Back to the Basics: The Greatest Commandments

Matthew 22:35–40

Life often requires us to focus on what matters most. A doctor may say, “If you don’t change this one thing, nothing else matters.” A coach tells a struggling team, “Get back to the fundamentals.” A parent reminds a child, “At the end of the day, what matters most is I love you.” In Matthew 22, Jesus faced religious leaders—experts in the law—who debated and memorized the Commandments but missed the heart of God.

Building on this, Matthew 22:34-36 sets the scene for us: “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’” It seems like a very innocent question, but Jesus gives an answer that changes everything about the law. He not only summarizes the law, but he also reveals the very heartbeat of holy living. Living a holy life is not just about avoiding sin. It is loving God completely and loving others rightly. As believers in Christ, we are not just about stopping doing, but about being filled with the love of God.

To understand the intention behind the question to Jesus, note that the Pharisees weren't sincerely seeking truth—they were testing him (see verse 25). The religious leaders had established many commandments and traditions, and the rabbis debated which laws mattered most. Jesus cut through this, not by adding another rule, but by revealing the foundation beneath every commandment. This matters because religion often becomes about externals like appearance, tradition, ritual, and performance.

Against this backdrop of external religion, Jesus brings everything back to relationship. The Christian life is about covenant, transforming love, not just intellectual belief. Salvation transforms us—God not only forgives but also changes hearts.

Continuing his teaching, Jesus begins, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” The heart represents our deepest devotion. God does not want partial love, leftovers, or a Sunday-only commitment. Humanity’s struggle is divided affections—wanting God and the world. Jesus calls for complete devotion.

To illustrate divided devotion, imagine telling your spouse, "I love you with 60% of my heart." No loving relationship can work that way. Yet many Christians settle for partial devotion to God, clinging to idols, harboring unforgiveness, or living for self, even while professing faith. God desires all of us, but humanity loves the wrong things too much and God too little.

In response to this struggle, our whole heart must be fully surrendered to God in love. When we yield our hearts fully to God, He will cleanse our hearts from rebellion. He will perfect our hearts in love.

Jesus not only commands love with all the heart but also adds, “…and with all your soul…” It speaks of our entire being. This means loving God both publicly and privately, emotionally and spiritually, in suffering and in joy. Some people love God only when life is easy, but true devotion remains faithful even in the face of pain.

Job serves as a prime example: he lost wealth, health, family, and stability, yet he still declared in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” That is what loving God with all our souls looks like. True religion is not just an emotional excitement during worship services. It affects our work ethic, speech, relationships, entertainment choices, generosity, and priorities. A soul surrendered to God consistently reflects Christ.

Building further, Jesus continues, “…and with all your mind.” Walking the Christian life is not anti-intellectual. As you see, Jesus commands us to love God with all our minds. God cares about what you are thinking about, what you are meditating on, and what is shaping your worldview. There is a battle going on for our minds. The enemy often attacks through thoughts of fear, bitterness, lust, pride, and unbelief. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” A renewed mind thinks differently because it’s shaped by the truth of God.

Recognizing this mental aspect, the bad news is that we live in an age of distractions. People consume an endless amount of entertainment but spend little time meditating on scripture. The average person checks social media consistently but struggles to focus during prayer. Our minds can be filled with noise, yet we must seek to consecrate our thinking. Back in the early days of computing, they had an Acronym “G.I.G.O,” Which means garbage in, garbage out. When we feed our minds with garbage, garbage will come out. We must intentionally feed our minds with Scripture, prayer, worship, and godly teaching. We should make “G.I.G.O.” stand for God in God out.

With this foundation, some may ask why Jesus said, “This is the great and first commandment.” The answer is simple: everything else flows from loving God. Attempts to change behavior without heart transformation always fail because rules alone cannot produce holiness. Love alone changes behavior—just as a child obeys a parent out of love, not fear. In the same way, believers obey God not out of fear of punishment but out of love. If we have only outward righteousness without inner love, we become like the Pharisees, who followed religious rules without a true relationship with God.

Jesus did not just stop with the greatest commandment; he continued, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Take special note that he said “like” the first. Saying this shows that the love for God and the love for people cannot be separated. You cannot claim to love God while hating others. 1 John 4:20 State this fact clearly, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

This naturally raises the question: What does it mean to love your neighbor? Looking at this command, it reaches far beyond politeness. Biblical Godly Love is active. It serves. It's sacrifices. It forgives. It cares.

To make this even clearer, later Jesus illustrates what neighbor love is through the story of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan crossed racial, religious, and cultural barriers. He showed mercy when others walked away. Having a heart filled with God’s holiness always produces compassion. John Wesley famously said, “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.” Having a heart filled with God’s holiness affects how we treat people; it cannot exist in isolation and transforms community. As believers filled with a holy heart, we must care for the poor, help the hurting, forgive our enemies, and pursue reconciliation whenever we get the chance.

Jesus knew that most people naturally cared for themselves. We will feed ourselves, protect ourselves, defend ourselves, and prioritize ourselves. What Jesus is saying here is that it extends the same care to others. Imagine a world where believers treated others with the same concern they showed to themselves. Church conflicts will diminish. Marriages would heal. Communities would change. The most important thing is that we will be a great witness for Christ Jesus. The world is not impressed by religious performance but by genuineness Christlike love that stands out. Jesus says in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Finally, Jesus concludes, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” He points out that every commandment of God flows from love. The 10 commandments themselves reflect this structure. The first commandment focuses on loving God. Later commandments focus on loving others. The second part of Romans 13:10 sums this up beautifully, “love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Having a holy heart means letting God's love rule within us, not achieving perfection or flawless humanity. The main point is that a holy heart seeks ongoing cleansing and chooses love as its leading principle. We may still face struggles, but God can transform our hearts. This is not cold legalism; it is love perfected by God.

Looking back, the Pharisees, the religious leaders, had religion without love. Sadly, this danger still exists today. A church can have doctrine, programs, standards, and traditions, but lack love. If you look at the Church of Ephesus in Revelation, they had strength, but Jesus said, “You have left your first love.” The greatest danger is not just false doctrine but also a cold heart.

In light of these truths, you may ask Pastor Ken how to cultivate a loving, holy heart. The main takeaway is to put God first. Take action—examine your love for God: What competes for your affection, consumes your thoughts, or receives your energy? Make a commitment today to give God first place in your life, as He wants and deserves.

Following that self-examination, examine your love for others. Are you holding on to bitterness, unforgiveness, a judgmental attitude, hatefulness, or selfishness? As I write this, I’m wrestling with a difficult situation that brings up old hurts from my family, making it hard to live without bitterness and to forgive them. If we are truly honest, we all struggle with issues like these. But let’s take a step today: choose to let go of bitterness and actively pursue forgiveness. Decide now to reach out, mend relationships, and extend grace. Taking these steps will help us move forward in love.

The final and most important step in addressing our struggles is seeking a heart filled with holy love. Ask God: To cleanse your motives, to renew your heart, and deepen your love for him. Overcoming this is not just a human effort alone, but it is a work of grace.

Jesus reduces all the law down to this: Love God completely and love people generously. This is the essence of having a holy heart. This is at the very heart of our walk with Jesus. This is the call of the gospel. The world does not need more empty religion. Believers of Jesus Christ are filled with God’s holy love.

You may be reading this and saying your love has grown cold for God, bitterness has hardened your heart, distraction has stolen your devotion, or you have realized you have practiced religion without true love. The good news is that Christ can and will renew your heart. He can and will fill you with holy love. He can and will sanctify your life. Just ask him and fully surrender to him. Love him with all your heart, soul, and mind. Ask him to help you love others the way he loves you. Because on these two commandments hang everything else.