When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking, 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He 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 greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
When the Pharisees learned that Jesus had effectively responded to the Sadducees' challenge about the resurrection of the dead, they decided to confront him. In first-century Judaism, the Pharisees, as interpreters of Jewish law, often engaged in theological debates to assert their dominance. These debates, which frequently took place in public settings like synagogues and marketplaces, served to explore and clarify interpretations of the law and to educate the public. By winning such debates, the Pharisees could establish their intellectual and theological dominance over other sects. Several groups, including the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, and Herodians, held differing religious and political beliefs and exerted varying levels of influence in first-century Judaism.
A scholar of the law, likely a scribe, steps forward to test Jesus and poses a question about the greatest commandment. In Jewish tradition, 613 commandments (mitzvot) are derived from the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). These 613 commandments are traditionally divided into 248 positive commandments (things one should do) and 365 negative commandments (things one should not do). Asking Jesus to identify the greatest commandment was a way to challenge whether his teachings aligned with their interpretations of the Torah.
In answer to the scribe’s question, Jesus cites Deut. 6:5, part of the Shema, one of the most important prayers in Judaism embodying the essence of Jewish faith and practice, emphasizing total devotion to God. The Shema consists of three scriptural texts; Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. The core of the Shema is, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength (Deut. 6:4-5).” The Shema obligated the chosen people to be faithful to the covenant God made with them on Mount Sinai. Jesus links Leviticus 19:18 to the greatest commandment, showing that love for neighbor is inseparable from love for God. Those two commandments are bound together, extending the scope of God’s love to include others through human relationships (Mt. 5:44). Jesus concludes that all Jewish laws and prophetic teachings are grounded in these two commandments. They encapsulate the intent and purpose of the entire Torah.
Heavenly Father, grant us the grace to love You with all our heart, soul, and mind. Help us to love our neighbor as You love us, even when it is difficult, and to live the greatest commandment as Jesus taught us. May our actions bring glory to Your name. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Sources:
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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