SELF-DENYING OR SELF-SEEKING

In Matthew 22:34-36, Jesus was asked a very simple but profound question concerning the Law; “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus gave a very simple but profound answer to the question in verses 37-40. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

Much could be said and volumes have been written concerning this statement by Jesus, but I would like to focus on two points.  First of all, Jesus did not give just the greatest commandment, he gave the two greatest commandments.

 

Secondly, Jesus says that the Law and the Prophets hang, not just on the greatest commandment, but on the two greatest commandments. Jesus indicates that these two commandments are inseparable and that one cannot make a legitimate claim to be obeying the first commandment if one is not making every effort to obey the second commandment.

 

The apostle, John makes this very clear as he writes in I John 4:20-21, If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.  

 

The love spoken of in Matthew 22 and I John 4 is “agape” love and the apostle, Paul gives the characteristics of this “agape” love in I Corinthians 13:4-8. Again, much could be said about each of these characteristics of agape love but I would like to bring your attention to the seventh characteristic which is listed in verse 5; it (love) is not self-seeking.

 

When we consider this characteristic of the love that God wants us to have for Him and for our neighbors it becomes obvious that to truly love God is to seek what pleases Him not what pleases me. To truly love my neighbor is to seek my neighbor’s good and well-being ahead of my own good and well-being.

 

Jesus makes this characteristic of love an imperative for discipleship. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus states, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself…”  Why is self-denial so important to discipleship? Because as long as we harbor a self-seeking attitude, we will never attain the “agape” love that fulfills the first and second greatest commandments from God.

 

As Christians, we should take an objective look at every word that we speak, every deed that we do and every decision that we make and ask ourselves the question, “Is this self-denying or is this self-seeking.

Wendell Ingram