The greatest commandment

Sermon by Rev. Bertha Munkhondya on 25th October 2026 (Cathedral-Parish, Lilongwe, Malawi)

Introduction

As we continue meditating on spiritual growth in this season of TRINITY, Christians are supposed to recognize Jesus Christ as the LORD and Saviour, Son and God incarnate. He came on earth to save us from sins and give us eternal life hence though we die, we will resurrect for death has no power over us since Jesus defeated death. For we worship a living God who is merciful and gracious.  A Christian who is grown spiritually understands that being a Christian is not simple as it goes beyond attending worship service, reading the bible, assisting the needy etc. It is about sacrifice, commitment, passion and continuous striving in doing the will of God in good and tough situations.

Text interpretation (Application)

In our lives we are connected to people who love us and at the same time we have enemies. People hate others for many reasons, however as Christians we have no reason to hate others since we are compelled by the love of Christ to love our enemies and love our neighbours. Enemies will always be there and they make us pray and rely upon the LORD even more. As children of God how do we treat those who hate us? 
During Jesus Christ ministry there were three groups of religious leaders who hated Jesus most and these are the Scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees. They were fault finders and always attempt Jesus and asked questions to trap him. Forgetting that Jesus is God and nothing is hidden before him, he knows our intentions, needs, etc. Some of the tricky questions were about taxes if it was lawful, resurrection in relation to marriage and many other questions. This time from the text we have read we see the Pharisees and scribes asking Jesus regarding the great commandment among the ten.
It was unfortunate because despite their high education knowledge on Torah  (5 books of Moses) these religious leaders were ignorant and  blind spiritually. If they had a spirit of discernment they could realize who Jesus was hence could not bother asking him those questions. Jesus responded with authority and wisdom by summarizing the entire law by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 but due to  their cunningness they never gave up fighting Jesus in many different ways.

Three points to meditate on from the text

1. Loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength means total submission/ surrendering to God with all we have. Acknowledging that the family, job, peace of mind, properties, business etc. come from God and that it does not rely much on once education, hardworking, intelligence since there many people out there who are more intelligent, smart, educated more than us but do not have what we have hence it is all about God’s grace not our efforts, for everything belongs to Him.  Loving God wholeheartedly it means putting him at the centre of everything in your life.
Who do you put at the centre of your daily life and who do you value or treasure most when happy, sad, grieving and angry?

2. Our Love to God is manifested through our neighbours or fellow human beings. The way we treat one another. Do we see God’s image when we look at our fellow human being? We cannot say we love God if we hate one another. Christianity is all about exercising God’ love understanding that He love us unconditionally and he loved and died for us when we were still sinners.  We should not be jealousy but appreciate and support one another. Let our neighbours and family members recognise us first as Christians before anyone else. There is no way someone can say my Christianity only concerns God and not my fellow human being. Loving and serving God is about acknowledging the agape love of God and sharing what we have with others. Being hated is inevitable and at times its beyond our control, For example if someone hates you because you were born and you home village is the central, Northern or southern part or region of Malawi, how do go about it? Or if you are hated because your practice Christianity or you are tall, short, there is nothing one could do hence when hated our faith is tested even more. We should always rely upon God and he will continue fighting our battles all the time.

3. Understanding the word and will of God requires spiritual ears, and eyes. Having knowledge about the bible does not make one fully understand the will of God. Listening to the voice of God requires obedience and humbleness. Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees were religious leaders and educated but they missed the opportunity of salvation since their spiritual eyes were blind and could not see Jesus as God and saviour instead there were fighting him.

Conclusion

To love God accordingly need God’s intervention and it is beyond human power and capacity since it is very difficult. As we are living in this world there are many sad moments we experience compared to good moments, therefore as children of God we should never lose hope since our God is always present and he will continue strengthening our faith and help us do His will always.

May God bless you all and may the peace of the LORD which surpasses all knowledge continue keeping your heats and your thoughts, AMEN!