Near the end of Jesus’ public teaching, before he was arrested and crucified, a lawyer from the Pharisees’ sect asked him a question to test him.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” – Matthew 22:36-40.

Love is at the core of the two great commandments. The first commandment addresses our love for God and the second one, our love for our neighbor.

At an earlier point in his ministry, a similar incident is recorded where a lawyer stood up to test Jesus by asking a different question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” In this exchange, Jesus turned his question back to the lawyer by asking him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer cited the same two commandments about love in the Law. But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” – Luke 10:25-29. It was in answer to this question that Jesus replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end of the parable, Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” and the lawyer replied, “The one who showed mercy.” – vv. 36-37.

A neighbor was not defined by Jesus in an arbitrary way, such as the person who lives next door, but by how one acts towards those in need.

Jesus taught that his disciples would be recognized by the love that they had for one another: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” – John 13:35. What does that mean, to have “love for one another?” Is it a way of thinking that drives a way of acting?

The writings of the apostles provide the answer. It’s important to understand because Jesus said it had to do with inheriting eternal life. Let’s take a look.

Last updated 2025-05-20 Next update scheduled 2025-06-21