Who asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment, and what was his motive?
A lawyer, described as one skilled in the law, asked Jesus which was the great commandment. His motive was to tempt Him, seeking to put Jesus on the spot. Jesus replied that the first and great commandment is to love God with all the heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love one's neighbor as oneself.
Les explains from Matthew 22:35 that the questioner was a lawyer, someone skilled in the law, and that he asked Jesus the question while tempting Him. Les notes the lawyer thought he was putting Jesus on the spot. Jesus answered by naming love for God with all the heart, soul, and mind as the first and great commandment, and love for neighbor as oneself as the second. Les points out that on these two commandments hang all the law and the promise. He ties the first commandment to the first five commandments and to recognizing God's supremacy, His rejection of idols, His creation of everything, and His establishment of the home as part of His plan for the ages.
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,