Greatest Commandment

Loving God

The first thing we need to look at here is the fact that the Pharisees were determined to destroy Jesus. Even though Jesus has already confirmed their understanding on Resurrection, the Pharisees push forward with an attempt to trap Jesus in this question concerning commandments. In their view, Jesus would have to decide between the greater and lesser commandments and then they would trap him as dismissing a lesser commandment for a greater one. Matthew 22:34–35 (NRSV)

The Greatest Commandment

(Mk 12:28–34; Lk 10:25–28)

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. If there was in fact one “greatest commandment,” it was vital that “an expert in the law” should know it.

Chamblin, J. K. (1995). Matthew. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 750). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. And so they ask Jesus, and this was a Scribe, an expert in the law(Lawyer), Matthew 22:36 (NRSV)

36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” An evil design lies behind the question; but the man himself comes to view Jesus more sympathetically than those who sent him (cf. Mark 12:28).

Chamblin, J. K. (1995). Matthew. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 750). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Mark 12:28 (NRSV)

The First Commandment

(Mt 22:34–40; Lk 10:25–28)

28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Is the Scribe asking about the greatest or the first, or is the first the greatest? Jesus does answer the Scribe concerning his question,Matthew 22:37–40 (NRSV)

37 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.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” If you pray about these scriptures I believe you will find that they are linked and combined in ways that we cannot unbind. The first is to love God-if you do not love God, how can you love your neighbor? But the world outside the church seems to have an ability to love their neighbor, don’t they. Jesus teaches that one’s supreme calling is to love God (v. 38); that one must first love God if he is to love his neighbor; and that one shows how well he loves God by the way he treats his neighbor. Luke writes of these things when he asks the question, Luke 6:46 (NRSV)

The Two Foundations

(Mt 7:21–27)

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?

Chamblin, J. K. (1995). Matthew. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 750). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. Israel loves Yahweh in response to his saving acts (Deut. 1–3), a gratitude now intensified by virtue of Jesus’ work

Chamblin, J. K. (1995). Matthew. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 750). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

1 John 4:19 (NRSV)

19 We love because he first loved us. But we will never understand this love for us without reading the great love story. (Bible)

The way we love our neighbor reflects our love for our God. So, we must first love God. What we see in the world is a love despite God. A love that we control. We decide who and how much. We determine out of our wealth what we will do. The world will then look at us and say they are righteous because of their acts of kindness to the world. Leviticus 19 commands not that Israelites love themselves, but that they love others as they in fact love themselves; the whole focus is on the other party.

Chamblin, J. K. (1995). Matthew. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 750). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Then Jesus turns the attention from himself to the Pharisees as he asks them a question concerning David.

Matthew 22:41–42 (NRSV)

The Question about David’s Son

(Mk 12:35–37; Lk 20:41–44)

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

Matthew 22:43–46 (NRSV)

43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?

45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.