Holy Tuesday: 613 Rules For Life

Holy Week Reading Plan: Matthew 22-23

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Have you noticed that a lot of leadership books have numbers in the titles?

7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 

12 Rules for Life. 

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.¹ 

33 Leadership Principles From the Life of… 

…you get the point!

I think it would be interesting to ask these authors what they think is their most important habit, rule, or law. Something like this essentially happened in Matthew 22.

In this passage, a religious leader asked Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (v. 36, NIV). 

Some think the religious leader was asking Jesus which of the 10 Commandments is the most important. However, it is more likely that he was referring to the 613 laws contained in the first five books of the Old Testament. (And here I thought I was pushing it with my 33 leadership principles). Could you imagine that book? “613 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Sinfulness.”  

Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (v. 37-40, NIV).  

It is important to note that Jesus technically answered the question. Loving God and loving others are 2 of the 613 laws (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18). 

However, I think Jesus was also trying to communicate the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. 2 Corinthians 3:6 reads, “(Jesus) has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (NIV). 

The spirit of the 10 Commandments, the 613 laws, and the new covenant can be summarized in four words: love God, love people.

As a Christian leader, there are rules and policies that you will be expected to follow. You are likely even responsible for implementing and enforcing some of them. It is important that you don’t get so caught up in the letter of rules that you forget the spirit of them.

Think about it: What are some rules that you have in your home, work, and/or church? What is the spirit of those rules? How would you summarize them in 2-4 words? 

1. 7 Habits… 12 Rules.. and 21 Laws… are all on my RECOMMENDED BOOKS list. ↩︎

_{^{Originally posted on April 4, 2023. Last updated on March 26, 2024.}}