Questions

The religious leaders were looking for a way to condemn Jesus, so they questioned Him repeatedly. With each question the crowds were amazed by the wisdom and authority with which Jesus answered.

One of the Pharisees who were experts in the Law came to Jesus with a question. “Teacher, in all the Law what is the most important commandment?

[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."
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

Look again at the last part of what Jesus said; everything else in the Law and the prophets is based upon these. Loving God and loving your neighbor as the Law commands is the foundation of a life that is pleasing to God.

Jesus then seized the moment and questioned the Pharisees about who the father of the Christ was. The Pharisees answered David and Jesus follows up with this question:

[43] He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? . . . [45] If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?"
Matthew 22:43-45 (NIV)

This silenced the Pharisees and no one dared asked Jesus anything else. Why? I don’t think it was just the wisdom or logic Jesus used to show that David acknowledged that the Christ was superior to him. Rather I think the Pharisees were convicted by their own sin because while David was guilty of sin, these Pharisees knew that he had kept these two law better than they had. David learned to love God and his neighbor more than any of the Pharisees had. This is why the bible says David was a man after God’s own heart. (See Acts 13:22)

So how about us? Will we continue to try to justify our sin, or will we be convicted by the simplicity of the Law as Jesus summarized it? How can we be more loving today? Let’s make our prayer, “Lord, make me an individual who loves wholeheartedly both You and my fellowman.”