Reflection on christianity - Essay Example

Full The Great Commandments According to Matthew 22:34-40, the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” and secondly, a person must love his neighbor as himself. Furthermore, the text mentions that on these commandments hang all the laws and the prophets. When Jesus said these, He was referring to the Ten Commandments which was given to Moses and the Israelites which in turn became the basis of the prophets who came after him.

Examining the Ten Commandments further, one can notice that the first four commandments refer to God while the others mention how people should act towards their fellowmen. Loving the Lord God with all the heart, mind and soul is expounded in the law given to Moses where people are supposed to honor God first and foremost. Making graven images for people to worship is an act of dishonor to the God who made all things therefore, God commanded against it. Moreover, God teaches the people not to dishonor Him with their words but to praise Him with their lips instead and also to follow his footsteps, resting on the Sabbath.

The second greatest commandment on the other hand encompasses the other commandments in the Law of Moses. It instructs the people how they are supposed to show their love and respect to each other by not murdering, slandering, nor committing adultery. The commandments do not just mention respecting people but it also tells them to regard what they own with respect by not coveting their neighbor’s house, wife, menservants and maidservants as well as his other belongings. Since undoubtedly, everyone would want to be loved, the second commandment simply says to love other people as one would love himself.