The Least Commandment

There is no least. interpret it more like, If you break any in the least little way you deserve hell.

I've listened to a course called "Sonship" by a teacher named Jack Miller. To understand the theme of the series of teachings, he repeatedly said, "Cheer up! You're a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you're more loved than you ever dared hope.”

He also often talked about how often we defer to our own form of righteousness, instead of clinging to the Lord's righteousness for our defense and offense. I don't remember if this is from his teaching or just the thing my husband and I have in common when we talked about it after listening to Dr. Miller, but we call it "driver's righteousness." We have driver's righteousness -- the firm understanding that we alone are the only drivers on the road who drive properly. It is so bad that we both acknowledge the other spouse is a good driver, but not as good as we are. I think most people understand driver's righteousness, if they drive. The concept that anyone in another car who offends your senses is guilty of "poor driving," but our personal skill levels are close to perfect.

I see the Ten Commandments as a way of destroying everyone's personal pet-righteousness. I used to think the sixth commandment was "the least of these," because I've never killed anyone. But then Jesus pulled that out from under me because I have called my brothers fools.

I think I still suffer from covet-righteousness, because I'm not the jealous kind. I can read that at the surface level and openly declare I have never coveted my neighbor's wife nor donkey. Then again, I'm a heterosexual woman, so not prone to want another woman, and owning a donkey in a city is impractical and worthless. So, covet is the least to me.

But it isn't least at all if I look closely at it. I see people smarter than I am, and want to be them. That's me telling the Lord he didn't give me enough. I see people closer to him and want to be them. Again, saying the Lord hasn't given me enough. My car is a clunker, my house is only functional, and I am the type of woman if you saw me walking down the street, it is likely you wouldn't remember me before I walked by you. Those very thoughts say I covet constantly.

So, if the least is this hard, what about the greatest? The greatest is the first commandment. By failing the tenth, I'm immediately failing the first.

I see the commandments as God showing us who he is. Not only does he do them perfectly, he does them perfectly because that is who he is. And that is what he must have from those around him, but those around him fail. So he humbled himself enough to come to earth to live the prefect life and to be sacrificed specifically because he lived the perfect life, so he could be the perfect sacrfice for all of us who failed, and realized we have failed. He became the least, and the greatest even in that.

And in that, we see, and beg to follow, the Greatest.

"Cheer up! You're a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you're more loved than you ever dared hope.”

Our Maker's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts ours. The least of the laws and/or commandments would be different from one person's faith to another's.

The greatest of commandments is such with reason for the greatest of commandments, love, contains all of the law.

in whose perspective?

In Gods perspective, they are all equal and just as damning

In mans perspective, a little white lie (bearing false witness) in order to protect self or someone is way smaller than murder so the little white lie would be least.

Mixing different kinds of thread in cloth?

here's the phrase in a more literal, word-for-word English translation:


that sure seems like Jesus says there is a "least"

i am wondering if you would argue there is no "greatest commandment" based on the same reasoning you used here .. ? Jesus when approached with that question didn't reprimand the one asking Him saying 'no such thing as greatest'

It's all in context my friend. Jesus commands, love God and your neighbor are the most important & replace the 10.

I see no replacement theology here. That is the commandments summed up.

Here is an example of what a person may think, there are many.

I know if a person beliees in teh sight of God that the Sabbath of the Lord is the first day of
Sometimes, when anindividual is in doubt of his own action, even though it is not a sin in the eyes of others, he has sinned because of his doubt. Many times it is something trivial, otherwise the understanding of it would be outright.

This is common in respect to eating, holidays and more.

As you can see, "commandments" is plural, therefore there would be more than one commandment which could be considered lesser than others.

Here is one example: And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his. (Exod 21:33,34)

Here is another: If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. (Exod 22:5)

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[e]28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Matt 5
Seems like a pretty insignificant sin but according to Jesus it carries huge consequences.

Hard to find example of least command but Jesus give example of greatest command

[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love the Lord is the greatest
Love neighbour is the second

Than we do not know number 3 etc, may be after second, all equal, no number 4

Because all the law hang on those law

Do not steal, if you love your son you not steal from him. So do not steal hang on love your neighbour

Do not kill, if you love your son you not kill him, do not kill hang on love your neighbor

Do not kill not under do not steal but under love your neighbors

It means even down to the very last one. If you made a list of commandments, the last one must be considered least in your opinion, since you put it last.

There is not one less important than another....as soon as you break (not keep) one ALL are broken and no longer work together as they should.
Different people choose different ones to be less important so in fact on the whole ALL become useless not just one particular one. We see what is happening in human society, everything is IMperfect and damaged.

The 2 are just a summary of the 10 which give more DETAIL of HOW to show LOVE. If we ignore them then we just start to act as WE think is right....not what GOD wants us to do.
That human attitude is very clearly seen in Sabbath-keeping....when you ignore the Commands of GOD you obviously reject the Sabbath !!!
I list this as obvious because it is clearly SEEN by everyone.....whereas if you steal a small item or tell a small lie it is not detected by everybody. But your actions on the Sabbath DAY are clear to all. It's the reason why God picked a DAY as the easiest example because it can not be hidden or covered up as we do with other small transgressions.

"...one of these least commandments..."

There is probably no "the least commandment", technically, but its a group of commandments that can be called "the least ones".

I would guess ones about linen, roof arrangement and similar. Commandments/rules connected to time, culture and place of Israel. Commandments that are not moral and are just symbolic or preventive.

The problematic passage is "till heaven and earth pass", because earth is still the same, obviously (we cannot verify the same about heaven, though).

ὃς ἐὰν οὖν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων

"whoever, then, will loose one of the commandments these the smallest/least"

... would be word for word translation, imho

"The least" is plural as you can identify by the ending of the word - ων.