There are three accounts of this great commandment in the Gospels, each having its own characteristics. Here in Matthew, the question is put to Jesus in bad faith as a test. Thus, these two commandments support the whole structure, which crumbles if either one is neglected. This is a pointed allusion to the Pharisees who preferred discussion of the finer points of the law to the basic obligation to love God and others. If society is to maintain peace and justice, laws must often have a certain degree of harshness.
Effective punishments are necessary to insure observance.
Yet and this is equally true of all legal systems justice must be tempered with compassion. Included in all judgments must be an awareness of extenuating circumstances. A society without justice is chaotic, but a society without compassion is inhuman. But law must go beyond the mere preservation of order in society. If true justice is to be done, lawmakers must have a special concern for the rights of those who are powerless and have no one else to speak for them.