Leviticus 18:19-21:24 Part 2

I don't anticipate doing the "part 2" thing very often, but I passed over something very important in my previous post regarding this section of Leviticus, and I must go back to it. In this section, the Lord essentially re-explains the Ten Commandments to Moses, elaborating on them further and providing examples to facilitate a better understanding of what is meant by them. I am struck by this: Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. This last sentence is, of course, cited by Jesus as the second greatest of the commandments in Matthew 22. In all my years of reading and hearing the story of Jesus' identifying the two greatest commandments, I had assumed that these were "new" and revolutionary. New or not, what a challenge it is! I am a grudge-holder, sadly, so this statement speaks to me directly and powerfully. I hold them against others and I hold them against myself. In fact, I am often much quicker to forgive others than myself. Yet both sides of the statement are equally important. It is not "You shall love your neighbor more than yourself," nor is it "You shall love your neighbor less than yourself."