Seeing Our Lives Through God’s Redemption

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 neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ (Matthew 22:35-40)

When Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments, he meant the entire Hebrew Bible. This includes most of what we think of as the Old Testament: the hundreds of laws in books like Leviticus, songs they sang in the Psalms, the wisdom they had accumulated over the years in books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and most importantly the beautiful heartbreaking Bible story. Jesus was saying that this story - the creation of the world and the fall of humanity, slavery in Egypt and God’s salvation, wandering in the wilderness and receiving the Promised Land, glorious kings and persistent rebellion, exile and the promise of deliverance - all of this hangs on loving God and loving others. But what does this mean?

Through the Old Testament story we see that the people of Israel had been shown tremendous favour and grace because they were God’s treasured possession, and his intention was to rescue all of humanity through them. And yet after all of the sacrifices they had made, Psalms they had sung, wisdom they had learned, and redemption they had experienced, they still weren’t able to be the people God had called them to be. Over many centuries they learned how so many things they thought would give them life and dignity outside of God brought them death and shame. And yet God responded to their failure by dying on a cross to break the power of sin over them, allowing them to see their entire story through the eyes of God’s redemption. God loved them with such tremendous love so they could have greater capacity to love him and others by the power of his Spirit.

When we look back on everything we have learned and experienced throughout our lives, we will likely see failure and achievement, pain and joy, death and growth, persistent disobedience and response to God’s call on our lives. When we look at our story through the eyes of God’s ongoing redemption and see how he continues to love us, we see that all of our lives hang on his desire to give us more capacity to love him and others with all our heart, soul, and mind. How is he leading you to give him more of your attention and obedience? How is he leading you to show more kindness and care those who are struggling?