Matthew 22:36 (DBY)

Passage

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:34 But the Pharisees, having heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, were gathered together.

Matthew 22:35 And one of them, a lawyer, demanded, tempting him, and saying,

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

Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, Thou shalt love [the] Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding.

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 demanded..." into verse 37's "And he said to 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.