The Supreme Commandment
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 NIV
Do to others – What is the greatest commandment? The scribe asked Yeshua and received a two-pronged answer. Love God and do unto others. The two are essentially equal. Perhaps that’s why Augustine could write those often-misunderstood words, “Love God and do as you please.” But Yeshua wasn’t the first to point out this equivalence. The prophets castigated the people for pretending these two weren’t intimately related. Heschel notes:
“What is lacking is a sense of the monstrosity of injustice. Moralists of all ages have been eloquent in singing the praises of virtue. The distinction of the prophets was in their remorseless unveiling of injustice and oppression, in their comprehension of social, political, and religious evils.”[1]
“The urgency of justice was an urgency of aiding and saving the victims of oppression.”[2]
Therefore, we find words like this in Jeremiah: Thus says the Lord, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3 NASB
“But to do justice is what God demands of every man: it is the supreme commandment, and one that cannot be fulfilled vicariously.”[3]
Yeshua was reiterating the proclamation of the prophets. If you love God, you will have a burning compassion for justice, and that will mean you put effort, real effort, into rescuing the oppressed. You will agonize over the social, political, and religious mockery that goes on in the name of God. You will weep over what is passed off as care for others in the societal system. You will fight, yes, fight, for the rights of the voiceless. That’s what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. It’s not giving a few canned goods to the charity drive. It’s not writing a check to the United Way or some other anonymous charitable organization. It’s getting your hands dirty, getting involved, knowing who needs help, and doing something about it. Yes, vote for the compassion candidate. Yes, march if you need to (pray with your feet). Yes, voice your opposition to inhumane social agendas. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? When Heschel says that the prophets had a sense of the monstrosity of injustice, they reflected God’s point of view. Do we? Are we brokenhearted over the plight of the pitiful? Frankly, I’m not sure—about me. I find myself caught up in comfort and a peaceful life. I want to feel satisfied, not strain. I wonder how God looks on me.
Topical Index: justice, love of others, Jeremiah 22:3, Matthew 7:12
[1] Abraham Heschel, The Prophets (Hendrickson Publishers, 1962), Vol 1, p. 204.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
