And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
This commandment isn't just about feeling affection; it's a call to integrate God into every part of your existence—your emotions, your intellect, and your actions. The inclusion of "mind" and "strength" emphasizes that loving God requires intentional thought and full-bodied commitment, not just passive feelings.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Jesus outwitted the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees with parables, a scribe, impressed by Jesus' wisdom, asks Him what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy, emphasizing the absolute love owed to the one God. The scribe agrees, highlighting that this love is far more significant than sacrifices, leading Jesus to affirm he is "not far from the kingdom of God."
We often hear about the 'Greatest Commandment,' but what makes it so foundational? Jesus doesn't just pick a rule; he presents a whole way of life.
Jesus' response to the scribe isn't just about picking the 'most important' rule from a list. He quotes the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which begins, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.' This isn't just a preamble; it's the bedrock. Our love for God is rooted in His unique, singular nature.
Then comes the command to love God with every part of our being:
This isn't a command for a sliver of our life; it's a call for total devotion. The scribe recognizes this, seeing it as far greater than any ritual sacrifice. Jesus affirms that this comprehensive love is the very essence of God's claim on us.
If loving God with everything is the 'first' commandment, how does it relate to all the others? It's not just the , but the .
Ask a follow-up
Jesus declares that the command to love God with all our being, and the second commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, are the two greatest commandments. But it's crucial to see how they connect.
This isn't just a ranking; it’s a summary of God's entire will for humanity. As the commentaries suggest, the love for God is the root from which all other righteous actions, including love for our neighbor, flow.
This comprehensive love is the ultimate fulfillment of God's law, far surpassing external rituals or sacrifices.
Understand the original words
agapaō · Greek Verb
A deep, sacrificial, and covenantal commitment of the entire person to God. It involves both emotion and will, compelling the believer to prioritize God above all else and to live in obedience to His commands.
kardia · Greek Noun
The center of the human personality, including intellect, emotions, and the will. It is the seat of moral choices and the inner life where true devotion to God begins.
psychē · Greek Noun
The inner life or personhood; the life-principle that distinguishes a living being. In the Bible, it often represents the innermost self that longs for and is held accountable by God.
dianoia · Greek Noun
The capacity for reasoning and understanding. It signifies that true faith is not merely emotional but also involves the engagement of the intellect in contemplating and honoring God.
ischys · Greek Noun
Physical, mental, or spiritual energy and capacity. Loving God with all one's strength implies an active, intentional, and total exertion of one's entire being in the service and worship of the Lord.
This passage unfolds during a tense period in Jesus' final days in Jerusalem, as religious authorities tried to discredit him. The scribe's question, far from being a mere theological debate, arose in a charged atmosphere, highlighting Jesus' wisdom in cutting through religious legalism to the heart of God's law: pure, all-encompassing love.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Ministry in Jerusalem
During Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, religious leaders, including Pharisees and Herodians, attempted to trap him with challenging questions. This exchange occurred in the Temple courts.
c. 30 AD
The Scribe's Question
A scribe, impressed by Jesus' answers to other tricky questions, asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. This was a common topic of debate among Jewish scholars.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Answer and the Scribe's Response
Jesus cites Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, emphasizing love for God and neighbor. The scribe agrees, recognizing this love is superior to ritual sacrifices, prompting Jesus to affirm he is 'not far from the kingdom of God.'
c. 30 AD
Silence of the Questioners
Following this exchange, Jesus asks a question about the Messiah that the religious leaders cannot answer. The narrative concludes with no one daring to question Jesus further.
This is the foundational passage from the Old Testament that Jesus quotes, establishing the ancient command to love God completely.
Matthew 22:37-38This parallel account in Matthew records Jesus' response to the same question, emphasizing that this love for God is the 'first and greatest commandment.'
Luke 10:27Luke's version, from the story of the Good Samaritan, also includes this command as part of the lawyer's correct answer when asked how to inherit eternal life, showing its central importance.
Romans 13:10Paul builds upon this concept, stating that love fulfills the law, connecting the love of God to the practical outworking of righteousness in our lives.
expositorsMark 12:28-34: "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?"
CHAPTER 12:28-34 (Mark 12:28-34)THE DISCERNING SCRIBE "And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love…
calvinMark 12:28-34: "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?"
- But when the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they assembled together. 35. And one of them, a doctor of the law, put a question to him, tempting him, and saying, 36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37. Jesus saith to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all th…
This commandment isn't just about feeling affection; it's a call to integrate God into every part of your existence—your emotions, your intellect, and your actions. The inclusion of "mind" and "strength" emphasizes that loving God requires intentional thought and full-bodied commitment, not just passive feelings.
After Jesus outwitted the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees with parables, a scribe, impressed by Jesus' wisdom, asks Him what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy, emphasizing the absolute love owed to the one God. The scribe agrees, highlighting that this love is far more significant than sacrifices, leading Jesus to affirm he is "not far from the kingdom of God."
After Jesus outwitted the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees with parables, a scribe, impressed by Jesus' wisdom, asks Him what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy, emphasizing the absolute love owed to the one God. The scribe agrees, highlighting that this love is far more significant than sacrifices, leading Jesus to affirm he is "not far from the kingdom of God."
"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’" — This commandment isn't just about feeling affection; it's a call to integrate God into every part of your existence—your emotions, your intellect, and your actions. The inclusion of "mind" and "stren…
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Last reviewed October 2026