The Great Commandment

In a classic exchange with a group of Pharisees, Jesus summarizes what is most important to God: that we love him fully, and love others deeply, too! This lesson will help junior highers identify practical ways to put Jesus’ greatest commandment into action.

Lesson Objectives

1. WHAT: The greatest thing followers of Jesus can do is to love God with everything we have and to look for opportunities to love others the same way.
2. WHY: Because God first loved us, we can love him back and can choose to love others.
3. HOW: Junior highers will discuss and identify specific, tangible ways they can love God more fully and love others more deeply.

Primary Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40

Secondary Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

1. Jesus cares about more than just rules

The religious leaders weren’t sold on Jesus, or his new ways of fulfilling God’s commands. In the Gospels, we see the ways of Jesus in conflict with the ways of the religious elite. Jesus emphasized what mattered most: loving God and loving others. Because Jesus boiled hundreds of rules down to just those two, it’s helpful to have a good understanding of what those two rules are, and why they are so important.

What’s the purpose of a law or rule?

What do the two commands Jesus shared teach us about God?

Jesus took hundreds of religious laws and rules and boiled them down into just two—when you have discovered that loving and following Jesus isn’t as complicated as you first thought?

If Jesus cares about more than just rules, what does Jesus care about most—and how do you know?

2. God wants to be your No. 1 love

People love all sorts of stuff! What would be on the list of things most students love?

Give us an example of something you really, really love—and tell us how other people know it.

Jesus wants us to love God with our heart, with our soul, and with our mind—what are some ways you do that already?

Which is toughest for you: loving God with your heart, your soul, or your mind? Why?

What can make it difficult for you to love God with everything you’ve got?

Most of the laws and rules in the Old Testament were put in place to help people make God their highest priority—their No. 1 love. In a way, the Old Testament said, “Start with actions, and those actions will prove that you love God,” while Jesus was saying, “Start with a love for God, and your actions will soon follow!” If God is our No. 1 love, we will act and live in a way that doesn’t need long lists of rules to prove it.

3. God wants you to love others

If we truly love God, why will we also truly love other people?

What does it look like to “love your neighbor as yourself”?

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. This passage includes a whole list of ways we can love other people. Which one seems the toughest for you? Why?

When is it easy for you to love some people—and tough to love other people?

What about people who don’t “deserve” our love? Does Jesus’ command not apply to you in those situations? Explain.

Jesus wants you to love other people, and he has a clear idea of what that love is supposed to look like. A genuine love for God will carry over into a genuine love for other people. The more you love God, the more naturally you will love other people.

BGroup Questions

1. What would it look like in your life to fully love God with all your heart, mind, and soul?
2. Who can you to show a little more love to this week?
3. How do you need Jesus’ help loving people the way he loves them?

TAKE ACTION: Memorize this Scripture this week! “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37-39).

**Leaders, leave 3-5 minutes for prayer at the end of your group time.