Matthew 22:37-38
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Jesus highlights that loving God isn't just about affection, but about dedicating your entire thinking process—your mind—to Him. This command isn't just about feeling; it’s about directing all your thoughts and understanding towards God, ensuring nothing competes for the supreme place He deserves in your life.
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)
The Pharisees, having just witnessed Jesus skillfully outmaneuver the Sadducees, gather to test him further with a question about the greatest commandment. Jesus, instead of directly answering which is greatest, boldly declares that loving God with one's entire being is the first and most crucial commandment, immediately followed by the command to love one's neighbor. This exchange sets the stage for Jesus' profound redefinition of the Law, culminating in his parable of the Good Samaritan, which illustrates the true nature of loving one's neighbor.
Jesus didn't just say 'love God.' He specified how we should love Him – completely. What does it really mean to give God 'all your heart, soul, and mind'?
When Jesus commanded us to love God with 'all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,' He wasn't just giving a suggestion; He was laying out the blueprint for true devotion. This isn't a partial love; it's an all-encompassing commitment.
Heart, Soul, and Mind:
These terms, while distinct, work together to paint a picture of total surrender. It’s not about dividing our love, but about integrating every part of ourselves into loving God.
Why did Jesus call this the 'first and great commandment'? What does it mean that the 'whole Law and the prophets' hang on this and one other command?
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Jesus didn't just pull this commandment out of thin air; He declared it to be the greatest. This wasn't just His opinion; it was the essential truth that underpins the entire Old Testament Law and the prophetic messages.
The Foundation of Everything:
When we grasp that our love for God is the foundation, our obedience to His other commands flows naturally from a place of deep affection, not mere obligation.
Understand the original words
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.
Jesus' answer to the lawyer isn't just a theological statement; it's a direct engagement with the core of the Old Testament Law, rooted in ancient commands given by God to Israel, and framed within the intense theological debates and challenges Jesus faced from religious leaders during his ministry.
c. 1500 BC
Moses Receives the Law
The core commandments, including the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) which Jesus quotes and expands upon, are given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
c. 750 BC
Deuteronomy Written
The book of Deuteronomy is written, containing a significant repetition and expansion of the Law, including the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching and healing throughout Galilee and Judea, drawing large crowds and attracting the attention of religious leaders.
c. AD 30— this verse
Temptation by a Lawyer
A Jewish lawyer, likely a Pharisee, questions Jesus about the greatest commandment in the Law, attempting to trap him. Jesus responds by quoting and summarizing the Shema and the command to love one's neighbor.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Teaching on the Law
Jesus continues to teach, often in direct opposition to the Pharisees' interpretations, emphasizing the spirit of the law over mere outward observance, and highlighting the importance of love for God and neighbor.
This is the foundational Old Testament passage from which Jesus draws this commandment, emphasizing the original call to love God with one's entire being.
Luke 10:27This parallel account includes the lawyer's response and Jesus' further elaboration, highlighting that acting on this love by loving one's neighbor is the path to eternal life.
Matthew 22:40Jesus states that this commandment, along with loving one's neighbor, is the basis of the entire Law and the Prophets, showing its supreme importance.
1 John 5:3This New Testament passage directly links obedience to God's commands, which stem from love for Him, as evidence of genuine faith and relationship.
Romans 12:1-2Paul calls believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, presenting their whole selves—heart, soul, and mind—as worship, which is a practical outworking of loving God completely.
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…
henryMatthew 22:34-40: "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together."
22:34-40 An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be eng…
Jesus highlights that loving God isn't just about affection, but about dedicating your entire thinking process—your mind—to Him. This command isn't just about feeling; it’s about directing all your thoughts and understanding towards God, ensuring nothing competes for the supreme place He deserves in your life.
The Pharisees, having just witnessed Jesus skillfully outmaneuver the Sadducees, gather to test him further with a question about the greatest commandment. Jesus, instead of directly answering which is greatest, boldly declares that loving God with one's entire being is the first and most crucial commandment, immediately followed by the command to love one's neighbor. This exchange sets the stage for Jesus' profound redefinition of the Law, culminating in his parable of the Good Samaritan, which illustrates the true nature of loving one's neighbor.
The Pharisees, having just witnessed Jesus skillfully outmaneuver the Sadducees, gather to test him further with a question about the greatest commandment. Jesus, instead of directly answering which is greatest, boldly declares that loving God with one's entire being is the first and most crucial commandment, immediately followed by the command to love one's neighbor. This exchange sets the stage for Jesus' profound redefinition of the Law, culminating in his parable of the Good Samaritan, which illustrates the true nature of loving one's neighbor.
"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." — Jesus highlights that loving God isn't just about affection, but about dedicating your entire thinking process—your mind—to Him. This command isn't just about feeling; it’s about directing all your t…
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Last reviewed October 2026
