Old/New Testament
The most important commandment
28 One of the legal experts came up, and overheard the discussion. Realizing that Jesus had given a splendid answer, he put a question of his own.
“Which commandment,” he asked, “is the first one of all?”
29 “The first one,” replied Jesus, “is this: ‘Listen, Israel: the Lord your God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your understanding, and with all your strength.’ 31 And this is the second one: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these ones.”
32 “Well said, Teacher,” answered the lawyer. “You are right in saying that ‘he is one and that there is no other beside him,’ 33 and that ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the intelligence, and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’ is worth far more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Jesus saw that his answer came out of deep understanding.
“You are not far from God’s kingdom,” he said to him.
After that, nobody dared put any more questions to him.
David’s son and the widow’s mite
35 By way of response to it all, Jesus began to teach in the Temple.
“Why do the experts say,” he asked, “that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, inspired by the holy spirit, said:
The Lord said to my Lord:
sit at my right hand,
until I place your enemies
right underneath your feet.
37 “David himself calls him ‘Lord’; how then can he be his son?”
The whole crowd listened to him with delight.
38 During his teaching, he said, “Beware of the lawyers! They like to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the market-places. 39 They take the chief seats in the synagogue, and the best places at dinner parties. 40 They devour the property of widows, and make long prayers without meaning them. They will receive all the more condemnation.”
41 As he sat opposite the Temple treasury, he watched the crowd putting money into the alms boxes. Lots of rich people put in substantial amounts. 42 Then there came a single poor widow, who put in two tiny coins, together worth a single penny.
43 Jesus called his disciples.
“I’m telling you the truth,” he said. “This poor widow just put more into the treasury than everybody else. 44 You see, all the others were contributing out of their wealth; but she put in everything she had, out of her poverty. It was her whole livelihood.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.