Matthew 22:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

NIV: All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

NASB: Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.'

CSB: All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands."

NLT: The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.'

KJV: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

NKJV: On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus has been asked by an expertly-trained Pharisee to name the greatest commandment in the law—meaning in all the Old Testament Scriptures (Matthew 22:34–39). Jesus has answered directly and simply that the great and first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Deuteronomy 6:5). He has added that the second greatest is to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Now Jesus concludes by saying that all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. In other words, the entire law and all the prophecies from God are designed, ultimately, to motivate and enforce love for God and love for other people. Put another way, God's greatest desire for any human being is that he or she love God and love others. Everything else we ever think about God, believe about God, say to God, or do for God, must be motivated by this core impulse. Ultimately, all the rules and directives in the Law flow from the ideas of loving God and loving others.

Jesus said something similar to this in the Sermon on the Mount, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Treating other people as we would want to be treated is what it means to love others as we love ourselves. Most of the commands of the law about human relationships enforce that level of just and kind treatment.

Matthew does not include the response of the Pharisee who asked Jesus the question about the greatest commandment. Mark, though, shows the lawyer agreeing with Jesus:

"You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:32–33).

Jesus tells the man that he is not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34). In other words, this specific Pharisee is close to believing in Jesus based on Jesus' teaching of the Law and their agreement on what God truly wants from His people. At this point, the Pharisees give up and stop asking Jesus questions. He has one more for them, however, in the following verses (Matthew 22:41–42).

Matthew 22:34–40 describes a question to Jesus from a Pharisee described as a lawyer. In this context, this means someone well-versed in the Old Testament. He asks Jesus which is the great commandment in the Law. Jesus upholds Deuteronomy 6:5, indicating that loving God with everything about us is the great and first commandment. Christ then volunteers that the second greatest is closely related: to love your neighbor as yourself. Every command or law from God is distilled from those basic principles. Luke 10:25–28 and Mark 12:28–37 also describe this challenge.

Continuing a dialogue with hostile religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast which ends up being attended by those not initially invited. He answers trick questions about taxes, marriage, resurrection, and the Law of Moses. These responses are the source of common English idioms such as "render to Caesar…" and "many are called but few are chosen." Finally, Jesus asks how the Messiah can be both the son of David and the Lord of David. None can answer Him, so they stop challenging Him in public.

This chapter extends an exchange between Jesus and several groups of religious leaders in the temple. The previous chapter concluded with two parables about the failures of the religious leaders. This chapter begins with a third parable, about chosen guests who refuse to attend a wedding feast. Jesus then fields questions from several religious groups, who fail in their attempts to trip Him up. His wise and profound answers silence all of them. At this point, Jesus launches into a full-throated condemnation of the Pharisees in chapter 23.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.