October 25, 2026, at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL
Exodus 22: 20-26 + Psalm 918 + First Thessalonians 1: 5-10 + Matthew 22: 34-40
Since Jesus outsmarted the Sadducees with their trick question over Roman and Temple taxes with that Roman coin. The Pharisees now take a turn coming to Jesus with another kind of “no-win” question. The trap is over how one law might be greater than another. It was believed that all should be upheld with the same commitment. Naming a single commandment as the greatest was filled with pitfalls. Any commandment chosen leaves one open to criticism for neglecting others.
In his response, Jesus begins by reciting the most important prayer known to every Israelite, the Shema which sets the love of God as the goal of every son or daughter of Israel. Then he quotes another section of Leviticus about love of neighbor. To say that the second commandment is like the first is to say that what one does to people, one does to God.
We would all do well to hear these verses because it may be our greatest temptation to separate love of God and love of people. It is not hard to see this separation all around us. Concern for people is strong in our culture. There is a humanitarianism completely devoid of God, and that is not what God expects of us. While these commandments are like each other, they are not the same as each other. If that does not make sense, think of it this way, twins are like each other, but they are not the same meaning they still have their individual identity. One is no substitute for the other. They go together.
The worship and love of God is our first service. The respect and love of the neighbor in whom God’s image is found follows because of it. If there is real love of God, then love of neighbor cannot be just as strong. If it is not, that love of neighbor rests on foundations that are as flimsy and as changeable as our emotions and economic circumstances. Giving on impulse is no substitute for giving with deep faith in God.
Earlier this month, we celebrated Saint Francis. He is revered throughout the world for love of animals, but many do not love or worship the God who made both Francis and the animals. So, the unchurched bring their pets for the Church’s blessing on his feast day, but they never ask for God’s blessing on themselves. They admire the man from Assisi who kissed the lepers, without a thought about the God who inspired Francis to kiss the lepers.
Keeping the commandments must mean loving our neighbor because we love God, the God who made them in his own image, not because charity makes us feel good. We will soon leave this church having given witness to our love of God. If that love does not change or influence our love for everyone we pass by, see, or hear, then this worship is fake and ineffective. Coming into this place, receiving the Body and Blood of Christ draws us into communion not just with the risen Christ but with all of God’s people, our neighbors, and those in need. We serve and care for them because we love God and how we live with them is ultimately to the glory of God.