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Matthew 22:34-40

The Greatest Commandment

When does this occur in the life of Jesus?

Background
Follows an episode where the Sadducees had tried to trap Jesus with a no

win question much like the Pharisees and Herodians had tried to do in last Sundays paying taxes reading
Sadducees - Belonged mostly to the priestly and upper classes - Occupied important posts, especially in the Temple - Most of the high priest where Sadducees - Despite their power and prestige they were despised by the people - Only the Torah was accepted as the source for moral obligations - They rejected later doctrines such as resurrection of the dead, angels, devils

and Gods direct providence

Pharisees - Belonged mostly to the non-priestly classes - Anyone could become a Pharisee - The popular Jewish party at the time of Jesus - Most were teachers of the Law - Accepted the resurrection of the dead, angels, devils and Gods providence - Apposed to Jesus (notable exceptions Nicodemus, Gamaliel) - Paul was a Pharisee

Food For Thought

The 613 commands of the Mosaic Law (Fr. Jim mentioned this when he spoke

about the tallit or prayer shawl in his Old Testament talk) are distilled into two prescriptions: love God and your neighbor. These summarize the spirit of the entire Old Testament.
According to Paul, love is the greatest theological virtue and fulfills Gods moral

law 1Cor. 13:13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
CCC 1822 - Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all

things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
Cyril of Alexander (Doctor of the Church) - Therefore the first commandment teaches every kind of godliness. For to

love God with the whole heart is the cause of every good. The second commandment includes the righteous acts we do toward other people. The first commandment prepares the way for the second and in turn is established by the second. For the person who is grounded in the love of God clearly also loves his neighbor. The kind of person who fulfills these two commandments experiences all the commandments.

What word or phrase stands out?

What significance does this have in my life?

Sunday, October 23, 2011 The Gospel according to Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."