Day 99: January 5, 2026 – Matthew 20-25

We are going to cover two Scriptures that I understand to be fundamental to our status as followers of Jesus. The first is 22:34-40 where we see Jesus explain what the greatest commandment is: love God and love your neighbor. Some are good at the first but not so good at the second, and others are good at the second but not so good at the first. I would argue that if you think you are good at the first, but are actually bad at the second, well, then you actually aren’t good at the first. For loving God has to involve loving your neighbor. I would also say that if you love your neighbor but don’t know or don’t love God, well, then the purpose is defeated because, as Jesus said, you will have the poor with you always. Without the foundation of Jesus at the center of our love, then our love is like the wind. It comes and it goes and it leaves no mark and makes no difference.

The second Scripture that I want to emphasize is Matthew 25:31-46 which describes what it looks like to love God and to love your neighbor. In fact, the Scripture depicts God as someone who will be asking for an accounting of our work with our neighbor and if we come up short, well, then we are going to be separated out. This Scripture does not lead us to a works salvation, but rather a realization that God isn’t playing when he tells us to love Him by loving our neighbor.