What is the great commandment that Jesus gives in this passage?

Jesus answers the lawyer’s question by going straight to the heart of God’s law. He says the great commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. That means every part of who you are, your will, feelings, thoughts, and desires, is to be turned toward God in love. It is not a half-hearted duty but a whole-life devotion. Jesus calls this the first and great commandment because love for God comes before everything else and gives life to all other obedience.

What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?

Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind means holding nothing back from Him. The heart points to your inner choices and desires, the soul to your life and emotions, and the mind to your thoughts and understanding. Together they picture your whole self. This love is sincere, not forced, and it shapes how you worship, how you think, and how you live. It means wanting what God wants, trusting His goodness, and giving Him first place over every other love and loyalty in your life.

What does “love your neighbour as yourself” mean in this passage?

“Love your neighbour as yourself” means you should care for other people the way you naturally care for your own good. It does not tell you to start loving yourself more, because we already tend to look out for ourselves. Instead, it pulls others up into that same concern. You seek their well-being, not just your own. This includes kindness, fairness, and practical help. It is not a cold rule but a warm, active concern that flows from knowing every other person is made by God and should be treated with the same respect you want for yourself.

Why does Jesus say the second commandment is like the first one?

Jesus says the second commandment is like the first because real love for neighbor grows out of real love for God and reflects it. Loving God comes first in order and honor, but it cannot stay alone. If God’s love fills the heart, it will spill over into how we treat the people around us. Without love for God, our love for others easily becomes selfish or only for those who benefit us. So the two commands are closely joined: love for God is the root, and love for neighbor is the fruit that shows that root is really there.

What does it mean that all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments?

When Jesus says all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments, He is saying that every command about how to live a holy and upright life points back to love for God and love for neighbor. The different rules about worship, justice, honesty, purity, and mercy are like branches; these two loves are the hook they hang on. He is not saying this is all the Bible talks about, but that every command about conduct is summed up here. If these loves are missing, even very strict rule-keeping misses what God is really asking for.

Why were the Pharisees and the lawyer testing Jesus with this question?

The Pharisees and the lawyer were not mainly looking for help; they were trying to trap Jesus. Different groups argued about which commandment was greatest, so they hoped His answer would offend some side or make Him seem to speak against Moses. They had already seen Him silence the Sadducees and were upset at the honor He was gaining. By asking this kind of debated question in public, they aimed to undermine His authority. Jesus’ answer not only avoids their trap but also exposes the heart of the law they claimed to defend.

How does this passage show that the gospel does not cancel God’s law?

In this scene Jesus does not throw aside God’s commands. Instead He shows their true core. By quoting the commands to love God fully and love neighbor as oneself, He confirms that the law’s purpose is not empty rituals but wholehearted love. He shows that every command about how to live is really training the heart in these two directions. So the good news about Jesus does not erase the call to love; rather, it brings us back to it and exposes how far short we fall, driving us to seek God’s help to love as He commands.

How can a believer today apply these two great commandments?

A believer today applies these commandments first by letting them search the heart. Ask whether God truly has first place in your thoughts, plans, and desires, and whether your choices show love to the people around you. These two commands can guide decisions: does this honor God, and does it seek my neighbor’s good as I would want for myself? They also help sort out what really matters, so we do not get stuck on small religious arguments while ignoring love. Day by day, they call us back to a simple focus: love God, then love others for His sake.

Matt.22.34

Matthew 22:34

KJV

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

The Greatest Commandment

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.