[34] But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. [35] And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” [37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34–40)
If you are like me, there are times when God’s law weighs heavily upon you. Our Scripture passage illustrates one way God helps us in our struggle with sin.
There are seasons when we struggle to keep one of the 10 Commandments. At first, our sin is an annoyance. We think we’ve dealt with the sin, only to have it crop up again. As a result, we recommit to living according to God’s will. The harder we try to keep the command, the more we fail to keep the command. Finally, in frustration we give up trying to deal with the sin. After a little time passes, the guilt of the sin surfaces.
One way God helps us deal with sin is to shift our focus when we experience the law. When struggling with sin, we often become laser focused on our attitude or behavior. We function as if the purpose of the law is solely to control our behavior.
This is where God shifts our focus to Jesus. The law is designed to drive us to Jesus, who took our guilt upon himself on the cross. No matter how long we struggle with a specific sin, Jesus’ forgiveness will last longer. It will certainly last longer that this life, since we will enter eternal life in God’s presence. God also shifts our focus on sin in today’s Scripture passage. It is another reminder that the law wasn’t solely designed to dictate our behavior. Instead, it was given so that we could demonstrate our love for God. Our first shift is to Jesus, who reminds us he has earned our forgiveness of sins. In response to this forgiveness, we focus on demonstrating our love for God the Father by fulfilling the law.
(A Second Look devotions are written for the congregations of the Ohio District LCMS.)
Kevin Wilson 360 