I am indebted to W. D. Davis and D. C. Allison, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume III, pages 235-248.
Once again, this week, the setting is important. It is Monday after the first Palm Sunday. After the triumphant welcome, Jesus went to the Temple. He saw the sacrilege of the money changers; he cleansed the Temple. Afterwards, he retreated to Bethany. On Monday, he returned to the Temple to teach. The angry leadership of Israel felt the sting of his teaching. Their form of the faith was unsatisfactory: it was legalistic and judgmental, excluding many. Their faith legitimized the domination of people. Jesus taught forgiveness, inclusion, and God’s generosity.
The leadership became more upset and decided to trap Jesus with a series of loaded questions. Perhaps Jesus’s response would allow them to arrest him. At least, they could dent his popularity. The atmosphere was full of hatred. The repercussions were life or death. Now read today’s Gospel: love of God and love of neighbor answer murderous hate.
The contrast of the two forms of faith is stark. Here’s the issue. The Mosaic Law had 613 statutes. First-century scholars regularly discussed what was fundamental, what the basic premises of the faith were. Jesus drew the first commandment from Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 4-5. Believing Jews recited these verses each morning and evening. Jesus took the second commandment from Leviticus chapter 19 verse 18. Jesus may not have been original author of the combination. By putting them together, however, Jesus established that the foundation of our faith is love.
St. Paul acknowledges the combined commandments in Galatians chapter 5 verses 13 and 14, and in Romans chapter 13 verses 5-10. The combination is the basis of John’s reflections on love: 1 John 4:7-12 and 4:20-21. The translation of the Gospel misses the interconnection of the two commandments. Jesus says: “The second is like it” (22:39). The word like does not carry the weight. A better translation might be the second is of equal importance.
Greek has three words for love. For the second commandment, Matthew could have used the Greek word philia (noun) or phileo (verb). This word means brotherly love or the love of one’s countrymen. Instead, Matthew uses the same word for love of God as he does for love of neighbor, agapao (verb) or agape (noun). This form of love is sacrificial and unconditional. It is the love the Father has for the Son. It overflows from the Trinity to us. It is the love we must have for God. And, because God makes each person in His image, agape is the love we must have for neighbors.
Matthew uses this type of love three times. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes our neighbors to be all humankind, including our enemies (5:43-48). In Chapter 19, Jesus makes our neighbor the least among us, the poor and needy (19:16-26). And in today’s Gospel, Jesus says the combined love of God and neighbor is the basis of our entire faith, “the law and the prophets” (22:40).
Davis and Allison use two terms to summarize this form of the faith that combines God and humanity: moral monotheism and theistic humanism. We cannot separate love of God and love of neighbor. There is no Christian spirituality that can center on God alone. No other-worldly religiosity exists without this-worldly expression. In every encounter with another, we live our love of God.