Love and Justice: The Two Greatest Commands

Lesson 12

Love and Justice: The Two Greatest Commands

(Matthew 5, 19, 22 & 25, Leviticus 19)

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Do you know what “justice” means? Most would answer, “Yes,” but I’m doubtful about the accuracy of their answers. Right now, I’m in a debate with some very sophisticated people about “justice.” They are determined to eliminate discrimination against their race, but are strong advocates for discrimination against other races. That is not justice. We are all guilty of this error to some degree or another. We want the police to ticket the annoying speeder who just passed us on the road. On the other hand, we do not want to be ticketed when we speed. The Bible says much about helping the poor and powerless in society. Is that because God favors the poor and powerless, or because those are the people that society is most likely to abuse? Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see what it says about “justice,” and whether that has anything to do with love!

1. Equality Versus Equity
   
   1. Read Leviticus 19:15. Why does the Bible teach that we should not favor the poor? Don’t the rich already have more than they need? (There is a distressing cultural idea, termed “equity” that suggests that humans should discriminate in favor of some and against others in order to create a more “just” society. The Bible endorses instead “equality,” in texts like this which essentially say, “be fair to everyone.”)
      1. Why do you think this text refers to “deferring” to the great? (Because that is the natural order of things. The rich and great generally have a power advantage. This text tells us not to favor or disfavor them even though they have a natural advantage.)
   2. Read Matthew 25:14-18. This is a parable. What do you think the “talents” are intended to illustrate? (They reflect the servant’s “ability,” the natural advantages in life.)
   3. The master returns and the five and two talent servants have doubled the amount given to them. They are equally commended. Read Matthew 25:24-28. Is the one talent servant claiming the master is unjust?
      1. What, specifically, is the basis for the claim of injustice? (That the master used his wealth to make more money without actually doing any of the hard work.)
   4. Look again at Matthew 25:28. Does this story promote equity? The idea that society should abandon the idea of merit and equal treatment and try to make us all equal? (This is a story about rewarding merit and rejecting ideas of equity. Even though the servants were not originally given equal talents in life, the master expected them to use the talents they were given. If this story had any element of equity in it, the one talent would have been given to the two talent servant, not the five talent servant.)
2. Love and Justice
   
   1. Read Matthew 22:34-36. Is this lawyer truly curious about the answer to his question? (No. The point of asking the question was to “test” Jesus.)
      1. What kind of test is this? What do the Pharisees hope to accomplish by this question?
      2. Do you think that some commandments are greater than others?
   2. Read Matthew 22:37-39. What kind of love does God require of us? (We must be “all in” with our love for Him.)
      1. How does our love for God differ from our love for each other?
      2. What if Jesus said that we should love God as we loved our self? What would that love look like?
      3. My parents had me working for money picking strawberries when I was a young boy. I’m now 74 and still working. How should I view people who make a decision not to work and instead beg? What is my love obligation to them?
   3. Read Matthew 5:43-45. How does Jesus define “love” for those who are our enemies? (Jesus uses His Father as the benchmark for love. That benchmark is equal treatment. It does not prefer our enemies. It does not require us to do anything for them that we would not do for everyone else. The theological term is “common grace.”)
      1. Is common grace the way we love ourselves? (No. We prefer ourselves.)
         
         1. How do you explain this? (Our enemies are given a different standard for love.)
   4. Read Matthew 19:21-22. Wait a minute! It this young man asked to love others more than himself? (Absolutely. They will have all his money and he will have none.)
      1. Is Jesus violating His own standards?
      2. Is Jesus’ version of justice to favor the poor?
   5. Something very unusual is going on in this story. Read Matthew 19:16-20. What is wrong with this conversation? (Jesus and the young man are discussing what kind of works are necessary to earn salvation.)
   6. Read Galatians 3:10-11. Are these texts in conflict? Is Jesus demanding that the young man be cursed? (These texts are easily reconciled. Jesus is showing the young man that he cannot earn his salvation by works. Jesus presented a work that he was not willing to do.)
   7. Read Matthew 19:23-25. Why is it virtually impossible for the rich to go to heaven? (Because the rich are inclined to depend on their works. They have succeeded in all kinds of things.)
   8. Read Matthew 19:26 and Galatians 3:13. What does this teach us about the way the rich are saved? (They are saved like everyone else - by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.)
3. Common Grace, Love, and Justice
   
   1. Read Zechariah 7:9-10. Why do you think the Bible uses the phrase “do not oppress” as oppose to “show special favor” to the widow, fatherless, sojourner, and poor? (The command is equal treatment. Common grace. It is a demand for justice, not special favor, and not equity.)
   2. Read Exodus 22:21-23 and Romans 13:10. What standard of love is given here? (Once again, we are told not to “wrong,” “mistreat,” or “oppress” a sojourner, widow, or fatherless child.)
   3. Read Romans 13:1-5. What should Christians do in a situation where the poor or sojourner violate the law? What if they fear the government?(We are all called to obey the law. We are instructed not to resist the authorities. We are warned that the way to avoid fear of the government is to obey. Obeying the government means obeying God.)
      1. What about a situation in which human law violates God’s law? What if a person breaks into the home of another because they are hungry? (The obvious answer is not to aid in law-breaking. God’s law does not require break-ins.)
4. Rendering Aid
   
   1. Read Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 19:17, Deuteronomy 15:11, and Matthew 25:34-36. These texts encourage (or command) us to help the poor. Are these texts in conflict with what we have previously studied in this lesson? (No. We previously discussed love, justice, and obedience to the law. While we are called to show kindness to the poor, especially when they are in trouble, we are not called to violate the law or discriminate against others.)
      1. Look at Matthew 25:40. When Jesus refers to helping the “brothers” is He referring in general to the poor? (This refers to the poor and suffering saints. Brothers and sisters in the church. See also Deuteronomy 15:11.)
   2. Read Leviticus 19:9-10. Would a “sojourner” be a “brother?” (No.)
      1. Is this instruction about gleaning an example of common grace? (Not exactly.)
      2. Is this instruction consistent with rewarding merit? (Yes. The one who did the work of farming reaps almost the entire reward.)
      3. Is gleaning a gift to the poor? (They have to work by gathering what is left.)
   3. Read Luke 10:25-27. This is essentially the same question we looked at earlier in Matthew 19:16. Read Luke 10:29. How would you answer this question based on the texts we have studied? (It would be fellow saints. It would not be the world in general.)
   4. If you do not know the story of the Good Samaritan, read Luke 10:30-37. If you know the story read Luke 10:36-37. Is this the application of common grace? (Absolutely not.)
      1. Has Jesus given a new and inconsistent instruction? (Let’s call it a clarification. An emergency situation modifies the principle of common grace.)
   5. Friend, God’s primary call to us is to show love by treating others equally. We are not called to give worse treatment to the rich so that we can give more favorable treatment to the poor. We are called to show favor to fellow believers and show mercy to those in emergency situations. Will you answer God’s call to love and mercy?
5. Next week: Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law.