Jesus Teaches Love God and Love Others
(Matthew 22:34-40)
Jesus had been teaching in the temple courts for several days. People kept coming to him with questions, trying to catch him in his words or prove that he did not know the law of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders, were watching him carefully. Some of them were angry at what he was saying, and others just wanted to test him to see if he would make a mistake.
One day, a lawyer, one of the teachers of the law who was also a Pharisee, decided to ask Jesus a question. He probably thought this was a clever question, one that would be hard to answer. The lawyer asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" This was actually a good question. The Jewish teachers sometimes spent hours debating which laws were most important and which were less important. With so many rules and requirements, which one mattered most?
Jesus answered him immediately. He did not hesitate or look confused. Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy, a book that the lawyer knew well. The law that Jesus was pointing to was called the Shema, and the Jewish people had been reciting it for hundreds of years. It was fundamental to their faith.
But Jesus did not stop there. He added something important. He said, "And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus was teaching that you cannot separate loving God from loving other people. They go together. You cannot say you love God while you treat your neighbor badly or ignore their needs.
Then Jesus made a profound statement. He said, "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." This meant that every single rule in the Bible, every command that God gave, every word that the prophets spoke, could be traced back to these two ideas: love God completely, and love other people as much as you love yourself. Everything else flows from those two commandments.
Think about how simple and how powerful that answer was. The lawyer had come to test Jesus, hoping to catch him in a mistake. Instead, Jesus gave an answer no one could argue against. He took the whole law of God, with all its hundreds of commands, and showed that it all hangs on one thing: love. Love for God, and love for people. There was nothing left to argue about.
This was radical teaching. In a world where the religious leaders were focused on hundreds of tiny rules and requirements, Jesus was saying that it all comes down to two things: love God, and love people. That is what God has been saying all along. That is the heart of his law.
A Curious Question
If all of God's commandments really do come down to just these two, "love God" and "love your neighbor," how would your life be different if you tried to follow just those two things completely?
Old Testament Connection
Jesus was quoting the Shema, which comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, a passage that the Jewish people had memorized and recited for generations. This was the core of God's covenant with Israel. The people of God were always meant to love their God above everything else. But Jesus expanded this by connecting it to Leviticus 19:18, which commands people to love their neighbors. Jesus revealed that God's law has always been about love, not just rules. From Abraham to Moses to the prophets, God was always calling his people to love him faithfully and to treat each other with kindness and justice. Jesus brought these truths together, showing that the entire Old Testament points toward the life of love that God desires.
Discussion Questions
The lawyer asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest. Why do you think people sometimes want to know which rules are most important instead of just trying to follow all of them?
What does it actually look like to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and how is that different from just obeying rules because you have to?
If you really loved your neighbor as much as you love yourself, what would you do differently at school, at home, or in your community?
So What? What Can I Do?
This week, try to practice one of Jesus's two great commandments each day. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, focus on loving God. Spend time talking to him in prayer, sing to him, read his Word, and think about how much he loves you. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, focus on loving your neighbor. Choose one person you know and do something kind for them without expecting them to thank you. It might be helping someone with their homework, being kind to someone who is lonely, sharing something you have, or simply listening when someone wants to talk. Sunday can be for both: worship God and spend time with people you care about. At the end of the week, think about what you learned from trying to practice these two commandments.
Memorize God's Word
Matthew 22:37-39: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself."
• Love the Lord place both hands on your heart and hug yourself to show love.
• your God point upward toward heaven with both hands.
• with all your heart place both hands on your heart again and spread them open like a flower blooming.
• and with all your soul stretch both arms down the length of your body from head to feet to show your whole self.
• and with all your mind tap your head with one finger, then open your hand toward your forehead to show thinking.
• Love your neighbor extend both arms out to the sides as if reaching toward others.
• as yourself place both hands on your heart again and hug yourself.
Praying with Kids
Dear Father, thank you for Jesus and for teaching us that your greatest law is about love. Help us to love you with all our heart, soul, and mind. Help us to think about you, trust you, and serve you with everything we are. And help us to love the people around us as much as we love ourselves. Give us eyes to see people who need kindness, and hearts that want to help them. When we see someone who is lonely, left out, or hurting, remind us to show them your love. We want to follow Jesus and live by love. Amen.
Craft or Activity
Love Commandments Heart Mobile
Create a hanging mobile with two interlocking hearts representing the two greatest commandments, with symbols of loving God and loving others.
How to Make the Love Commandments Heart Mobile:
- Cut two large heart shapes, one from red cardstock and one from pink cardstock.
- On the red heart, write "Love God" at the top and draw symbols of worship such as a cross, praying hands, a Bible, or a church.
- On the pink heart, write "Love Others" at the top and draw symbols of caring such as hugging hands, a helping hand, hearts, or people together.
- Overlap the two hearts slightly so they interlock and glue them together in the center where they overlap.
- Decorate both hearts with markers, stickers, or other craft elements to make them colorful and beautiful.
- Poke a hole at the top of the overlapping section and tie a piece of string through it.
- Hang the mobile in a window or on a wall where you will see it every day and be reminded of these two greatest commandments.
Effective Teaching Techniques
This lesson teaches abstract concepts, so use concrete examples throughout. When you say "love God," help kids understand what that actually looks like: praying, reading the Bible, singing, trusting when things are hard, thinking about how amazing God is. When you say "love your neighbor," give specific examples: the new kid at school, the sibling who is annoying, the classmate no one likes, the elderly neighbor down the street, the person who is mean to you. Role-play can be especially effective here. Have pairs of kids act out a situation where one person is mean or needs help, then have them show what it looks like to respond with love. For younger elementary students, emphasize the memory verse and the hand motions, which help cement the learning. For older students, discuss the harder question: what does it mean to love someone as yourself, especially if they are difficult or have hurt you. The lawyer's response in Mark's account is powerful, so read it to your class and point out that he understood that love matters more than all the rituals and rules. This lesson can help kids see that God is not interested in perfect behavior from a distance, but in hearts that are connected to him and to each other through love.