WHY DID JESUS CHRIST SUMMARIZE THE TEN COMMANDEMENTS INTO TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS ?

 

The Ten Commandments hold a very important place in the Bible. They were given by God to guide His people in righteousness and obedience. These commandments are found in the book of Exodus 20 and show how believers should live in their relationship with God and with other people.

However, in the New Testament a very important question was asked to Jesus Christ: which commandment is the greatest in the law?

IN MATTHEW 22:37–40, JESUS ANSWERED:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

This answer shows that Jesus did not abolish God’s law. Instead, He revealed the fundamental principle behind all the commandments: love.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS EXPLAIN LOVE

In reality, the Ten Commandments can be understood in two main parts.

The first part concerns the relationship between human beings and God. The first four commandments speak about worshiping God, respecting His name, and remembering the Sabbath day. These commandments teach how to love God with all our heart.

The second part concerns the relationship between people. The last six commandments speak about honoring parents, avoiding murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and covetousness. These commandments teach how to love our neighbors.

Therefore, when Jesus summarized the law into two commandments, He was simply revealing the heart of God’s law.

JESUS DID NOT ABOLISH THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Some people believe that because Jesus summarized the law into two commandments, the Ten Commandments are no longer necessary. However, the Bible clearly shows that this is not true.

JESUS HIMSELF SAID IN MATTHEW 5:17:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

This means that Jesus did not come to destroy God’s law but to reveal its true meaning.

THE SABBATH WAS NOT ABOLISHED

Among the Ten Commandments is also the commandment about the Sabbath. This commandment calls believers to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

When Jesus summarized the law into two commandments, He did not remove the Sabbath. Instead, the Sabbath is part of loving and honoring God.

The Bible even shows that Jesus observed the Sabbath. In Luke 4:16 it is written that He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was His custom.

Jesus mainly corrected certain human traditions that made the Sabbath difficult for people. That is why He said in Mark 2:27:

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Therefore, Jesus restored the true meaning of the Sabbath: a day of rest, blessing, and communion with God.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Jesus Christ did not abolish the Ten Commandments. Instead, He showed that the entire law of God is based on two great principles: loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself.

When these two principles are truly practiced, the Ten Commandments find their full meaning. The Sabbath, like the other commandments, remains an expression of love and obedience toward God.