The Greatest Commandment

By Danny Saavedra

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”—Matthew 22:34–40 (NIV)

By now you’re probably noticing a pattern in this section of Matthew’s Gospel: Religious leaders come at Jesus, trying to trip Him up and cause Him to say something foolish or wrong, something to turn the support of the people away from Him. They’re trying to stop the rising popularity and growing sentiment that perhaps this Man could be the promised Messiah. Why? Primarily because His message and His way were at odds with their lifestyle, status, and influence over the people.

However, as we saw a few days ago with the question of paying taxes to Caesar, these interactions with Jesus never went the way the Pharisees and other sects of the establishment imagined they would. Each time, Jesus would provide answers that amazed everyone. He reversed everything on them, which caused them to walk away with their theological tails between their legs. That’s been the rhythm we’ve seen in this succession of confrontations leading up to this point. But now we come to an exchange that plays out a bit differently.

In this passage, you may notice He’s approached by an individual as opposed to a larger group. Why is this important? Because every time we see someone have a personal encounter with Jesus, something truly powerful takes place. It’s in these personal moments that we tend to see spiritual transformation. And this man, a scribe who was well-versed in what God’s Word said, has noticed the authority and power of Jesus throughout these verbal conflicts, so he asks with a measure of sincerity which command in the Law of Moses is the most important.

You may also notice that Jesus’ response to this man is very different than His response to the groups that preceded him. Perceiving where this man was coming from, Jesus doesn’t respond with a question of His own but answers the question directly.

Again, there’s a different tone here. This was not a setup or a trap intended to incriminate Jesus. It was a sincere inquiry from someone who had deep roots in the Word of God and wanted to grow in his understanding. Jesus obliges this and gives him the answer: Loving God with everything we are is the greatest of all the commandments. Keep it first. But then the Lord gives him more than he asked for by telling him the second greatest command is to love his neighbor “as [himself].” He then tells Him that “all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” How so? The Gospel of Mark gives us further insight. Here, the scribe responds to Jesus, saying, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:32–33 NKJV).

I love Jesus’ response to the man. He does the very thing for him He does for us: He encourages the man! He didn’t blast the guy for not having it all together; He didn’t embarrass or belittle him, or push him away. Instead, He gently leads him onward. “Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’” (Mark 12:34 NIV).

Don’t you love how Jesus, after a series of contentious battles with the religious rulers, is willing to treat this man—who was part of that same antagonistic group—differently? He hones in on a heart that’s open to hear, He implants the seed of truth into it and then waters it with encouragement. May we never forget this about our Lord. He takes us on an individual basis and treats us according to our particular needs. Likewise, may we as His ambassadors approach every interaction with people with this same attitude!

Pause: What does Jesus do differently through this encounter?

Practice: Discover how you can grow in Christ’s example here.

Pray: Father, help me take each person individually and treat them personally, just as You would. Help me to remember that this is how You treated me before I knew You, and how You still treat me now, even as Your disciple, when I don’t get it. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.