Matthew 22:39
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Matthew 22:39
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This isn't just saying who to love, but how—equally to how you love yourself. It corrects the natural human tendency to put ourselves first, demanding we extend the same care, concern, and consideration we rightly give ourselves to every single person around us.
Following a series of attempts by religious leaders to trap Jesus with tricky questions, a Pharisee, acting as a lawyer, asks Jesus to identify the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus responds by first stating the command to love God completely, and then, as the second, equally vital command, the call to love one's neighbor as oneself. This statement, meant to summarize the essence of God's requirements, is immediately followed by Jesus' teaching that these two commands are the foundation upon which the entire Law and the Prophets are built.
Jesus wasn't just reciting rules; He was revealing God's heart. He distilled the entire Law and the Prophets into two simple commands. But what does it truly mean to love God and neighbor?
When Jesus declared these two commandments as the greatest, He wasn't adding to the Law, but explaining its very essence. The entirety of God's Word, from Genesis to Revelation, is built upon these two foundational pillars.
The Ultimate Purpose
The Law wasn't designed to be a burden, but a guide to a life lived in right relationship with God and others. As Jesus taught, all the commands, sacrifices, and prophecies ultimately point back to:
Everything else in Scripture is a supporting beam or a decorative element, but these two are the load-bearing walls.
We often think of 'neighbor' as someone who lives next door. But Jesus' definition, and the way it's 'like' loving God, expands our view dramatically.
The command to love your neighbor as yourself isn't just about being nice. It's deeply connected to how we love God.
The 'Like It' Connection
Jesus states the second commandment is 'like' the first. This means it shares qualities with it:
Understand the original words
plēsion · Greek Noun
Any other person, particularly those within the community of faith, but in Jesus' teaching, it extends to all people, including enemies. It signifies the object of one's duty of care and love.
Jesus is answering a question posed during a period of intense religious scrutiny. The religious leaders were testing him, trying to find fault with his teachings, especially in relation to the Law of Moses. Jesus brilliantly uses their own scriptures to highlight the heart of God's requirements: love for God and love for others.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus and Law Given at Sinai
God delivers Israel from slavery in Egypt and gives them the Law, including the commandments to love God and neighbor, as recorded in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
c. 750 BC
Prophetic Ministry of Isaiah
Isaiah prophesies about God's covenant, judgment, and the coming Messiah, often calling for justice and righteousness among the people.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, leading to the exile of many Jews, marking a period of intense national suffering and reflection on their relationship with God and each other.
c. 500 BC
Post-Exilic Period and Ezra
After returning from exile, Ezra the scribe focuses on re-establishing the Law and rebuilding the community, emphasizing the importance of obedience to God's commands.
This is the Old Testament source of the commandment Jesus quotes, grounding the command in the Mosaic Law and showing its continuity.
Luke 10:29This passage records the lawyer's immediate follow-up question, 'And who is my neighbor?', directly stemming from Jesus' teaching on loving one's neighbor and highlighting the practical challenge of defining who qualifies.
Luke 10:36-37Jesus' answer to 'Who is my neighbor?' with the parable of the Good Samaritan powerfully illustrates the expansive and unconditional nature of neighborly love, redefining it beyond social or ethnic boundaries.
Romans 13:9-10Paul echoes Jesus' teaching, explicitly stating that love for neighbor fulfills the rest of the law, reinforcing that this command is a foundational principle for all ethical behavior toward others.
1 John 4:20This passage presents a strong conceptual link, arguing that if one cannot love their visible neighbor, they cannot truly love the invisible God, emphasizing the inseparable connection between these two commandments.
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…
This isn't just saying who to love, but how—equally to how you love yourself. It corrects the natural human tendency to put ourselves first, demanding we extend the same care, concern, and consideration we rightly give ourselves to every single person around us.
Following a series of attempts by religious leaders to trap Jesus with tricky questions, a Pharisee, acting as a lawyer, asks Jesus to identify the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus responds by first stating the command to love God completely, and then, as the second, equally vital command, the call to love one's neighbor as oneself. This statement, meant to summarize the essence of God's requirements, is immediately followed by Jesus' teaching that these two commands are the foundation upon which the entire Law and the Prophets are built.
Following a series of attempts by religious leaders to trap Jesus with tricky questions, a Pharisee, acting as a lawyer, asks Jesus to identify the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus responds by first stating the command to love God completely, and then, as the second, equally vital command, the call to love one's neighbor as oneself. This statement, meant to summarize the essence of God's requirements, is immediately followed by Jesus' teaching that these two commands are the foundation upon which the entire Law and the Prophets are built.
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The Mirror of Self-Love
The phrase 'as yourself' is key. It doesn't mean we should prioritize ourselves, but rather use our own natural desire for well-being as a standard for how we treat others. We should have a genuine concern for our neighbor's welfare, just as we do for our own. This isn't about selfish self-love, but a healthy regard for oneself that is then extended outward.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus travels and teaches throughout Galilee and Judea, engaging in debates with religious leaders and revealing the core principles of God's kingdom.
c. AD 30— this verse
Debate Over the Greatest Commandment
Jesus is challenged by religious leaders, including Pharisees and a lawyer, who seek to trap him by asking about the greatest commandment in the Law.
"And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." — This isn't just saying who to love, but how—equally to how you love yourself. It corrects the natural human tendency to put ourselves first, demanding we extend the same care, concern, and consid…