The final question Jesus faced in His confrontation with the Jewish leaders was the lawyer's question which are the great commandments. He then fronted them with a challenge of His own about His Lordship.
The two big questions debated among the rabbis in our Lord's day were the Law and the Messiah.
The Pharisees here mounted a second attack. Was it to prove their superiority to the Sadducees? ... "When they heard that He had silenced the Sadducees they came together!" Interestingly, the phrase used, 'They came together,' is a quotation from the Septuagint of Psalm 2:2, "The rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed." Matthew will use it again at 26:3, "The chief priests and the elders of the people ... took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him." Matthew leaves us in no doubt of their sinister intent.
Their question, nonetheless, was much discussed. The 'which' in the phrase 'which commandment' is qualitative, so the meaning of the question was, "What is the principle which makes a commandment great?" This is what Jesus meant by v. 40, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" - here is the inner principle that binds them into one whole.
Lawyers, v. 35, were virtually Bible Scholars, for the all the law that governed Jewish daily life was derived from the Law of Moses. You had to know your Old Testament to practise law at all. "To test Him ..." v. 35, takes you back to 22:18. Jesus has already rebuked them for this sort of ploy: "Why do you put me to the test?"
"Teacher," v. 36; note that each of the challenges has been introduced this way - vs. 16, 24. They were insincere, all of them, in their use of the phrase; they said it with a barely concealed sneer.
Again, Jesus answers directly. The time is short, for one thing; and for another thing, they have not asked the question out of any real desire to know the truth, so there is no point in Jesus following His normal method of helping a seeker to find the answer for himself. These men stand condemned, and the forthrightness of our Lord's answer has almost the character of a judgment pronounced on them, as though He said, "Here is the will of God plainly expressed, which you have used a smokescreen of argument to ignore."
Neither of the two commandments are in fact among the Ten Commandments as given in Exodus, but they were familiar to every Jew from childhood.
The first is from Deut. 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." Every Jew had it written in the Mezuza on his front door.
The second is from Lev. 19:18 "You shall not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself: I am Yahweh."
Notice Jesus said 'A second,' not 'the second' is like it. The two are on the same level. So John in I John 4:20 wrote, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
"Keeping the Law is a way of life, not a way to life." (Michael Wilcox, 'The Saviour of the World' [I.V.P.] p. 123.)
Love of men is rooted in love for God, for love has but one ultimate source: God. When we lose touch with God the springs of love dry up in us; when we are in touch with Him the springs of love are constantly replenished, and we cannot help but love. Love for God comes first. The reason democracy does not work is because it leaves God out. No humanitarian ideal can survive that lacks a religious inspiration. If you love the father, you will love the children, as John said.
The commandment to love your neighbour is one that Jesus underlined many times. Matthew has quoted Him twice already, at 5:43, "You have heard that it has been said, 'You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy.' But I say unto you, Love your enemies," and at 19:19, to the rich young ruler, "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to him, 'Which?' Jesus said, 'You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'"
These two commandments are the strength of the rest; v. 40, "Everything God has to say to you is summed up in these two commandments."
Clearly, in the mind of Jesus, the principle of Law is Love. Paul captured the spirit of Jesus exactly when he wrote , "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt of love to one another, for he who loves his fellow-man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Rom. 13:8)
Finally, Jesus has a question for His challengers.
If the Messiah is David's son this raises a difficulty: inspired by the Holy Spirit David spoke of the Messiah as 'my Lord,' and said that the Messiah would sit at God's right hand. This implies that the Messiah is greater than David; how then can he be his son? Born of David's line, He was yet greater than David (as in 12:6, 41, He was 'greater than Jonah ... greater than Solomon.')
It should be observed that from this point on Jesus addresses the crowds and His disciples. He never said another word to the Pharisees or to any other of the Jewish leaders who rejected Him (except at His trial of course ... where they were terse). This is the Lord's last word to unbelievers. And it is a question they cannot answer. Yet it is the answer with which everyone begins their Christian life. It was the same question He had asked the disciples at Cæsarea Philippi! "What think ye of Christ." It is the vital question; on our answer to it our whole destiny hinges.
They had difficulty with their answer. Not because they were honestly puzzled - honest doubt Jesus never rebuked - but because they forced an argument about it to avoid its challenge. Forcing an argument to avoid the challenge of an issue is a ploy Jesus never failed to rebuke.
What did the Scriptures in fact say about the "Son of David"?
Isa. 11:1, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him: the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will decide for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist."
Isa. 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever."
"He will not occupy the throne of David merely, but share the throne of God." (G. B. Caird, 'Luke' [I.V.P.] p. 226)
They knew these Scriptures, but were unwilling to admit that Jesus fitted them. His question left them in a state of confusion produced only by their unbelief and wilful ignorance. "David called Him Lord, why can't you?" He had been called 'Son of David' often enough: by the blind men (20:30), by the Jerusalem crowds (21:9). But it is not enough to see Him that way; we must see Him as Lord. If we do so see Him, our eyes have been opened to 'see the Reign of God' in the Christ. But if we cannot see the King, neither can we see the Kingdom.
The question of authority was about religion without repentance.
The question of taxes was about religion without involvement.
The question of resurrection was about religion without insight.
The question of commandments was about religion without love.
The question of the Messiah was about religion without commitment.
Repentance is a commitment to humility, a commitment to life, a commitment to truth, a commitment to love and a commitment to Christ. In Jesus' rating of it, those are the marks of true religion.
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