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34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:34-46 NIV)
The teachers used to say, usually at the beginning of the school year, "There are no such thing as stupid or dumb questions." She usually meant we should ask questions; but we knew better for we had heard truly dumb and stupid questions. You're smiling because you know that too! And you've been in a setting when the professor or chairperson has outlined all that we need to conclude the meeting and someone will, inevitably, ask, "Did you mean that..." and makes the chairperson to once again repeat what he had just said and the meeting's conclusion is delayed for another ten minutes. You say, "I will make it to the restroom in time!"
Have you ever been asked a question that wasn’t really a question? You could tell the person wasn’t looking for an answer. They were looking for a gotcha.
That’s the scene in Matthew 22. The Sadducees have just been silenced, so the Pharisees regroup, and one of them, an expert in the law, steps forward to test Jesus. His question sounds sincere enough: which commandment is the greatest? With hundreds of laws to choose from, any answer might spark an argument.
But Jesus doesn’t dodge, and He doesn’t play the game. He takes them straight to the heart of it all: love the Lord your God with everything you are, heart, soul, and mind. Then He adds a second that is just like the first: love your neighbor as yourself. Every bit of the Law and the Prophets, He says, hangs on those two.
Picture a door hanging on its hinges. Take the hinges away, and the door is just a heavy slab leaning against a wall. These religious leaders knew the Scriptures backward and forward, but they had lost the hinge. They could recite the commands and still miss the One who gave them.
Then Jesus turns the tables with a question of His own: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is He?” They answer, “David’s.” Jesus presses further. If the Messiah is merely David’s son, why does David, speaking by the Spirit, call Him “Lord”? Matthew tells us no one could answer Him, and from that day on, no one dared ask Him another question.
Here’s what I find so inviting about this passage. The Pharisees came with questions to test Jesus. Jesus answered with questions that invite us to know Him. He is not only a descendant of David but David’s Lord, which means He isn’t just a teacher to evaluate. He is the King to love.
So today, maybe the question isn’t “What’s the minimum I need to do?” Maybe it’s “Where have I let love slip out of the center?” Have you been checking boxes with God instead of leaning into Him? Have you kept your neighbor at arm’s length while staying busy with spiritual things?
The good news is that Jesus doesn’t ask us to love in our own strength. He loved first, and He shows us how. Start there, with the One who is worthy of your whole heart, and watch how love for those around you begins to follow.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are both my Savior and my King, so teach me to love You with all my heart, soul, and mind, and to love the people around me the way You have loved me. In Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, do one intentional act of love for a neighbor, coworker, or family member, and let it be an offering to the Lord.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me. Be intentional in your love for all people.
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
