Matthew 22:37-40 records Jesus answering a lawyer’s question about which commandment matters most. He names love for God as the greatest commandment and love for your neighbor as a second that is just like it, and he says everything in the law and the prophets hangs on these two.
The passage sits in the final week of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem, during a series of debates with religious leaders who were trying to trap him. Its answer is short, but it gathers the whole of Israel’s Scripture into one clear focus.
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40 (WEB)
Matthew 22:37-40 Summary
A lawyer, a teacher of the Jewish law, asks Jesus which commandment is greatest. Jesus does not pick a single obscure rule. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:5, the central prayer of Israel, calling for wholehearted love for God, and then joins it to Leviticus 19:18, a command to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
Jesus then makes a sweeping claim: all the law and the prophets rest on these two commands. Whatever else Scripture asks, it is an outworking of loving God fully and loving people honestly.
Context of Matthew 22:37-40
Matthew, traditionally identified as a tax collector turned disciple, wrote his Gospel for a community with deep Jewish roots and a strong interest in showing that Jesus fulfills Israel’s Scriptures. The question in verse 36 comes right after the Sadducees have been silenced, and the Pharisees gather to test him in turn.
The verses that follow shift the conversation to the identity of the Messiah, quoting Psalm 110 to show that David’s descendant is also David’s Lord. So this short answer about the law is part of a larger scene in which Jesus reveals who he truly is.
Matthew 22:37-40 Verse by Verse
1 John 4:20
If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
(WEB)
John presses the link between the two commands, arguing that claiming to love God while hating a brother or sister exposes a false claim. Love for God and love for people cannot be pulled apart.
Romans 13:10
Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.
(WEB)
Paul says love does no wrong to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law. His point echoes Jesus’ claim that all the commandments are summed up in love.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 22:37-40
Lord, you are worthy of my whole heart, soul, and mind, and I confess how often I divide my attention between you and the things that compete for it. Teach me to put you first in my thoughts, my desires, and my choices, and let my devotion be steady rather than occasional. Open my eyes to the people around me who need kindness, patience, and honesty from me. Help me love my neighbor as I already care for myself, not out of obligation alone but because your love has reached me first. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the greatest commandment according to Matthew 22:37-40?
Jesus names love for the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind as the first and greatest commandment. He treats it as the foundation of everything else in the law.
Why does Jesus connect loving God with loving your neighbor?
Jesus joins Deuteronomy 6:5 with Leviticus 19:18 to show that the two loves belong together. Love for people is how love for God becomes visible in everyday life.
What does it mean that the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments?
Jesus means that all of Israel’s Scriptures can be understood through these two loves. Every specific instruction is an expression of loving God or loving others well.
