The Great Commandment and the Great Commission are two of the most important mandates delivered by Christ that every seasoned Christian tries to uphold. This article takes a closer look at the first one by breaking it down into its components and comparing it with supporting Scriptures. We’ll start by understanding what it says, then Part 2 will reveal what Jesus means, Part 3 will take a look at what we hear, and finally, Part 4 will discuss what action we should take.

The Great Commandment is recorded in three of the four Gospels. Matthew (22:34-40) and Mark (12:28-34) tell the story in the same context whereas Luke’s (10:25-37) version is from a slightly different timeframe. In the next few articles, we’re going to break each of these stories down and see how they complement each other. Let’s start with Matthew’s.

Matthew’s recording of the story is the shortest of the three and is as follows:

“But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “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 foremost commandment. The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:34-40

It’s Tuesday of the Passion Week and Jesus is sitting quietly in the Temple. A scribe, an expert in the Law of Moses, approaches Him and asks the question, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

The Law that the scribe is asking about is NOT the ten commandments found in Exodus chapter 20. He’s referring to the 613 laws that the Pharisees had derived from those ten commandments and imposed upon the people. The laws were divided into 248 (one for every known bone in the body) affirmative laws (thou shall …) and 365 (one for every day of the year) negative laws (thou shall not …).

To make it even more complicated they assigned a weight to each law. Weightier laws were non-negotiable laws (like honoring the Sabbath) and lighter laws were debated (like divorce). Some thought the greatest law was honoring the Sabbath. Others thought that circumcision was the greatest. The question had run its course. It was time for the Messiah to weigh in.

Jesus answered by repeating the well-known Shema found in Deuteronomy 6 (for more information on the Shema, see Twelve Inches Away), “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” A somewhat simple law that every good Jew repeated in the morning and in the evening. The descriptive nouns heart, soul and mind were just a way of saying that you were to love God with every inch of your fiber, all day and every waking day. In the Greek, it was agape love, an unwavering love of obedience, dedication, and commitment. Everything you do, you do because you love God.

After saying the Shema Jesus says, “This is the great and foremost commandment.” Jesus is simply saying that this is the commandment upon which every other commandment is derived. In other words, you cannot possibly carry out the other laws without first loving God with every inch of your being. It’s impossible. It seems like Jesus has answered the question posed by the scribe, but He adds more.

Jesus then says, “The second is like it.” The Greek word used here for “like” means “depends” or “hinges upon.” He’s saying that although the next commandment He’s going to say is not as great as this one, it depends or hinges upon it. Although they are not equal, they are dependent upon each other. You cannot possibly carry out the second without first carrying out the first one. And vice-versa, you cannot obey the first one if you don’t obey the second one.

The second one is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18 where Moses is administering mandates to the newly exiled Jewish nation. He’s telling them to love, care for, and respect each other. The scribe knew exactly what part of the Law Jesus was quoting. Remember, he was an expert in the Law. What Jesus says next must have blown the Cheerios out of their bowls! Jesus ties the two commandments together in saying that “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” In essence, He is saying that if they would just adhere to these two simple commandments, they would fulfill the entire Old Testament and its laws. For someone familiar with the 613 laws this must have been mind-blowing!

This is what Jesus said. The next article will explain in more detail what Jesus meant and the “mind-blowing” message He was trying to convey to the Scribes and Pharisees.