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how does jesus' teaching on love and covenant relate to the old testament concept of 'hesed'?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Matthew 22:37-40

“Jesus 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 first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.””

This passage is from a dialogue in Matthew's Gospel, where religious leaders test Jesus with a question about the most important commandment in the Mosaic Law. Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, summarizing the essence of the Jewish Law.

What does it mean for 'the whole Law and the Prophets' to depend on love for God and neighbor?

Then — the setting

Jesus' teaching here is rooted in the Jewish tradition of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), a central affirmation of faith, combined with the command to love one's neighbor. In the first century CE, Jewish teachers often debated which commandments were most weighty. Jesus' summation was not entirely novel; some rabbis also prioritized love. However, his assertion that 'the whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments' offered a powerful and concise synthesis, suggesting that these two loves are the interpretive key and the driving force behind all divine instruction. This would have been understood by his Jewish audience as a profound statement on the nature of covenant fidelity.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament concept of *hesed* (often translated as steadfast love, loyalty, or covenant faithfulness) is fundamental to understanding God's relationship with Israel and Israel's expected response. *Hesed* is not just an emotion but a commitment demonstrated through action, particularly within a covenant. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 22:37-40 draws directly from Old Testament commands (Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18), effectively summarizing the covenant's core demands. In the New Testament, Jesus internalizes and expands this idea of covenant love, making it the bedrock of his 'new covenant' (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 8:6-13). He emphasizes that genuine adherence to God's will is expressed through these two loves, which echo the Old Testament's call for *hesed* towards God and fellow human beings (e.g., Micah 6:8).

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Read alongside it

Deuteronomy 6:5
This is the source of the first part of Jesus' 'greatest commandment,' emphasizing wholehearted love for God.
Leviticus 19:18
This is the source of the second part, commanding love for one's neighbor.
Hosea 6:6
The prophet Hosea critiques outward religious acts without 'hesed' (steadfast love or loyalty to covenant), aligning with Jesus' emphasis on love.

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