There are two parts to our Holy Gospel for today, and yet they are unified. They belong together. The first part speaks of love—love toward God and love toward our neighbor. The second part speaks of faith—faith in Jesus as both David’s Son and David’s Lord, the promised Savior, the Son of God.
Today we will learn that God the Father loves us. He sent His Son Jesus to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil. Faith believes in God’s love for us, and from that faith flows love—love for God and love for one another. True love for God and neighbor springs from a heart of faith.
How did God love Israel? He loved her by redeeming her from slavery in Egypt. God sent ten plagues upon Pharaoh, and in the end, Pharaoh let Israel go free. God parted the Red Sea so that His people could cross safely, and He used those same waters to destroy Pharaoh’s army. On the East side of the Red Sea, the Israelites gave thanks to God for His gift of salvation. He had been gracious and merciful to them. From Israel would come the promised Savior.
At Mount Sinai, God reminded Israel that He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. He said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). Then He gave them the Ten Commandments. God didn’t give them the Ten Commandments while they were still in Egypt saying, “If you obey these commandments, then I will set you free.” Rather, He set them free purely by grace, and then he gave them Ten Commandments to show them how to live with faith in Him and with love toward one another. The commandments can be summarized as love for God and love for the neighbor.
In response, the Israelites gladly feared the Lord their God, walked in His ways, and served Him with their heart, soul, and mind. God’s love toward them motivated their love for Him and for one another.
Yet since they still possessed a sinful nature, they did not live according to the Ten Commandments perfectly. They still sinned. Yet through the animal sacrifices, their sins were forgiven. As a forgiven people, they served God, clung to Him alone, walked in His ways, and joyfully worshiped Him.
As time went on, God told King David that the promised Savior would come from his line (2 Samuel 7:12). David then confessed in Psalm 110 that this Savior would be his Lord. This Savior will sit at the right hand of God.
This promise was fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God. He is God in human flesh. He came from the line of David and He is David’s Lord. So, Jesus asked the Pharisees, “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” They should have said, “Jesus, you are David’s Son, and you are his Lord,” but they refused to acknowledge this. They remained silent.
Did the Pharisees love God? They did not. If they had loved God, they would have loved Jesus for He is God in human flesh. They refused to believe that Jesus was David’s Lord and the promised Savior. By rejecting Jesus, they did not love God. And since they did not love Jesus, they did not love their neighbor. Where there is no faith in Jesus, there can be no true love for God or for one another.
What about you? What about me?
God the Father so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son to be our Savior. The Son of God came down from heaven and was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus was born from the line of David. Throughout His life and ministry, Jesus truly loved His heavenly Father with all of His heart, soul, and mind. Jesus never committed idolatry. He was never selfish or self-centered. He never worried, but often prayed to His Father. He never complained.
Furthermore, Jesus loved his neighbor. He was respectful toward Mary and Joseph. He never harbored hatred in His heart toward anyone. He fed the hungry and healed the sick. He never gossiped or lied but He always spoke the truth. And He fulfilled the law perfectly. He did what we cannot do.
Jesus loved you, His neighbor, so much that He willingly went to the cross in your place and for your sake. Since we sin in thought, word, and deed, we were the ones who deserved to be cursed, but Jesus was cursed in our place. Jesus hung on the cross and bore God’s wrath because of our sin.
This is love: that Christ died upon the cross for you. He laid down His life as the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He did this out of love for you. And three days later, He rose from the dead.
We are loved by God, forgiven in Christ, and reconciled to the Father on account of Christ. We were given the gift of faith. We believe that God is our Creator and our Redeemer. We believe in Christ as our one and only Savior. We are saved through faith in Christ and not by fulfilling the law.
Therefore, we love God because He first loved us. Our love toward God is a response to His love shown first to us. The Gospel, not the law, gives us the desire and strength to follow Him. We love God freely, not out of fear or coercion. We willingly and joyfully love God with our whole being. To love God and to walk in His ways is not a burden, but a joy.
How do we love God? We love God by not worshiping idols, but by having a fear, love and trust in Him above all things. We love God by not misusing His name but by calling upon Him in every trouble. We love God by not despising His Word, but by gladly hearing it, and attending worship on a regular basis receiving His gifts of salvation.
We do not love God so that He would bless us materially. We are content with what God has given us, whether much or little. We do not take the first move and love God, so that He would love us. He already loves us unconditionally. We do not love God in order to earn His favor. There is no favor to earn because He is already gracious and merciful to us in Christ.
We are called not only to love God, but to also love our neighbor. God’s love toward us also motivates us to do good toward one another.
How do we love the neighbor? We love our neighbor by honoring parents and other authorities; by helping our neighbor in his body; by supporting life, marriage and family; by helping our neighbor protect his property and income; and by speaking well of him. We love one another by visiting those who are sick or lonely, by praying for them, and by helping them in times of need. Your closest neighbors are your family, then your church family, and then those in your community.
Love toward God and love toward our neighbor go hand in hand. These two tables belong together. You cannot have one without the other. The Pharisee thought there is only one great commandment, but Jesus said that there are two great commandments: Love God and love one another. They both go together. The one is like the other.
Our sinful flesh may not like the Ten Commandments, but they are good for us. They summarize God’s will for our lives and for the well-being of others. They keep order in the family and in society. They are given for our safety and protection. They teach us what we are to do and not to do. They teach us what is right and wrong and what is true and false.
The unbelieving world wants no moral restrictions. They hate God and His law and will do everything to persecute the Christian. Deep down they are filled with hatred and evil. They refuse to see their own sin and their need for a Savior. Pray for your enemies that they may be converted to faith in Christ.
God doesn’t ask us to do the best we can. He doesn’t grade on a curve. Rather, He demands perfection. Because of our sinful nature, we cannot keep God’s law perfectly. God’s law is like a mirror. It shows us our sin.
The truth is that because we have a sinful flesh, we have failed to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and we have failed to love our neighbor as ourselves. We rebel against God’s law. We want to do what we want, regardless of what God says.
Dearly beloved in the Lord, we should always repent of our sins and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ. We should always confess our sins and receive the forgiveness that Christ freely gives.
The good news is that you were baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. You were given saving faith in Christ. You could not by your own reason or strength believe in Christ your Lord, but the Holy Spirit has called you by the Gospel and has given you the free gift of faith in Christ.
You look to Christ alone as your Savior. You trust in Him as your refuge and strength. In Christ you are forgiven. Because Jesus lives, you too shall live. Eternal life is yours through faith in Christ. You have been given God’s love and mercy in Christ. This Gospel is preached into your ears. It is given to you at this altar. The very body and blood of Christ are placed into your mouth.
As forgiven sinners, we delight in following God’s Word. We love God because He first loved us. We also gladly help the neighbor who is in need. Our love toward God and toward the neighbor flows out of a heart of faith. We love, not in order to be saved, but we love because of the salvation which has been freely given to us in Christ. When we love others, it’s a reflection of God who is love.
So, faith in Christ and love toward God and one another go together. Faith believes in God’s love for us and from this faith flows love – love for God and for our neighbor. Thanks be to God. Amen.
