What would you do if you were told that the Bible has two commandments, which are the greatest commandments? As Christians, we should jump up and see what those commandments are and apply them to our lives if we are not already. In Matthew 22:34-40 we get just that. To fully understand Matthew 22:34-40 we need to look at the historical context and see what the passage meant in biblical times. This will allow us to see the truth of the passage. When that is done, we can look at how we can apply this passage to our lives today. With these being the two greatest commandments we as Christians need to understand what they are and how to apply them to our lives.
Matthew 22:34-40 is a powerful passage of scripture, and to fully understand what it says, we have to look at the passage’s context. The first piece of context we get from this passage in scripture is that this passage of scripture is part of an ongoing discussion Jesus is having with religious leaders. “The confrontations continue between Jesus and the religious leaders concerning his authority to orchestrate activities in the temple and pronounce judgment on the religious establishment” (Wilkins, 2004). The religious leaders are trying to test Jesus. “And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:35). This passage of scripture is the third of four debates that Jesus is participating in with these religious leaders. We are on the third of four debates because the religious leaders are asking questions to Jesus. Jesus is answering these questions with perfect answers. The religious leaders are asking these questions to Jesus to challenge the authority Jesus has. “At the center of the confrontation was the religious leaders’ challenge to Jesus’ authority” (Wilkins, 2004). The authority of Jesus is shown in this chapter in Matthew. We see the authority of Jesus not only answering all of the religious leader’s questions but he, in turn, asking them a question, and they have no answer for him. “And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:46). This passage of scripture shows us that Jesus’ authority was beyond challenge. We can also gain some insight into the context from the book of Matthew. The book of Matthew was written for the Jews to show that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for. “So this first Gospel serves as an evangelistic tool to Jews, contending that they should turn to Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah, but also to Gentiles, emphasizing that salvation through Jesus Messiah is available to them” (Wilkins, 2004). The book of Matthew also makes sure that we see that Jesus was the promised Messiah. It does this by showing us how Jesus fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament. “Matthew presents events and teachings from the life of Jesus which prove that He fulfills the predictions about the Messiah” (Bickel, 2003). This tells us that Jesus was the Messiah and knew what he was talking about when it came to what the great commandment was. We can also get insight into the context of Matthew 22:34-40 because the two commandments that Jesus gives us are from other places in the Bible. The first commandment that Jesus gives in this passage is from Deuteronomy 6:5. The second is from Leviticus 19:18. So, the chapter shows these religious men were testing Jesus. He was giving them perfect answers to their questions, and he had the authority to teach people about God and the book shows that Jesus is the Messiah; finally, the scope of the Bible showed that this answer was something that these men knew to be true.
The historical context of Matthew 22:34-40 helps us understand what was going on in this passage. The first thing to understand is that the Pharisees and Sadducees were the people that were testing Jesus. What is essential to know about them is that they had power, and they did not like Jesus. You can tell that they did not see him as an equal because they called him teacher and not rabbi. “Again, they call Jesus “teacher” and want to demonstrate that he is anything but a valid “rabbi” (Osborne, 2010). Historically, these men who were testing Jesus would have known the scripture Jesus quoted because they recited it daily. “Deuteronomy 6:4–9, from which this quotation is taken, was repeated twice daily by pious Jews as the opening of the Shema” (France, 2008). The last piece of historical context that we get from this passage is from the question that the lawyer asked. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:36). The question asks what commandment they follow, or which is the most important. “By seeking the greatest commandments in the Law, the lawyer is finding principles that will enable him to obey the essence of the spirit of the Law” (Wilkins, 2004). This is historically important because the law is what they lived their life by. The religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus, so they are looking for a specific answer. Jesus gave his answer, and the religious leaders could not find any fault in his answer. These things were noted because they would tell the reader of this passage that even though the Pharisees and Sadducees were testing Jesus, he had all the right answers and the authority to say these things.
Knowing the context of Matthew 22:34-40 has a massive impact on understanding this passage. Jesus was having a discussion with people who were trying to trap him, but he kept giving them perfect answers. They would have liked nothing more than Jesus answering their questions incorrectly, but he answered them perfectly. The perfect answers that Jesus gave also shows how important these two commandments are. “These two commandments are the greatest because all Scripture “hangs” on them; i.e., nothing in Scripture can cohere or be truly obeyed unless these two are observed” (Carson, 2010). These are commandments that we should live our lives by. The last thing that understanding the context impacts is knowing this concept is not new. It is how God wants us and has always wanted us to live. Again, we can also see from the rest of this chapter in Matthew that these answers were so good that they stopped asking Jesus questions and trying to trap him.
Now that we understand the historical context of Matthew 22:34-40 we will look at the message of this passage. The message in this passage is that Jesus gives us the two great commandments and how important they are. The two commandments are to love God and your neighbor as yourself. They are so important that the laws of the Old Testament cannot be done without these commandments. This passage of scripture tells us how important it is to love God and how we should love God. “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 Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:37-38). We are to love God with everything that we have. This means loving and obeying God the Father. We love Jesus the Son and follow him, not this world and we should love the Holy Spirit by letting it guide us. The second commandment is how we should treat other people. “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:39). God wants us to love other people and treat them right even if we do not want to. These commandments are so important that we cannot fulfill the law and prophets if we do not do them. “As such, the entire Old Testament hangs on love for God and others and truly brings to fulfillment the Law and the Prophets” (Wilkins, 2004). Therefore, we must follow these two commandments.
If we are Christians and have received salvation, loving God and others should become part of our lives. The Bible tells us we cannot love God if we hate others. “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, 1 John 4:20). We must do both we cannot love God and hate others this is why Jesus gives us both these commandments. Williams tells us what it means and what happens to us when we genuinely love God.
When we love God from our heart we choose, regardless of how we feel, to place our lives in God’s hands, to surrender ourselves to God’s ways, to aim to be in a right relationship with one another and with all of God’s creation.
Loving God is placing our trust in him and worshiping him. After all, we get salvation because of the love that God has for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, John 3:16). With the gift of salvation, we should love God and others.
The message of this passage of scripture is something that the church has and should continue to teach and preach to everyone. These are the two greatest commandments and, therefore, should be something that all Christians believe and practice. These are commandments from God, and he gave them to the Israelites and us because this is how he wants us to do things. “God’s commandments told the Jews exactly how God wanted them to worship Him and treat each other” (Bickel, 2003). Bible scholars and theologians tell us how important these commandments are. “These two commandments are the greatest because all Scripture “hangs” on them; i.e., nothing in Scripture can cohere or be truly obeyed unless these two are observed” (Carson, 2010). As the church, we must teach and follow these commandments to indeed follow Christ. Loving one another is something that we are called to do as followers of Jesus. Jesus tells us that other people should be able to know we are his followers by how we love one another in John 13:34-35.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (English Standard Version, 2001).
The theme of this passage is not just in this passage of scripture. It is reoccurring throughout the whole Bible. When Jesus tells us the two great commandments, he quotes scripture. The first commandment comes from Deuteronomy. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Deuteronomy 6:5). The second commandment comes from Leviticus. “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Leviticus 19:18). If you keep these two commandments, you will also be keeping the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:2-17. Paul tells us in Romans that some of the Ten Commandments are summed up by loving your neighbor as yourself. “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Romans 13:9). Paul makes it clear how important it is for us to love our neighbor. “All the commandments of the Old Testament law culminate in the demand that we love our neighbors as ourselves” (Moo, 2009). If loving our neighbor is so important, then it should be clear who Jesus is saying who our neighbor is. Jesus gets a lawyer to tell us who our neighbor is in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus does this by telling him the parable of the good Samaritan. “He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Luke 10:37). Jesus makes it clear in this parable that our neighbor is anyone in need, not just people whom we like or we want to help. “Rather than worrying if someone else is a neighbor, Jesus’ call is to be a neighbor to those who have need” (Bock, 2009). The Bible makes it clear that everyone is our neighbor. We are to love God first and foremost, and we should also treat every other person with love and help them if they need it.
The key truth of Matthew 22:34-40 is that Jesus gives us the two greatest commandments. Because these are the two greatest commandments, we must look at them, ask questions about them, and apply their lessons to our lives. The first commandment is how we should love God. “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” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:37). The second commandment is how we should love other people. “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:39). Even though Jesus says these are the two greatest commandments, he also tells us how important they are. “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 22:40). So not only are they the greatest two, but without following them, none of the commandments can be followed. Now that the theme of the passage is clear, what questions and lessons can we learn from it?
What does loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind mean? This commandment is not new to the Bible; it is also given in the Old Testament. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Deuteronomy 6:5). This commandment forces us to put God first. We cannot worship other gods or put things before him. This commandment is still important now. Are we putting God first? Do we make time for God, or do we pray only when we need something? Do we follow all of the rules God gave us, or do we only follow the ones that we like to follow? To love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds means that we worship God and God alone. This means that we obey all of God’s commandments. “Ultimate obedience to God occurs when our entire person is directed toward loving him and others” (Wilkins, 2004). Loving God means more than just having love for God; it means devoting your life to him. This means loving God is shown in our actions. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Romans 12:1). God has given each of us talents; we show God love by using those talents for his glory. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Colossians 3:17). This is what loving God with all our hearts minds soul means. To apply this commandment in our lives today, we must put God first. This means that God is more important than money and possessions. We love God by honoring and worshiping him and actively following his commandments.
What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? This commandment is also not new to the New Testament in the Bible. “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Leviticus 19:18). The first question that must be answered if we are to know what it means to love your neighbor is who our neighbor is. Luke 10:25-37 tells us who our neighbor is. It tells us that our neighbor is whoever is in need. Loving our neighbor means not doing the wrong thing to a person. It is treating them with love and respect. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Romans 13:10). We need to love others because God loves us, and we cannot love God is we do not love others. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, 1 John 4:7-8). Loving our neighbor as ourselves means helping others when we can. We can apply this to our lives by making sure that we help people. We are not loving our neighbor when we see that they have a problem or need help, and we do not help them. This is also an active commandment that tells us to help people in need. It is not passive.
What makes these commandments the greatest two? What makes these commandments the greatest two is what they tell us to do. If we follow these two commandments, then we are following all the laws. “The entire biblical revelation demands heart religion marked by total allegiance to God, loving him and loving one’s neighbor” (Carson, 2010). The two greatest commandments have to do with love. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul tells us how important love is and what happens if we do not have it.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (English Standard Version, 2001).
Love must be a part of who we are. Without love, we cannot obey the two greatest commandments. We can apply this in our lives today by not doing what the world tells us to do. The world tells us to hate others who do not agree with us or believe something else. Jesus tells us not to fill our hearts with hate but to fill them with love. We must love God by putting him first and loving others by helping them.
When I think about this passage of scripture, I think of it as a powerful guide by which to live my life. This passage of scripture tells me where my heart, mind, and soul need to be in every area of my life. It makes me think about everyday life and long-term goals. The question of whether I am making God a part of my everyday life runs through my mind. Do I make time for God? Do I spend time with God before I spend time with my phone? Am I making sure that God is part of every piece of my life, or do I look back to see if he is there unless a problem arises? When we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul we are living life in a different way. There is a connection with God that we cannot get unless we do this. We live our lives for his glory, not ours. We cannot go through the process of spiritual formation if we do not love God with our hearts, minds, and souls. Spiritual formation should be something that we all, as Christians, want to go through. Ashbrook explains what spiritual formation should look like.
The process that takes place in us, as the life of the Spirit of God transforms our life through deepening love and intimacy with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, remaking us in the likeness of Jesus Christ, in His love for the Father and the world.
How are we supposed to go through this process if we love the world more than God? When I do not love God with all my heart, mind, and soul, I love sinful things. The sinful things become the focus of my day, then my week, and then faster than I realized my life. This first and greatest commandment shows us how to fight sin. How can we be sinning if God is first and a part of every part of our lives?
The second commandment shows us how to treat people. The world tells us that hate is okay if they disagree with you or they are your enemy. Jesus tells us that is not what we should do. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, Matthew 5:43-44). I know what hate can do to you. I grew up filled with hate. Hate is a disease that consumes you. It changes how you look at people, and it allows us to justify the terrible things we say and do. This is why Jesus makes it clear that we are to love everyone and help people in need. Love breaks down the walls of hate that we build. Loving others is so important. If I love others the way I love myself, there is no place for hate; there is only room for love and forgiveness.
Make God first in your life. Spend time reading your Bible. Sunday at church should not be the only time you read your Bible. This should be a thing that happens daily. Loving God means offering your life to God. When you do something, do it for his glory. Follow the whole Bible we do not get to pick and choose what we follow. Spend time with God, learn who he is, and grow in your relationship with him. Don’t be a part of this world. If we love God, we have to love others. So, love everyone the way that you love yourself. Be patient and kind, and go out of your way to help people. Do not let hate take hold of your heart. Forgive and love and pray for others. Only you can make the choice to do these things. If you do, it will change your life.
As Christians, it is essential that we take the two greatest commandments and apply them to our lives. Matthew 22:34-40 teaches us that we are to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. The historical context showed us that the religious leaders of the day were trying to trap Jesus, but Jesus answered their questions perfectly, showing that he had the authority they did not think he had. The truth of the passage is that we need to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to love our neighbor as ourselves and how important doing that is. We must apply this to our lives as Christians. When we do these commandments, we can grow in our relationship with God and not allow things like hate to be a part of our lives. This passage and its message are so important, and it goes against what the world is telling us is right. So, we all must make the choice to follow these commandments and not be a part of this world.
References
Ashbrook, R. T. (2009). Mansions of the heart: Exploring the seven stages of spiritual growth. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Bickel, B. (2003). Knowing the Bible 101. Harvest House Publishers.
Bock L. Darrell. (2009). Luke. Zondervan Academic.
Carson. A. D. (2010). Matthew. Zondervan Academic.
France. T. R. (2008). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 00001). IVP Academic.
Moo J. Douglas. (2009). Romans. Zondervan Academic.
Osborne R. Grant. (2010). Matthew (Vol. 00001). Zondervan Academic.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). Crossway.
Wilkins J. Michael. (2004). Matthew. Zondervan Academic.
Williams, G. (2018). A Place of Hope: Matthew 22:34-40. Theological Review, 39(2), 119–124.
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