On these hang all the law and the prophets

When Jesus says that all the law and the prophets hang on the commandments to love God and love our fellowmen, His word choice is very deliberate. “Hang” evokes to me the image of a picture hanging from a nail in a sure place on the wall. It teaches me the important principle that if I am having difficulty keeping the commandments and following the prophets, it is because I lack the love of God that it takes to be obedient. This is not condemnatory; it is a simple fact. Nothing is more difficult and annoying than obeying a God one does not love.