What is the most important commandment (Mitzvah) according to Jesus?

What is the most important commandment (Mitzvah) according to Jesus?

• A. Love God with your whole heart
• B. Honor your father and mother
• C. Keep the Sabbath holy
• D. Do not steal

Answer: (A)

The most important commandment Jesus highlights is to love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. He grounds this in the Hebrew Scriptures, pulling together Deuteronomy’s call to wholehearted love for God and Leviticus’s command to love your neighbor, showing that devotion to God is the foundation for all other obedience. When love for God is the driving force, it shapes how you relate to others and how you keep the other laws. The other commands—honoring parents, keeping the Sabbath, avoiding theft—are important expressions of living out that love, but they fall under the overarching priority of loving God first. By placing love for God as the starting point, Jesus shows that genuine obedience flows from a transformed relationship with God, which then naturally leads to love for others.

The most important commandment Jesus highlights is to love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. He grounds this in the Hebrew Scriptures, pulling together Deuteronomy’s call to wholehearted love for God and Leviticus’s command to love your neighbor, showing that devotion to God is the foundation for all other obedience. When love for God is the driving force, it shapes how you relate to others and how you keep the other laws. The other commands—honoring parents, keeping the Sabbath, avoiding theft—are important expressions of living out that love, but they fall under the overarching priority of loving God first. By placing love for God as the starting point, Jesus shows that genuine obedience flows from a transformed relationship with God, which then naturally leads to love for others.