What is ‘the main thing’?

‘The main thing is that the main thing remains the main thing.’ 

Whenever I hear this phrase, I always think of the principal of the Bible College I attended in Sydney in 1992 and 1993.  He used to often remind us enthusiastic young people of this truth. I heard him preach here in Melbourne a couple of years ago, and broke into a smile when he again exhorted this middle-aged woman (and others) to keep the main thing as the main thing. His words and even the impassioned tone of his voice brought me right back to those special years of preparation for a life of ministry.

He’s right. The main thing IS that the main thing remains the main thing. 

But what is the main thing? 

The question

Back in Jesus’ day, an expert in Jewish Law asked exactly the same question. 

The air was thick with tension that day. Jesus had been rubbing those religious leaders up the wrong way, to put it mildly. You can read about it in Matthew 21 and 22. The leaders had quizzed him on contentious issues of money and theology, and Jesus’ answers had been wise and impressive, though not flattering. 

An expert in the Law, surely one who knew what we call ‘the Old Testament’ inside and out, tested Jesus with this question:  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36 NIV).

The answer

Jesus’ answer was short and to the point. 

Quoting the Law of Moses, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, quoted in Matthew 22:37 NIV)

Then he added a second quote. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18, quoted in Matthew 22:39 NIV).

“All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,” added the Teacher. (See Matthew 22:40 NIV).

There was a lot more detail in the Law and the Prophets, but this summed it up: Love God and love your neighbour. 

That was the main thing. 

A follow up question

“Who is my neighbour?” Jesus was asked on a different occasion by another religious leader. (Or perhaps it was the same religious leader but the story was told from a different perspective.)

Space does not permit me to retell the story of the Good Samaritan in this blog post. You can read it in Luke 10:29-37. Interestingly, Jesus reworded the question from ‘Who is my neighbour?’ to ‘Who was a neighbour to the afflicted Jew?’ 

In summary, the Good Samaritan was a neighbour to the helpless Jew, because he showed mercy to he injured man. Jesus contrasts this with a priest and a Levite who refused to show mercy and actually went out of their way to avoid the poor victim.

Something tells me that story would not have gone down well with the religious leaders to whom the story was directed. But that, too, is another story for another blog post. 

Different setting, same answer

Two millennia later in a different part of the world, we are currently asking ourselves a similar question. What is ‘the main thing’? 

Churches today are dealing with a plethora of tricky issues. 

Theology is as complex in our ever-changing world as it was in first century Israel. Today, churches can be divided by our understanding on matters … important matters … matters such as ‘marriage equality’ or to what degree the church should submit to the state. 

Money is as contentious an issue as it ever was, especially when churches become big and powerful. Consider some of the media reports about misuse of funds in mega churches in recent years. 

And then there is the all-too-frequent abuse of power, as current an issue now as it was back in Jesus day. Our media is quick to pick up on that whenever it comes to light. 

All these things must be addressed. Doctrine – integrity – church governance – they are important. Yet against this backdrop of confusion and concern, I remember my college principal’s words of advice. 

“The main thing is that the main thing remains the main thing.” 

But what is the main thing? 

Imagine….

Imagine now some modern church leaders coming before our Lord. Can you picture the delegation of leaders? There is a modern, casually dressed pastor; a robed priest standing solemnly; a Pacific Islander, swaying to hummed music; a Korean gentleman bowing respectfully; and many more. 

They may have many questions, just like those first century religious leaders did. 

I hope very much that Jesus would not need to speak such damning words to them as he did to those religious leaders in the Biblical records. 

“What, Master, is most important?” I imagine a West African leader asking this question.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And love your neighbour as yourself,” our Lord would reply. (I wonder what language and what accent he would use?)

I am confident that Jesus’ answer would not have changed, because, being in very essence God, he does not change. 

Application

Loving God is obvious, though challenging to keep at the forefront of our minds when life is busy. Loving our neighbour is a little more complex. 

Who is our neighbour? 

What does it mean to love our neighbour? 

Jesus would not likely tell the story of the Good Samaritan to this group. Our times are different and he would find something more relevant to the 21st century. I wonder what characters would be in his story? The truth has not changed, even if the times have. 

We must welcome ‘people with problems’ into our communities and love them well. We don’t want to be like those self-righteous religious leaders about whom Jesus was so scathing. 

There will be times when that is not convenient and possibly not even safe. Wisdom will be needed. But loving them and praying for such people is non-negotiable. My own church experienced this first-hand recently. That’s a story not suited to a public blog post. Suffice to say that loving our neighbours can be messy. 

The main thing

The main thing is that the main thing remains the main thing. 

May our eternal, unchanging Father grant us all that we need to love him with everything that is in us, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. 

For that is the main thing. 

In the midst of our complex and often stressful communities, may it remain the main thing.