Matthew 22:34-40 Meaning: Which Commandment Is Greatest?
34But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.
35One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.
36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and great commandment.
39A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
34But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
34But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together.
35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him:
36Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
37And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the great and first commandment.
39And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.
34and the Pharisees, having heard that he did silence the Sadducees, were gathered together unto him;
35and one of them, a lawyer, did question, tempting him, and saying,
36`Teacher, which is the great command in the Law?'
37And Jesus said to him, `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thine understanding--
38this is a first and great command;
39and the second is like to it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;
40on these--the two commands--all the law and the prophets do hang.'
34But the Pharisees, having heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, were gathered together.
35And one of them, a lawyer, demanded, tempting him, and saying,
36Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
37And he said to him, Thou shalt love [the] Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding.
38This is [the] great and first commandment.
39And [the] second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus answers a Pharisee's test by summarizing the entire law into two commands: love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself.
Context
This scene comes late in Jesus' ministry, during his final week in Jerusalem. He has just silenced the Sadducees with his teaching on the resurrection. The Pharisees, rivals of the Sadducees, gather together, not to thank him, but to test him again. They send a lawyer, an expert in the law of Moses, to pose a question that had long been debated among Jewish teachers: which commandment is the greatest? Jesus answers by quoting two familiar Old Testament passages. First, from Deuteronomy, the command to love God with everything you are. Then, from Leviticus, the command to love your neighbor as yourself. He says the entire law and the prophets depend on these two. It is a moment of clarity: all the rules and instructions in Scripture find their purpose in love.
Key Words
Three Greek words carry the weight of Jesus' answer. The verb for love is agapaō. It is not the warm affection you feel for a friend. It is a deliberate, active commitment to seek the good of the one loved. That is the kind of love God asks for, and the kind we are to extend to our neighbor.
The words for heart, soul, and mind, kardia, psuchē, dianoia, together cover the whole person: your emotions, your very life, your intellect and thoughts. Jesus is not naming separate compartments. He is saying, love God with all of you. Nothing held back.
The verb for hang, kremaō, is vivid. It pictures something suspended, like a door on its hinges. Without these two commandments, the rest of Scripture would collapse. They are the axis everything turns on.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions see these verses as the heart of Christian ethics. Catholic teaching has understood them as the summary of the natural law written on every human heart, and the foundation for moral theology. Protestant traditions emphasize that while love cannot earn salvation, it is the necessary response to God's grace, the way faith becomes visible. Orthodox Christians read these commands in the light of theosis: loving God with the whole self draws a person into union with God, and loving neighbor is how that union is lived out. All agree that Jesus' answer does not abolish the law but reveals its deepest meaning.
A common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is that “love your neighbor as yourself” means you must first learn to love yourself before you can love others. In fact, the phrase assumes that people already care for their own well-being. Jesus is not prescribing self-love; he is using your natural desire for your own good as the measure for how you should treat everyone else. The command is not to love yourself more, but to extend the same care you already give yourself to the person next to you.
Living This Out
This week, you can ask yourself two questions. First, does your love for God actually show up in your ordinary choices, what you think about, what you spend your time on, what you worry about? Love with all your mind includes letting your thoughts dwell on him. Second, is there someone you find hard to love? A coworker who annoys you, a family member who hurt you, a stranger you pass by. Loving your neighbor as yourself does not mean liking them. It means acting for their good the way you would want someone to act for yours. Start with one small, concrete step today.
Main takeaway: The whole of Scripture points us to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus said the most important thing is to love God and love other people. That means we can say thank you to God and be kind to our friends and family.
For ages 9, 12
Jesus was asked which rule in the Bible is the most important. He answered by saying that all the rules are really about two things: loving God with all you are, and loving other people the way you want them to love you. So when you wonder what God wants you to do, start with love, love for him, and love for the person standing next to you.
Questions People Ask
What is the greatest commandment according to Jesus?
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. He quoted this from Deuteronomy 6:5, a central prayer for the Jewish people. Then he added a second command, to love your neighbor as yourself, and said these two summarize the whole law.
What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?
It means loving God with your entire being. The heart represents your emotions and will, the soul your life and identity, and the mind your thoughts and reasoning. Together they point to a love that involves every part of you, not just feelings on Sunday, but how you think, choose, and live every day.
Why did Jesus say the second commandment is like the first?
Jesus said the second is like the first because love for neighbor flows from love for God. If you truly love God, you will care about what he cares about, and he cares about people. The two commands are not separate; they are two sides of the same coin. You cannot claim to love God while ignoring the needs of the person beside you.
How can I love my neighbor as myself?
Start by noticing what you naturally do for yourself: you feed yourself when hungry, you protect yourself from harm, you want to be treated with respect. Now do those same things for others. It can be as simple as listening to someone who is hurting, sharing what you have, or forgiving a wrong. Love your neighbor is a call to action, not just a nice feeling.
Does this passage mean we no longer need to follow the other commandments?
No. Jesus says the whole law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. That means the other commands are not thrown away; they are supported by these. The specific rules in Scripture show us what love looks like in real situations. For example, not stealing is one way of loving your neighbor. The two great commandments give us the spirit behind every other command.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study