sometimes it means correcting them. It never means affirming them in their depravity. It always means doing everything we can to point them to Jesus without treading on their rights and their free will.

I hope that you are blessed by this and that it helps your understanding of loving God and loving your neighbor.

Now it is time to discuss. What do you think? What stood out to you?