October 25, 2026 · Rev. Dr. James Olson · 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46
Rev. Dr. James Olson closes several weeks of Jesus's sparring with the Pharisees and Sadducees on the question that matters most, the greatest commandment: love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Through Micah, Isaiah, Amos and Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, Rev. Olson calls Christians to love first, without asking who is worthy, since all are; it's not rocket science.
Transcript
So we are at the end of several weeks of walking through this discussion that Jesus has been having with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who really were questioning him with malicious intent. They were trying to trip him up. They were trying to catch him in either a lie or a heresy or something that they could charge him with us and arrest him and, you know, be, be done with him because he was stirring up so much trouble. There were three questions, and we talked about one of them already. One of them did not appear in this year's lectionary. And the third one is today, right? They asked him first, Jesus, is it lawful to pay taxes? And Jesus respond to them by saying that support of the state. Jesus says, pay. Pay your tax support the state. But if the. What the state wants and what your faith demands come in conflict. Always lean into what your faith says. The second question the Sadducees asked him this one, and this was the question about, you know, if a if a woman has had seven husbands and they all die and she goes to heaven, which husband is hers? The Sadducees did not believe in heaven or the resurrection. And so they were trying to trip him up that way.
And then the question today, which really I am of the opinion, is the most important question that gets answered in all of Scripture. What is the greatest commandment? And Jesus quoting scripture says, you shall love the Lord your God, God with all your heart, your soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two depend everything else. Depend everything else. Love and love. This is the fundamental duty of all humans, really. And failing that, love makes all other adherence to the laws and statutes of God or of Caesar absolutely meaningless. If we do not start, continue and end with love, the rest of it is pointless.
Jesus, of course, quotes Deuteronomy six, verse five. Right? Love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. When talking about the Ten Commandments. Much of Scripture points to this idea of responsibility to ourselves and to others grounded in love. Micah chapter six, verse eight. What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God? Isaiah chapter thirty three. Those who walk righteously and speak what is right. Who reject gain from exploitation and keep their hands from accepting bribes. Who stop their ears from the plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil. They are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied and water will not fail them. Isaiah chapter fifty six, verse one. This is what the Lord says. Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand, and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Amos chapter five. Hate evil, love good, maintain justice in the courts, and perhaps God will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. Joseph.
Friends, this is not rocket science. If it was, I wouldn't have gone to seminary. I quoted to Katie yesterday as we were talking about things that the arty party that I went to seminary because there was no math requirement. A role in the world as Christians is to love first without reservation, without condition, without any other thought, except that that person needs what we have to give, whether it is food, whether it is water, whether it is shelter, whether it is justice. That is our role is to start with love and to not ask if any are worthy. All are worthy not to ask if any are deserving. All are deserving not to ask if any have committed a sin so grievous that it cannot be forgiven and there therefore excludes them. We must love them all. We don't necessarily have to like what people do. Those are honest disagreements. And accountability and consequences sometimes for folks. But we have to love them because if we fail to do that, then we are breaking God's greatest commandment. It's not rocket science.
Paul writes about this in his letter to the Thessalonians. Paul cares about those to whom he is preaching so much. That he's sharing the gospel with them. And that his preaching is not to please mortals, but to please God, who tests our hearts. If what we imagine heaven to be like. And we get to the pearly gates and Saint Peter is there checking us off, Peter's first question is going to be, did you love? Did you love without reservation? Without cost?
The last little bit of our gospel lesson this morning that finally shut the Pharisees and Sadducees up was about who David said God was or who David said Jesus was. The thought at the time was that the Messiah, the Anointed One, would come as a military commander, as a human leader, as someone that the powers and principalities would recognize as being that leader. And not necessarily a man riding a donkey. Into the city. That is who we are to be. That we are to lead with love. That we are not to puff ourselves up as how wonderful we are, that we are. To make sure that we are taking care of ourselves and taking care of our relationship with God and taking care of our relationships with one another. We're human. We fail at it. But we have a God who expects much of us, gives us the ability to do so, forgives us when we mess up, and sends us back out to try again tomorrow. Thanks be to God. Amen.