Single lesson
The Greatest Commandments: Love God and Your Neighbour
Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34
Jesus is asked which commandment is the greatest. In these verses, he gives two linked commands that help children see what matters most: loving God fully and loving a neighbour as ourselves.
Before you teach
In Matthew, the Pharisees gather after hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, and a lawyer tests him with a question. In Mark, a scribe hears the discussion, notices that Jesus answered well, and asks which commandment is greatest. Jesus answers by naming the first commandment and then a second like it.
Students will be able to name the two commandments Jesus brings together and give one practical example of each.
Welcome: What matters most?
5 minAsk children to think about what “greatest” means. Explain that in both passages, Jesus is asked which commandment is greatest. Tell them they will listen for two commands Jesus gives, not just one. Write two headings where everyone can see them: “Love God” and “Love your neighbour”.
Matthew 22:36, Mark 12:28
Read and explain: The first commandment
8 minRead Matthew 22:37-38 and Mark 12:29-30 aloud. Explain that Jesus says the first and great commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and, in Mark, strength. Mark also includes, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Help children hear how complete this love is: all that we are belongs in loving God.
Matthew 22:37, Matthew 22:38, Mark 12:29, Mark 12:30
Discuss: The second commandment and how the two fit together
7 minRead Matthew 22:39-40 and Mark 12:31. Explain that Jesus adds a second commandment like the first: love your neighbour as yourself. Point out that Jesus says there is no other commandment greater than these, and in Matthew he says the whole law and the prophets depend on them. Discuss simple neighbour-love actions such as kindness, sharing, and truthful words as applications, not extra Bible quotations.
Matthew 22:39, Matthew 22:40, Mark 12:31
Make and respond: Two-heart reminder
7 minChildren make a simple two-heart craft. On one heart they write, “Love the Lord your God,” and on the other, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” If able, they can add words from the text such as heart, soul, mind, and strength. Briefly mention that in Mark, the scribe agrees that this love matters greatly.
Mark 12:30, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33
Closing: A wise answer
3 minFinish by reading Mark 12:32-34. Explain that the scribe says Jesus has spoken truly, and Jesus says he is not far from God’s Kingdom because he answered wisely. Review the lesson goal by asking the group to say both commandments together. Remind them that today’s examples are ways to practise what Jesus taught.
Mark 12:32, Mark 12:33, Mark 12:34
Questions to explore
According to Jesus, what is the first and great commandment?
Look for the words Jesus repeats about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and in Mark, strength.
Matthew 22:37, Matthew 22:38, Mark 12:30
What second commandment does Jesus place alongside the first?
Find the line where Jesus says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and notice that he says there is no greater commandment than these.
Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31
What happens after the scribe agrees with Jesus in Mark’s account?
Read the end of the passage to see what Jesus says about the scribe and what happens to further questions.
Mark 12:32, Mark 12:33, Mark 12:34
Make, think or respond
Two Hearts, Two Commandments
What you’ll need
- coloured paper
- pencils or markers
- scissors
- glue or tape
Try it together
- Cut out two heart shapes for each child.
- Write “Love the Lord your God” on one heart and “Love your neighbour as yourself” on the other.
- Add key words from the passage such as heart, soul, mind, and strength around the first heart.
- Join the hearts together and let children share one practical way to show each commandment this week.
The two joined hearts help children remember that Jesus gave a first commandment and a second like it, and said no commandment is greater than these.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, pre-cut the hearts and let them trace or copy only the short key phrases: “Love God” and “Love your neighbour”.
- For older or more confident children, add a matching task where they sort phrases from Matthew 22:37-40 and Mark 12:29-34 under “first commandment”, “second commandment”, and “response”.
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: “Lord God, please help us love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and help us love our neighbours as ourselves. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Matthew 22
34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Mark 12
28 One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The greatest is: ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
31 The second is like this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he;
33 and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.” No one dared ask him any question after that.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.