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The Law of Love

March 3, 2024

Exodus 20:1-17  |  1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | John 2:13-22 | Psalm 19

­­The Old Testament lesson appointed for today lists the 10 Commandments that were given to Moses.  I remember learning the 10 Commandments as a kid in Sunday School.  When we were able to recite all 10 of them in order, we got a prize.  I can’t remember now what the prize was, but for us at the time, it was quite valuable and signified a great accomplishment.  We were taught that the 10 Commandments were important to help guide us in our Christian life.  I also remember thinking that there was no way I could break any of them – it was so ingrained in me that this was the way to live – I couldn’t imagine doing otherwise.  To me, it was black and white – do these things and don’t do these other things. 

But as I grew, I began to understand that the application of the commandments can get quite complicated – not at all black and white.  Sure, it might be easy to know the rules that show us right from wrong, but life is messy and life’s situations are hardly ever that clear.

When Jesus summarized the law and the prophets with the Summary of the Law, he taught us the spirit behind the laws.  He taught us freedom from that black and white legalism in which I found so much security.  Here we are again, it is all about LOVE!

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:34-40

When I am struggling between legalistically following a law or following the law of love, I often think back to Jesus’ response to the demands of a crowd of people to stone a woman who was caught in adultery.  He helped those in the crowd get down to a human level, rather than a legalistic/follow-the-rules level.  He helped them realize the messiness of our humanity and the reality that we are all sinners in need of love, compassion, empathy, grace, and forgiveness.

This Lent I am being challenged to see the messiness of our humanity in a different way.  Rather than seeing problems and mistakes or errors in judgement as failures to do the right thing, I am learning to slow down, to look at the whole picture and the whole person – whether it’s myself I’m judging too quickly or someone else.  So, it was really helpful to be reminded of the Summary of the Law as I wrote this blog entry, because, as much as I say the words, “it’s all about LOVE!” – I don’t always find it easy to practice it. 

May this LOVE guide us as we live in all the wonderfulness and messiness of our humanity!

Nancy Arnold