Do you remember the Beatles hit song from 1967, All You Need Is Love?. Well I don’t, I was not even alive much less thought about back then. But I know it, and today, for some reason, it is has been running through my head. All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love, love is all you need.

I did a little research on the song on Wikipedia. Hey, I know its not the most reliable source and so feel free to correct me if my findings are wrong. The Wiki article states that the Beatles were asked to come up with a song that could be understood by all nationalities and would not be subject to misinterpretation. This idea of love being everything was that song, and its simple message has been widely accepted ever since.

Jesus had a similar message, actually, he had the exact same one. Although he did not make a hit song out of it, his message did manage to make it to the top of the Ten Commandments and even exceeded them. When a religious leader of his day asked him which of the commandments was the greatest one, Jesus responded: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’ (Matthew 22.37-39).

You see, Jesus was saying that everything in the entire law, in the entire Old Testament could be summed up with one thing: love. It was love for God that would keep people honoring the Sabbath day and that would keep people from worshiping anything else. It was love for one’s neighbor that would keep people from committing murder, adultery or spreading lies about them.

Although we are 2,000 years out from Jesus’ original message, it still applies today. Loving God with all of our heart mind and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves is truly all we need. Just think if we actually did that. Every single problem that we have- terrorism, war, genocide, poverty, unjust laws, sex trafficking, mass hatred for the other, racism, unemployment, sexism, family disputes, crime, homicide, suicide, drugs, and so much more- would solve itself instantly. When we act out of love and put the needs of others first, we have no other choice but to lay aside all selfish ideology and behavior. And when we do that, we in fact create a better society, a better country, a better world where in fact our very needs are met because we are all loving one another and treating one another with dignity and respect. That’s the kind of world that I want to live in.