On my face book page, a reader asked, “What did Jesus mean when he said he was giving us a New Commandment (John 13:34)? What was wrong with the 10 Commandments that He had to give a new one?”
Immediately prior to Jesus telling the well-known story of the Good Samaritan, we read in Luke 10:25-28 “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he [Jesus] said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.”
A child was asked, “What was the first commandment?” To which he replied, “The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.” This is not what the Bible says.
The Ten Commandments can be easily divided into two sections — the first four (Exodus 20:1-7) relate to how we love God and the latter six (Exodus 20:8-17) relate to how we love each other. The lawyer’s answer encapsulated these two sections – the first with the phrase, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” and the second with the expression “Thou shalt love … thy neighbour as thyself.” So, in summary, the last six of Ten Commandments are (as it were) one command: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (See Leviticus 19:18). The Apostle Paul writing to the Church in Roman said, “… if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:9-10)
There was nothing wrong with the ‘old command’ per se, but the problem was in the way that we applied it. This ‘old commandment’ refers to a particular way of loving others — that is, as we love ourselves. Sadly, most of us don’t really love ourselves a great deal. True, we are naturally selfish and think of ourselves before others, but we often don’t take very good care of our bodies, our minds, and our spiritual condition. Jesus recognised this state of affairs and knew that a command to love others as poorly as we love ourselves was inadequate, since we didn’t really know what love is. Jesus came to demonstrate in a very tangible way ‘what love is.’ “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.” 1 John 4:10) Therefore He could say that the way we should love is not so much the way that we love ourselves, but the way that He loved us — unconditionally. This is what is recorded in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
In her book ‘The Desire of Ages’, author E. G. White penned these words in 1898, “In this last meeting with His disciples, the great desire which Christ expressed for them was that they might love one another as He had loved them. Again and again He spoke of this. ‘These things I command you,’ He said repeatedly, ‘that ye love one another.’ His very first injunction when alone with them in the upper chamber was, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ To the disciples this commandment was new; for they had not loved one another as Christ had loved them.” (Page 678)
-- Lionel Hartley.
Happy reading. A number of people have asked if they can use quotes from my Blog in church bulletins or newsletters. Permission is granted provided credit is given to: Dr Lionel Hartley, www.hartleyonline.blogspot.com
Profile
- Lionel Hartley
- Born in New Zealand of English parentage, Lionel D C Hartley worked as an office and theatre manager and commercial artist while gaining qualifications in Business Administration and an honorary diploma in Dramatic Art. In the 1970s, he graduated as a Registered Nurse with subsequent postgraduate qualifications in Psychiatric and Psychopaedic Nursing, Nursing Nutrition and Administration, Sex Therapy and Family Life Counselling. In 1980, he graduated from a Melbourne Theological Seminary with a Diploma of Religion and in 1989 received a PhD in Sociology. He also has qualifications in graphic design, computer programming, business law, accountancy and economics. He is perhaps best known as the author, co-author, editor, and/or illustrator of over 100 books and hundreds of periodical articles, pamphlets and multimedia publications. He retired after 30 years as a family life counsellor. Lionel is still very involved in campanology, writing, manuscript translating (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Latin, and Portuguese), and public speaking. He is married to Rosemary (nee Wells) and they have three grown children. -- Adapted from a profile written by Theo B Hawkins.