Matthew 22:34-40
Introduction
Have you ever attempted a New Year’s resolution? How successful were you at it? Do you think these things are generally helpful? I have had mixed results in the past. There have been many that I have quickly forgotten about but there are some resolutions I have made that have actually had a lasting impact on my life.
There is nothing magical about New Year’s resolutions. But counsellors and coaches will tell us that setting personal goals, if done in the proper way and with sufficient motivation, can have a positive influence on our lives. Goals are simply about acknowledging where we are, where we want to be, and attempting something achievable to move us from the one to the other.
The Bible doesn’t talk about New Year’s resolutions but it seems to assume that the Christian life is one of continual development and growth. Perhaps we can use this time of looking at a new year as an opportunity to think and reflect on how we can grow as disciples.
One of the keys to actually being successful at this is to have some focus. That is why I want to use as our framework an important conversation that Jesus has in Matthew 22. In talking about the greatest commandment, Jesus can be summarized as saying that we are to love God and to love our neighbour as ourself. That last part can be often left out because we may feel guilty about self-love but I think that Jesus is really talking about love for God, love for people, and love for self. If that is a pattern that Jesus is setting, what would that look like in terms of personal New Year’s resolutions?
What I would like to do is help you to set up resolutions, or if you prefer goals, in each of these areas to help us to grow in the healthiest way in the upcoming year.
Love God
So the very first thing that Jesus talks about is loving God. He says specifically, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is assuming that that there are different ways for us love God and that all of them are important.
The first thing we should ask is, in what ways do you love God? In what ways does your love for God manifest? There are likely certain ways that love for God comes easier than others. Perhaps for you it is singing certain songs that draw you into the presence of God. Or it may be taking time to reflect on how God has answered prayers. Or it may be by reading a book by a Christian thinker that helps you to understand God in a better way? Where are you strong and where are you weak?
Some of the activities that we might do, or not do, in this area include worshiping, praying, and studying. It could also be walks in the woods, silent reflection, and participation in any number of spiritual disciplines.
I cannot tell you what to do, as it is enough for me to wrestle with this personally, but what is one thing that you could do that would deepen your love relationship with God? Just a desire to love God more is not enough. What is one thing that you could do that you think you could accomplish and would bring you to a place where your relationship with God was enriched? It may be something that is closely related to activities, such as a worship service, at the church or it might be something that you do at home or outside. You have to personalize it yourself as this won’t work if someone just tells you what to do. We also have to remember that this is not about feeling the pressure to become the perfect Christian. It’s about moving ourselves just that little bit closer to where we want to be with our relationship with God. Take a few moments to reflect on what that goal or resolution could be.
Love Our Neighbours
The next thing that Jesus talks about is loving our neighbours. He adds this even though the question was just looking for the one greatest commandment. I believe part of this is that what Jesus is talking about here cannot be easily compartmentalized. We cannot put love for God in one box and love for people in another box and expect that they can be completely separate.
So what does Jesus mean by love for neighbour? This could take us a long time to fully explore but there are some things we can say. In terms of how this worked out in the early church, it seems as if this love began within the family of faith. This does not mean that Christians are more deserving of love than non-Christians. Jesus actually goes out of his way to teach love for enemies. But if we think of our love toward people as a series of concentric circles, with each circle being important, love for brothers and sisters in Christ would be closer to the centre. Part of this is because if we cannot love those that we worship with, it is going to make things more difficult to love those that we might have less in common with. It may also be that people doubt the integrity of our love, if we Christians love those outside the church but can’t bring themselves to love those inside the church.
The assumption is that we are going love other people. As we have seen in previous messages, the expectation is not that we have to feel love as an emotion, but that we put the love we choose to have into action.
If this is a priority, as Jesus seems to indicate, what can we do to deepen our love for others in this new year? The possibilities are endless. It could be anything from committing to praying for a specific person, to taking a certain person under your wing, to deciding to become friends with someone you know who is feeling lonely. It may be moral support, spiritual support, or doing something with obvious practical benefits. Again, I cannot tell you what it is. You have to look at the opportunities that are around you, what you are able to give, and what that will look like. The challenge is not to fix everything but to set a goal, just one goal, for enabling you to be love your neighbours.
Love Yourself
We are to love our neighbour, but both the original Old Testament passage and the citation by Jesus specify that we are to do that as we love ourself. But does the Bible really mean that? Isn’t that kind of selfish?
I have heard from many Christians who feel guilty even praying for their own needs. They should be praying for other people, they believe. And yet even the Lord’s Prayer tells us to pray for our, and not just other people’s daily bread. We can find examples of Jesus praying to the Father for himself. And it was not just prayer. We see Jesus going off by himself, or at least attempting to, after being around the crowds. It looked like Jesus was practicing some kind of self-care.
What could loving yourself look like this year? What kind of self-care could you put into practice? And can you do it without feeling guilty or selfish? The truth is that we are of no use to others if we do not care for ourselves. Take some time to think of even one thing you can do this year that would be a way of showing love to yourself.
Conclusion
Love God. Love your neighbour. Love your neighbour as yourself. What could that look like in this year? Instead of just wishing that these things could increase, what specific things could you do to move these areas in the right direction? Call them New Year’s resolutions, call them person goals, but see them as intentional attempts to grow as a disciple of Jesus. I truly believe if we could do one thing in each of these areas, that would help us grow both as Christians and as a church.
