Expansive Love

Jesus often went back to the basics and honored his Jewish tradition. Over and over he quoted the greatest commandment from the book of Moses:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5

Interestingly, though, Jesus regularly changed it. Jesus was speaking to a context that was different than Moses’s context. The Greeks had come and taken over the entire Mediterranean world, and now that the Romans had replaced the Greeks, they gladly publicized the Greek emphasize on the life of the mind.

So listen to these two moments when Jesus restates the greatest command, and note what’s a little different:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. - Matthew 22:36-38

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ - Mark 12:29-30

In no way is Jesus correcting Moses; he’s simply expanding what God has said to help his contemporary world grasp what love is and what it means to embrace God with all of who we are.

Sometimes we can get consumed with getting parts of the Bible exactly right, but Jesus shows that this is not the approach God is most interested in. God’s interested in us loving well - and understanding that in our current context.

How do you think Jesus might adapt the greatest commandment for our time? Try on a few different words that might fit well, especially for you in your current situation. Then respond to God in prayer.