AD 33 · Life of Christ

Jesus names the greatest commandment

Asked which commandment was greatest, Jesus answered that people must love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and love their neighbor as themselves. All the Law and Prophets depend on these commands (Matthew 22:34-40).

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📖 Matthew 22:34–36

34And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: 36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

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Connections

Quotation

Love God and love your neighbor

Asked which commandment was greatest, Jesus quoted the command to love God from Deuteronomy and joined it to Leviticus's command to love one's neighbor.

Deuteronomy 6:4–5

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Leviticus 19:18

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 commands wholehearted love for the LORD, and Leviticus 19:18 says to love one's neighbor as oneself. Jesus quotes both in Matthew 22:37-39 and Mark 12:29-31.

Read Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (BSB) →Read Leviticus 19:18 (BSB) →
Sources: AiG: Timeline of the Bible (chart PDF, 2005)
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