Pastor Ben Shin 1/18/07 Urgency as it has to do with relationships with God and with others. Main Passage: Matthew 22:23-40 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "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. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Jesus had opponents who tried to stumble and stump him. - v23-33 - Sadducees - they don't believe in the afterlife or the resurrection. - The question that they asked was strange because they were asking about the afterlife, something they didn't even believe in. - Jesus' answer gave the people a paradigm shift - he took what ideas are common and moves it in another direction. - The scribe's question - a lawyer - was not religious but had great knowledge and oratory abilities - He asks what is the greatest commandment - This is a trap because, if there is one law above the other 600+, then does that mean that the rest don't matter? - Important because Jews are preoccupied with following the law. - v37 - Jesus responds - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." - This is an all encompassing law. - The "heart, soul, mind" part is a hebraism - Usually a couplet or triplet used to give emphasis or show importance.
- In essence Jesus was saying to love God with your entire being. - v39 - Jesus' second response - "Love your neighbor as yourself." - How does one show his love for God, the love mentioned in v37? - Romans 5:8 - God's love for us is shown by saving us while we were still sinners. - John 3:16 - Same thing, with emphasis on the action of God loving us. Loving God shows itself in loving our neighbors. Loving God gives you a vertical relationship first, which then enables the horizontal love of others. - Luke 10 parallels this passage in Matthew - Good Samaritan - a half Jew who is looked down upon by other Jews. - The question of the parable is who is your neighbor? - Jesus is trying to show us that everyone is your neighbor. - In our important relationships, we want to stay connected, so we call them and keep in touch with them. - As Christians we have a tendency to be busy, and we don't connect with God. - Since God is not seen, the saying, "out of sight, out of mind" tells a lot. - Sit before God and see if you can meet with him. We urgently need to be absolutely in love with God. If you're going to connect collegians to the cross, If you're going to serve, We need to connect with God. | 
