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Christ Confounds His Enemies
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the presence and power of God. Men need to recognize God as the
Creator of the universe, One who commands and executes all things.
Christ declared to His hearers that if there were no resurrection
of the dead, the Scriptures which they professed to believe would be
of no avail. He said, “But as touching the resurrection of the dead,
have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” God sees
the result of His work as though it were now accomplished. The
precious dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and come forth
from the grave to immortal life. There will be a close and tender
relationship between God and the risen saints. This condition He
beholds as if it were already existing. The dead live unto Him.
The Sadducees were put to silence. Not a word had been spoken
of which the least advantage could be taken for His condemnation.
The Pharisees, however, did not yet despair. They prevailed on
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a certain learned scribe to question Jesus as to which of the ten
precepts of the law was of the greatest importance. They had exalted
the first four commandments, which point out the duty of man to
his Maker, as of far greater consequence than the other six, which
define man’s duty to his fellowman. Jesus had been charged with
exalting the last six commandments above the first four.
The lawyer approached Jesus with a direct question, “Which is
the first commandment of all?” The answer of Christ was direct:
“The first of all the commandments is ... Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind, and with all thy strength.” The second is like the first, said
Christ, for it flows out of it: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these.” “On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Both these commandments are an expression of the principle
of love. The first cannot be kept and the second broken, nor can
the second be kept while the first is broken. Only as we love God
supremely is it possible to love our neighbor impartially.
Christ taught His hearers that the law of God is a divine whole,
not so many separate precepts, some of great importance, others of
small importance. Love to God will be shown by obedience to all
His commandments.