Greatest Commandment

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came and gathered around Jesus where He was teaching in the temple courts. They may have been trying to publicly discredit His teachings. Because one of the Pharisees, who was a scribe and an expert in the law, asked this question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. And no other commandment is greater than these.”

“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him, and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

And no one dared to question Jesus any further.

See Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 20:39-40; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18

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