Functional Equivalence

“and a second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:39  ESV

Like it – The Greek word homoia is a word about equivalence.  It means “of the same kind” or “belonging equally.”  It is often used in rabbinic teaching in the phrase, “Who is like?”  We need to recognize that this is not a word about second-place status.  When the scribe asks Yeshua what is the greatest commandment, Yeshua does not give him a rank order of the greatest and the slightly less great.  Yeshua says that this citation from Leviticus is equal to the commandment to love YHWH.  Whenever we put the commandment to love God ahead of the commandment to love our neighbor, we do injustice to Yeshua’s insight.

But this is not new.  The sages taught the functional equivalence of these two commandments for centuries.  Note the comment of Rabbi Michael Munk:

“God presented the Ten Commandments to Israel engraved on the, הָעֵדֻת לֻחֹת שְׁנֵי, Two Tablets of the Testimony (Exodus 31:18).  One tablet contained five commandments governing man’s duties toward God, and the second tablet contained five delineating interhuman obligations.  The word שְׁנֵי, two, indicates that the tablets were equal to one another in every way: physically, they were the same size and weight; spiritually, they correspond to each other and are of equal importance.  That they are halves and constitute a whole only in combination is implied by the Torah’s defective spelling of לֻחֹת (without the ו of plurality) as if it were meant to be pronounced   הָ לֻת ,[one] tablet. . . . As the tablets formed one single physical unit when they were placed together, so both together constitute the One Divine Law (R’ Hirsch).  This implies the dual nature of the Torah, in which duties toward God and those towards man are inseparable.  The discharge of only one kind of obligation without the other is not considered a fulfillment of Judaism.”[1]

To love God is to love men.  To love men is to love God.  Either one without the other is inadequate.  To apply Yeshua’s equivalence insight means recognizing and realizing love for neighbor as love for God.  Moses Luzzatto was right.  So was James.  If I say I love God but hate my brother, I am a liar.  WWJD means human interaction, compassion, care and intercessory concern.  If you want to know who really loves God, start with those who really care about human beings. 

Today you will have opportunities to demonstrate your love for the Father.  They will come in the form of human beings in need.  When they show up, remember Abraham.  You are standing in God’s presence.  Act accordingly.

Topical Index:  like it, homoia, Exodus 31:18, two tablets, Matthew 22:39