Matthew 28:16-20 New International Version (NIV)

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16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.   19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When a Jewish scholar (a Pharisee) asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the Law, he answered, “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 first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). This commandment is often referred to as “the

Great Commandment.” However, Jesus went on to say, “The second is  like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (22:39).

 

In John 13:34-35, just before his passion and death on the Cross, Jesus elevated these to an even higher level by these words, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”