Matthew 22:36 (ASV)

Passage

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together.

Matthew 22:35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him:

Matthew 22:36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

Matthew 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Matthew 22:38 This is the great and first commandment.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "teacher", "great", and "commandment". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "teacher" and "great", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "And one of them a lawyer asked..." into verse 37's "And he said unto him Thou shalt...", so "teacher" and "great" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "teacher" and "great" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.