THE LEAST COMMANDMENT by F. C. Gilbert

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 26, 1901

THE LEAST COMMANDMENT

By F. C. Gilbert

F. C. GILBERT

While the Saviour was teaching the multitudes His principles of the “kingdom of heaven,” as given in the sermon on the mount, many of the priests and rabbis thought that He was seeking to do away with the “law and the prophets.” Evidently they drew this conclusion from the fact that His teachings were different from their expositions of the law. Everything they taught had direct bearing upon the sacred writings, and as they regarded themselves as the only real expositors of the holy text, to teach differently from what they taught was practically to take a position contrary to truth.

Jesus knew what was passing through their minds, and that they would endeavor to force these erroneous ideas upon the people, hoping by this to destroy the effect of the Saviour’s teachings. Hence He gave His position on the “law and the prophets,” in the following words: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5: 17–19.

Not only did He not come to do away, or abolish, the “law and the prophets,” but instead He came to show the people that there was more in the sacred oracles than the rabbis or rulers saw in them. And instead of His attempting to subvert the law or the prophets, the promises and prophecies in the law and through prophets were to find a fulfillment in Him.

The rabbis taught that the law of God was divided into two sections. The first section was composed of the first four commandments; the second section, of the last six.

The first section, or table, contained the “greater” commandments. The reason these were called the “greater,” or “larger,” commandments was because they related to man’s relations to God alone, and required so much of man, the rabbis held, that it was absolutely impossible for any man to observe them. Hence the rabbis had multiplied an innumerable number of texts, expositions, helps, etc., to assist the people in at least partly keeping these exalted commands.

But the “smaller,” or “least,” commandments, as the second table was called, were thought to be within the power of every one to carry out, yes, to the very letter. And it was believed by the Jews that if this latter were done, the Lord would overlook their wrongs in not so perfectly observing the former. Of course the rabbis taught that the proper observance of the last six was according to the letter of the text; and if a man did not commit any overt act that was forbidden in any of these precepts of the decalogue, he was a strict commandment-keeper.

Now the Saviour saw that, with all their pretensions of being “teachers of the law” and expounders of the sacred oracles, the rabbis did not know what the law is, nor could they explain to the people its true interpretations; not only of the first four precepts, but of the last six, with which they claimed to be so conversant. So it must have surprised and astonished the people, the learned and the ignorant, for the Master to declare, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.” He had said only a moment before that He had come to fulfill the law; and that not a jot nor a tittle of the law should in any wise fail till all should be accomplished. Thus He stood on an equality with them in fully believing the law, even to the very extreme. But to think that it was possible for them not to be observing the “least” commandments, and that it was possible for the rabbis to teach the violation of them, was certainly beyond their comprehension.

It will be remembered that when the rich young man came to Jesus, and asked what he must do in order to have eternal life, the Master said, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” This, of course, was rather surprising to the young man; for he supposed that that was common to every Jew. Thinking that perhaps the Saviour did not quite understand his question, he inquired then, Which of the commandments do you think I ought to keep in order to have life? The Saviour told him the last six, or least, commandments. Why, the young man answered, instantly, “all these have I kept from my youth up.” If that is all that is necessary for a man to do in order to have eternal life, I am all right; for from my early infancy, and especially from my youth, I have been taught to regard those precepts of the law; and I have always endeavored to carry them out to the very letter.

If that is all that is necessary, I am all right.

Is there anything more that I lack? Yes, the Lord said, you lack one thing. With what interest the young man must have waited for the Saviour to continue! Perhaps he thought: “I lack one thing! What can it be? The rabbis have always told me that the greatest thing I can possibly do is to obey and study the law. And if I will do that, I am as secure of the ‘world to come’ as if I were there already; for that, they have taught me, is what gives a man a passport into the future abode. And the ‘Good Master’ has practically said the same thing to me, in answer to my question. I wonder what I can lack?” These and many more thoughts evidently must have passed through the mind of the young man, as he almost breathlessly waited for the Master to say the added word: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Matt. 19: 16–21.

Astonished, perplexed, dismayed, and saddened, the young man left the Saviour. If the Master spoke the truth, he had really never kept those least commandments at all, as this answer implied very strongly that he had not fulfilled his obligations to his fellow man, which, according to the rabbis’ instruction, he was fully doing when he observed the last six commandments.

From this incident alone, we can see the force of that text which the prophet Isaiah declared should be fulfilled in Christ: “The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honorable.” Isa. 42: 21. The rabbis and rulers had been depreciating the value of the law in trying to exalt it; while these rulers thought Christ was seeking to destroy and subvert the law, He was really exalting and magnifying it.

The question is often asked, Why did the Saviour say no more than He did about the first four precepts of the decalogue, while He said a great deal about the last six? From what has been here said, the question is well answered; for it was not necessary for Him to do so. The reason it was necessary to say so much about the last six was because the people thought so little about them, and their true meaning was almost entirely lost sight of.

And what was true of Christ was true also of the apostles after Him, in their teaching; and especially in the teachings of the apostle Paul. Many persons seem to think that because the Saviour and the apostles said little about the first four commands of the decalogue, and a great deal about the last six, that the fourth, in particular, is not so binding in the Christian dispensation. But when we see the reason for this, then we can appreciate the fact that instead of their being thought of so little value, and especially the Sabbatic commandment, the people had always had exalted views of those precepts, and knew that nothing could be added to them; and so the Saviour had no occasion to enlarge upon them.

Since the man who breaks one of the “least” commandments, and teaches men so, is called least in the kingdom of heaven, how would he be regarded in the kingdom of heaven if he were to break one of the “greater” commandments, and teach men so?