“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Now that’s usually how we read that passage. Yet, there is something vital at the beginning of Jesus’ recitation in Mark 12. Jesus starts with what is known as “The Great Shema.” He starts by saying “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

“Shema” means “hearing” – the Great Hearing – the great thing that God said, but “Shema” also means “obeying” – the Great Obeying. Jesus started His recitation by saying: Listen to what God SAID and then make certain that above all else you DO what God told you to DO. In essence, what Jesus actually said was: “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: and what God SAID is what you MUST DO: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second [commandment] is [just like it]: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Loving others with your whole life. . . this ancient wisdom is as alive today as it was when God gave it to us – so let’s dig deeply into this and find how to learn to love others.

We learn what love is from God’s Word. Early in Scripture we read of God’s “unfailing love” (Exodus 15:13), and that He is “abounding in love” (Exodus 34:6). We learn that He will show His “love to a thousand generations” of those who love Him and keep His commandments (Exodus 20:6). We also learn that the reason we are able to love in the first place is because “He first loved us” (1 John 4:19)

In God’s Word are examples of loving as friends. We see stories and teaching about loving as though we’re all one big, happy family. We also see instructions about loving through sacrifice – even through surrendering our own life for others. In the Old Testament – in 1 Samuel 18 – we read about the shepherd boy David becoming best of friends with king Saul’s son, Jonathan. These two young men loved each other as brothers; as the best of friends; loving each other as much as they loved themselves; pledging to be like brothers for the rest of their lives. In the New Testament we read about the apostle John becoming Jesus’ best friend here on earth; he was called “the beloved disciple.”

Friends share confidences and build one another up. There’s no room for slander or hurtful words or testing to see if their friendship is true; friends love with their whole life. Jesus showed us how: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:12-15) Jesus taught us that to love one another we have to lay down our lives. We also keep each other informed of what’s going on – there’s never room for secrets or misinformation or hiding things! Jesus said: “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Talking – communication – staying in contact – sharing life – all a part of friendship – and all a part of loving with your whole heart.

Peter and Andrew were brothers who spent a great deal of time together. They were in business together and both became disciples of Jesus together. They had affection for one another that set the standard for brothers today. James and John were two more disciples who were also brothers who seemed to have a resolute love for one another. Another James in the New Testament – the writer of the book of James, and the leader of the Jerusalem Council – was a brother of Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead, there was a time (recorded in 1 Corinthians 15) when Jesus took his brother James aside and spent time with him personally. Jesus was a true brother – making time for his brother James even after his crucifixion and resurrection. We can learn a lot from that – there is always time for a brother or sister; no schedule is too busy, no assignment too large!

There were some brothers in the Old Testament accounts that did not have the same affection for one another: Cain and Abel. The Apostle John used Cain and Abel as examples of how not to act. Listen: This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. Don’t be surprised when the world hates you – even the brother Cain hated his brother Abel enough to kill him! This kind of hatred has been going on a long time; it’s nothing new, and it shouldn’t shock us – but we certainly should not use it as an example of how to love our brothers and sisters, whether related by blood, or through faith in Christ.

Friendships sometimes can be closer than blood relationships – we learn about loving as brothers and sisters in Scripture. Psalm 133:1 is the first Scripture passage to mention the brotherhood of those who love God: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” Christ-followers have been known as “brothers and sisters” from early in the Master’s teaching. The first thing we learn from Him about being a brother or sister in faith in the New Testament is when Jesus told us to “forgive your brothers and sisters in your heart” (Matthew 18:35 – NLT). The love we must have for one another is born out of Christ’s love for us – and it is a sacrificial, self-giving love; a love that looks out for others ahead of ourselves.

Read the Apostle John’s teaching in 1 John 3:11-24:

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him. And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.”

The way we know we’ve been transferred from the death that eternally separates us from God to the eternal life that ushers us into God’s Presence forever is that we love our brothers and sisters. Jesus is making sure that we know that anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together. Think of it this way: if you looked at a large refrigerator large box as representing murder, most of us would probably see a small shoe box as hating a brother or sister. But in the physics of Heaven – murder and hating a brother or sister are equally repugnant; they carry the same weight of offense. On the balance scales God uses, murder and hate are the same; they’re the same in God’s eyes. John is teaching us that we can know we’ve been transformed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters.

And it all started with Jesus.

In fact, the Apostle John said that here’s how we come to understand and experience love – in the fact that Jesus sacrificed His life for us and died in our place. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.

Jesus’ love for us sets the standard for all of our love and service and sacrifice for one another. We can’t out love, out serve, or out sacrifice Jesus – but we’re to live our lives trying to come up to the standard He sets in order to measure our lives of love!

If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And by failing to help or refusing to help – you made it disappear! John is teaching us to not just talk about love, but to live it out; to practice real love. The only way we’ll know we’re living truly a life connected to God is to love one another the way Jesus first loved us! When we can truly love one another and stop accusing and condemning each other, we’re freed to love boldly the way Jesus wants us to love!

What’s more, John said: “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us [if you’ve checked yourself out and find that you’re doing your best to love like Jesus, and since there is no condemnation between brothers and sisters going all out for one another in their love], we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him.” We’re able to open our arms and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what He said – the very thing that pleases Him!

God’s command is to love each other. As we follow His command to love, then we’ll find we’re living sincerely and fully-connected in Him; and He promises He will live in us! We experience His deep and abiding presence in us because He fills us with His Holy Spirit!

How would you most like to be loved by Jesus?

• Forgiveness? Then forgive others.
• For Him to die in your place? Then give your life in service to others.
• To spend time in meaningful conversation? Spend time talking with others.
• Do you want Jesus to be your best friend? Then be a best friend to others.
• Do you want Him to include you? Then include Him and include others in your everyday life.
• Quality time? Give quality time to Him and to others.
• Laughter? Enjoy other people’s company.
• Sharing a meal? Invite people over.
• Being with you while you’re alone? Then spend time with someone who is alone.

However you would like to be with Jesus – is how you should work to be with others. It’s never about waiting on someone else to make the first move. . . you always make the first move. We’re commanded to love first – we’re not commanded to love someone back when or if they show love to us! There’s a big distinction! Everyone can love someone back if they loved us first. The real challenge is to do what He commanded – to love first!

Loving others is a hallmark of a life devoted to God. We learn what love is from God’s Word: loving as friends, loving as family, loving through sacrifice. Listen to the ancient wisdom, and put it into action each and every day: Love others with your whole life!