Faith Lesson from Matthew 22:37–40: Love God and Love People

Scripture:“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” — Matthew 22:37–40

Today’s Faith Lesson comes from Matthew 22:37–40, one of the most important passages in all of Scripture. When Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is, He gives a response that reveals the very heart of God.

The Pharisees approach Jesus with a question meant to trap Him: “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Rather than falling into their scheme, Jesus offers a deeply rich and layered answer.

He begins by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, a foundational verse in the Jewish faith: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” When Jesus says this, He is not dividing us into compartments. He is calling for wholehearted devotion—loving God with everything we are.

Our thoughts, words, actions, relationships, and priorities are all meant to be shaped by love for God. This is the greatest commandment because it addresses the core of who we are. But Jesus does not stop there.

He immediately adds a second commandment, quoting Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And then He makes a striking claim: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus teaches that loving God and loving people are inseparable. We cannot fully love God without loving those made in His image. And when Jesus speaks of loving our neighbor, He stretches the meaning far beyond family and friends. Throughout His teaching, neighbor comes to include strangers—even enemies.

This is the great challenge and the great invitation of Jesus’ teaching.

God cares deeply about how we treat one another. Loving people is not optional or secondary. It is just as central as loving God. In fact, Jesus teaches that the two cannot be separated.

This is the life Jesus came to fulfill—not to abolish the Law, but to bring it to completion. A life marked by wholehearted love for God and genuine love for others reflects the heart of our Heavenly Father.

This Faith Lesson invites us to examine our lives honestly. Are we loving God with everything we are? And are we loving the people around us—neighbors, strangers, even those who are difficult to love—with the same care we desire for ourselves?