Each person on earth is living for something. The question is, what things are people living for? Some people live for security, success, possessions, or other people. Others live for the approval of loved ones. Some live for their own comfort. These things are not necessarily bad, but they are all futile. They are not the most important things that we can be living for. The truth is, what really matters is living for Christ and eternity. After all, His kingdom will last forever.
The apostle Paul warned readers against living for the things of this world in Ephesians 5. In this chapter, Paul wrote, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” The way we live and the things we live for matter; as a result, we need to be very careful about how we live. Specifically, we need to be careful what we choose to live for. We need to live for what matters. The question is, how do we do this? How do we live in such a way that we honor Christ and live for what matters?
Jesus explained how we can live this way in Matthew 22. In this chapter, a group of religious leaders came to Jesus and asked Him, "Which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" (verse 36). The religious leaders wanted Jesus to name the most important commandment of all of the 10 commandments. He quickly responded, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment" (verses 37-38). Loving God with everything in us is the most important thing we can do.
Jesus did not stop after giving the first commandment. He continued His answer, "A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (verse 39). Along with loving God, we are also called to love our neighbors. Jesus' response was masterful because, as He explained in verse 40, all of the laws and instructions "are based on these two commandments" (verse 40). All of the commandments fall under these two commandments.
The Scripture we studied today makes it clear: we must be careful how we live. Instead of following the ways of the world, the Bible compells us to love God and love people. At the end of the day, what will matter most is how we obeyed that command from Jesus. Did we love God with everything in us, and did we love people? May we commit to obeying this command every day of our lives.
During the weekend sermon, we were asked the question, "Are we making time for the most important things in life?" Take time to answer this question for yourself. Are you making space in your life to live for what is most important: loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving your neighbor? If not, what priorities need to shift? What actions do you need to start doing and stop doing in order to obey Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 22? After answering this question, commit to taking steps to make time to live for what truly matters.
1Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
15 Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 16 They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. 17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, 20 he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
22 His reply amazed them, and they went away.
23 That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.’ 25 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. 26 But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. 27 Last of all, the woman also died. 28 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
29 Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 30 For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.
31 “But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.”
33 When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
41 Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “He is the son of David.”
43 Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’
45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
46 No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
