Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 22:35

"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him:" — Matthew 22:35 (ASV)

An expert in the interpretation of Scripture, perhaps especially the Pentateuch, as well as a vast complex of Jewish traditions, “tested” Jesus, asking which is the greatest commandment. The Jews quite commonly drew distinctions among the laws of Scripture—great and small, light and heavy (cf. 23:23).