The Greatest Commandment: Love as the Fulfillment of the Law
In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus is asked a profound and challenging question:
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
This question, posed by a lawyer among the Pharisees, was not merely an inquiry into Jesus’ theological stance but a test. The religious leaders of the time were eager to trap Jesus in a theological misstep, hoping that his response might discredit him. The Law of Moses contained 613 commandments, covering everything from worship practices to social justice, from dietary laws to civil obligations. Among these, which was most important?
Jesus responds with clarity and authority:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NRSV)
In this response, Jesus not only answers the lawyer’s question but also reframes the entire purpose of the Law. Rather than emphasizing ritual purity, legal technicalities, or religious elitism, Jesus declares that love is the foundation of all divine commandments.
Rooted in the Old Testament: The Law of Love
Jesus’ answer is deeply rooted in the Torah. He directly quotes from two key passages in the Hebrew Scriptures:
- Deuteronomy 6:5 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
- Leviticus 19:18 – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
These were not obscure laws but central tenets of Jewish faith and identity.
The Shema: Loving God with Everything
The first command Jesus cites, from Deuteronomy 6:5, is part of the Shema, the most important Jewish prayer. Devout Jews recite the Shema twice daily, declaring God’s oneness and absolute authority over all of life. By quoting this, Jesus affirms that devotion to God must be total—engaging the heart (emotions), soul (spiritual life), and mind (intellect).
This love is not sentimental but covenantal. In ancient Israel, love was expressed through faithful obedience. To love God meant to keep God’s commandments, to live in alignment with God’s will, and to trust in God’s steadfast love.
Loving Neighbor: A Radical Interpretation
The second command Jesus cites, Leviticus 19:18, comes from a section of the Law that outlines ethical conduct, particularly in relationships with others. This law commands Israel to avoid vengeance, show fairness in business, and care for the poor and marginalized.
By elevating love of neighbor to the level of love of God, Jesus makes a radical claim: You cannot truly love God unless you love your neighbor.
The Two Dimensions of the Law: Obligation to God and Obligation to Neighbor
Jewish tradition often divided the Law into two categories:
- Obligations to God – These included commandments related to worship, prayer, sacrifice, Sabbath-keeping, and maintaining ritual purity. They governed the people’s direct relationship with the Divine.
- Obligations to Neighbor – These laws dealt with ethical treatment of others: honesty in trade, care for the poor, justice for the oppressed, and fairness in relationships.
Jesus affirms that these two aspects of the Law are inseparable. Worship without justice is hollow. Justice without devotion to God lacks foundation. True righteousness integrates both.
The prophets frequently criticized Israel for failing to hold these together. In Isaiah 1:13-17, God rejects Israel’s religious observances because they neglect justice and mercy:
“When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
Micah echoes this sentiment in Micah 6:8:
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Jesus stands firmly in this prophetic tradition, teaching that love—both vertical (toward God) and horizontal (toward neighbor)—is the fulfillment of the Law.
Love as the Fulfillment of the Law
Jesus’ answer does not abolish the Law but fulfills it. Paul affirms this in Romans 13:8-10:
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Here, Paul echoes Jesus’ teaching: The essence of God’s law is not legalistic rule-following but love in action.
What Does This Mean Practically?
To live out the Greatest Commandment, we must cultivate love in three ways:
- Love for God – This involves regular worship, prayer, Scripture reading, and a life that seeks to align with God’s purposes. Loving God is not just about emotion but about commitment and faithfulness.
- Love for Neighbor – This requires us to treat others with dignity and compassion. It means fighting against injustice, caring for the vulnerable, and seeking reconciliation rather than division.
- Love for Self – Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This presumes a healthy self-love, rooted not in arrogance but in the recognition that we, too, are beloved children of God.
Challenges in Living This Commandment
While simple in concept, Jesus’ teaching is difficult in practice. Love of God and love of neighbor require sacrifice, humility, and perseverance.
- Loving God requires surrender – It means setting aside our own desires and trusting in God’s wisdom.
- Loving others requires vulnerability – It means forgiving those who wrong us, serving those who cannot repay us, and caring even when it is inconvenient.
- Love disrupts power structures – Jesus’ radical love challenged the religious elite, and when we love like Jesus, we may find ourselves in conflict with cultural norms that value competition over compassion, self-interest over service.
Conclusion: A Call to Love
When Jesus declared love to be the foundation of the Law, he was not offering a sentimental platitude but a revolutionary way of life. To love God fully is to commit ourselves to God’s mission in the world. To love our neighbor as ourselves is to embody the very heart of the Gospel.
In the end, Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:36-40 call us to radical discipleship. Love is not an optional aspect of our faith—it is the essence of it. May we seek to live out this commandment, growing in love for God and in service to others, so that our lives may reflect the very heart of Christ.