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Time after Pentecost · Proper 25 · Year A

Matthew 22:34-46

The Greatest Commandment

October 25, 2026

The Pharisees Question Jesus, James Tissot
The Pharisees Question Jesus, James Tissot, 1886–1894Brooklyn Museum
From Tissot's enormous watercolour life of Christ, made after two research trips to Palestine. The questioners are painted as a wall of robes and beards closing in.Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? The reading is the question, and the painting is the manner of the asking.James TissotA French painter of fashionable society who, after a religious experience, spent the rest of his life illustrating the Bible.Brooklyn MuseumNew York's second largest museum, intended to rival the Met and holding a celebrated Egyptian collection and Tissot's entire Bible series.Brooklyn Museum
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelMatt. 22:34-46Mt 22:34-46
Epistle1 Thess. 2:1-131 Thes 2:1-13
Old TestamentLev. 19:1-2, 15-18Lv 19:1-2, 15-18
PsalterPs. 1Ps 1

Overview & Insights

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39)

In response to Jesus’ three provocative parables, various groups of Jewish leaders initiate confrontations with Jesus (see 22:15, 23, 34). These revolve around Torah adherence and how to live out faithful allegiance to Yahweh, similar to earlier disputes with Jewish leaders in Matthew (e.g., 12:1–14; 15:1–20). As in Jesus’ earlier teachings, love is shown to be central to proper interpretation of the law (22:34–40; see 5:43–48; 19:19). This series of encounters culminates in a final riddle by Jesus regarding his identity and authority, which silences all his opponents (22:41–46) and leads into a series of judgments on the Jewish leaders (chap. 23).

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Commentary

Commentary on Matthew 22:34-46Commentary on Mt 22:34-46 Working Preacher

The Lutheran home commentary on the great commandment and the question about David's Lord.

Matthew 22:34-46 CommentaryMt 22:34-46 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching

A Reformed preaching commentary on love of God and neighbor as the heart of the Law.

Matthew 22 - The Great CommandmentMt 22 - The Great Commandment Enduring Word · David Guzik

A verse-by-verse evangelical study of the two great commandments and the Son of David.

Matthew 22 CommentaryMt 22 Commentary Precept Austin

An inductive study page gathering word studies and cross references on the chapter.

Matthew 22:34 CommentariesMt 22:34 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic commentaries gathered verse by verse on the greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:34 Verse-by-Verse CommentaryMt 22:34 Verse-by-Verse Commentary StudyLight

A large library of expositors stacked verse by verse for a further voice on the passage.

Background & Word Study

Matthew 22:34 InterlinearMt 22:34 Interlinear BibleHub

The Greek of the passage word by word with parsing and lexical helps.

Overview: Matthew 14-28Overview: Mt 14-28 BibleProject

An animated overview of Matthew's second half and its Jerusalem controversies.

The Church Fathers

Matthew 22 (Catena)Mt 22 (Catena) Catena

Patristic comments verse by verse on the double love command and David's Lord.

Podcast

#927: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost (Ord. 30A) – Oct. 29, 2023 Working Preacher (Sermon Brainwave)

Luther Seminary’s homiletics roundtable on this Sunday’s appointed texts, including Matthew 22:34-46.

Art & Music

Art in the Christian Tradition Vanderbilt

A curated index of images for this reading across the history of Christian art.

Study Hub

The Text This Week: Proper 25A Textweek

The Textweek hub aggregating commentary, art, and sermon links across every reading for the day.

Questions preachers ask

What are the greatest commandments?

Asked which commandment is greatest, Jesus joins Deuteronomy 6:5 (love God with all your heart, soul, and mind) and Leviticus 19:18 (love your neighbor as yourself), and says all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two (Matthew 22:34–40). He then turns the tables with a question about the Messiah as David’s Lord (22:41–46).

Where does this fall in the lectionary?

Proper 25 (Ordinary 30) in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary, the Sunday whose date falls between October 23 and 29.

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