When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Mt 22:34-40)
Here we have three of the four groups that always opposed Jesus. The three are: Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes (a scholar of the law). The fourth one is the group of priests. These groups were controlling the society on religious, economical, cultural and legal (sacred laws) areas. People could not move out of their clutches. Jesus himself was under their control and they were trying to pin him down. When one could not succeed the other group tried to control him.
When the lawyer asked him which was the greatest of all the commandments, Jesus answered him saying the first commandment, implying that there are other important commandments. If Jesus had answered saying the first commandment only, then the lawyers would say that he had no human concern. If he had said the other way about then they would say he had no religious concern. They tried to trap him.
The whole religion is rooted on two commandments: love of God and love of neighbour. When the people of Israel left Egypt they came out with two rules: one God and one people. The same is explained as love of God and love of neighbour. Everyone one who wanted to be a follower of Jesus had to keep these two in mind: God and persons.
