Matthew 22:36-38
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The scribe isn't asking Jesus to pick a favorite commandment from a list; he's probing for the principle that makes any commandment "great." The question is designed to trap Jesus, but Jesus turns it around by revealing that greatness in the Law isn't about following rules, but about the all-encompassing love that drives them.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following His victory over the Sadducees and a clever question from the Pharisees, another expert in the Law approaches Jesus, intending to trap Him. This scribe asks Jesus to identify the single most important commandment in the entire Mosaic Law, a question that would spark debate among Jewish scholars who debated which of the hundreds of laws held the highest importance. Jesus' response to this challenge will reveal His understanding of the Law's core purpose, setting the stage for the subsequent discussion.
The scribe asking Jesus about the 'great commandment' wasn't just looking for a single verse to memorize. He was probing for a deeper principle. What was he really trying to figure out?
The question, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' sounds simple, but it carried a lot of weight. The Jewish teachers of the day debated endlessly which commandments were 'heavy' or 'light,' trying to find the most important ones among hundreds.
Think of it like sorting through a massive to-do list. Some tasks seem minor, others feel huge. This scribe wasn't asking Jesus to pick his personal favorite. He was asking, 'What makes a commandment truly great? What's the underlying quality that elevates one command above others?'
Jesus' answer would reveal the very heart of God's law. He wasn't just going to give a title; he was going to reveal the core principle that defined all of God's commands.
Jesus didn't get bogged down in the scribes' complex debates. He cut straight to the essence of God's desire for humanity. What is that ultimate desire?
Jesus’ response points directly to love as the foundational principle of God's law. He identifies two commandments, but they’re not separate entities; they’re two sides of the same coin.
The First and Greatest Commandment:
'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This isn't just about feeling good; it's a total, all-encompassing devotion. It means prioritizing God above everything else in your life – your thoughts, your desires, your energy.
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The Second, Which is Like It:
'And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' This flows directly from the first. If you truly love God, that love will naturally extend to the people God created. It’s about valuing others as much as you value yourself, seeing them through God’s eyes.
Jesus shows that the 'greatness' of a commandment isn't about its length or complexity, but its ability to capture this core principle of love – love for God and love for others. The entire Law and the Prophets, Jesus explains, hinge on these two.
Understand the original words
didaskale · Greek Noun
Refers to a master or instructor of religious truth. In the New Testament, it is a title often used for Jesus, acknowledging his authority to interpret the Torah.
Torah · Hebrew Noun
The revealed will of God for His people, particularly the Pentateuch, serving as the foundation for ethical and religious life in Israel.
entolē · Greek Noun
A divine mandate or authoritative instruction from God requiring obedience. In Scripture, it forms the basis of the covenant relationship.
agapaō · Greek Verb
In a biblical context, refers to a commitment of the will, mind, and emotions that results in sacrificial action. It is the defining characteristic of the believer's relationship with God and others.
kardia · Greek Noun
Often considered the seat of the intellect, will, and inner self. Biblically, it is the center of human personality and the place where decisions for or against God are made.
psychē · Greek Noun
The vital, animating principle of human life. It refers to the individual person, their life-breath, and their existence before God.
dianoia · Greek Noun
Refers to the faculty of understanding, reasoning, and cognition. Loving God with the mind involves dedicating one's intellectual capacities and thoughts to His glory.
This is the foundational passage Jesus quotes to answer the scribe's question, revealing the Old Testament's emphasis on wholehearted love for God as the primary command.
Leviticus 19:18This passage provides the basis for the second greatest commandment, showing that Jesus synthesized the Law by highlighting love for neighbor as intrinsically linked to love for God.
Matthew 7:12Jesus reiterates the principle of love for others here, demonstrating that the 'Golden Rule' is a practical outworking of the commandment to love your neighbor, which Jesus identified as second only to loving God.
Romans 13:8-10Paul directly connects the commandments to love God and love neighbor with the fulfillment of all other laws, reinforcing Jesus' teaching that these two commands summarize the essence of the Law.
1 John 4:7-8This New Testament passage explicitly links the practice of love with the knowledge of God, echoing Jesus' emphasis that true love for God is demonstrated through love for one another.
vincentMatthew 22:36: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"
Which is the great commandment (ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη)The A. V. and Rev. alike miss the point of this question, which is: which kind of command is great in the law? That is, what kind of a commandment must it be to constitute it a great one? Not, which commandment is greatest as compared with the others? The scribes declared that there were 248 affirmative precepts, as many as the members of the human body; and 365 negative pr…
calvinMatthew 22:34-40: "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together."
- 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 thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. Th…
The scribe isn't asking Jesus to pick a favorite commandment from a list; he's probing for the principle that makes any commandment "great." The question is designed to trap Jesus, but Jesus turns it around by revealing that greatness in the Law isn't about following rules, but about the all-encompassing love that drives them.
Following His victory over the Sadducees and a clever question from the Pharisees, another expert in the Law approaches Jesus, intending to trap Him. This scribe asks Jesus to identify the single most important commandment in the entire Mosaic Law, a question that would spark debate among Jewish scholars who debated which of the hundreds of laws held the highest importance. Jesus' response to this challenge will reveal His understanding of the Law's core purpose, setting the stage for the subsequent discussion.
Following His victory over the Sadducees and a clever question from the Pharisees, another expert in the Law approaches Jesus, intending to trap Him. This scribe asks Jesus to identify the single most important commandment in the entire Mosaic Law, a question that would spark debate among Jewish scholars who debated which of the hundreds of laws held the highest importance. Jesus' response to this challenge will reveal His understanding of the Law's core purpose, setting the stage for the subsequent discussion.
"“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." — The scribe isn't asking Jesus to pick a favorite commandment from a list; he's probing for the principle that makes any commandment "great." The question is designed to trap Jesus, but Jesus turns…
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Last reviewed October 2026
