Matthew 22:36-40 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
It’s Tuesday of Holy Week. I have prayed about what to cover on today’s discussion because, let’s face it, Jesus was busy on the Tuesday of that Holy Week! Tuesday morning had arrived. The disciples may have been discussing the withered fig tree, and yet they still were not comprehending the message that Jesus was sharing. But as they approached Jerusalem, the events from the day before weren’t on the forefront of their minds. Jesus entered the Temple Mount and crowds were gathering because they couldn’t wait to hear what Jesus has to say. However, the chief priests and scribes had other things in mind. They decided that they would trap Jesus.
They concocted a plan of questioning Jesus to trap Him. The first trap was asking by whose authority Jesus had carried out the actions the day before. (Matthew 21:23-27) They figured that Jesus would take the bait, but they didn’t know our Jesus. Rather than falling into their trap, Jesus turned the tables as He so frequently did, He answered their question with a question, “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” He has placed them in a trap. If they answered “from heaven,” then it would appear that they didn’t believe in the One whom John was preaching about. But if they answered “from man,” they would be taking a chance of turning the crowds against Him as they held John in high esteem.
That plan failed, so they moved on to another attempt. (Matthew 22:16-17) “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” This trap questioned Jesus’ allegiance. If he answered “yes,” the people would be distraught because their expectations of the Messiah taking them out of the Roman ruling would be crushed. But if he said “no,” He would be arrested. Oh, but Jesus, our Lord, He reminded them that the denarius bore the image of Caesar, therefore, it was appropriate to pay taxes to him. He said to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but give to God what belongs to God. (Matthew 22:21). I can just picture the amazement on their faces at Jesus’ response. It would be hard for me to hide the smirk on my face at this point.
Foiled again! These fellows just wouldn’t give up. They asked about the wife in the resurrection in Matthew 22:23-33. Jesus explained to them that they didn’t understand the scriptures. Next, they asked about the greatest commandment. They weren’t taking anymore chances. They sent in an “expert” in the law to ask, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:36) “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (37-40)
Jesus then begins challenging them with His own set of questions and proclaimed a long critique of the scribes and Pharisees. He pronounced the seven woes of judgment on hypocrites found in Matthew 23:1-39.
As Tuesday came to an end, Jesus had to be exhausted. He spent the entire day teaching and proclai6ming truth, gracefully asserting His authority and Kingship. I can’t even comprehend His thoughts as they are so much greater than mine. I believe that if I were in His sandals, I too would be trying to reach as many people as possible in the few short days I had left in my earthly body. So, why, then, knowing that our days are numbered, and we don’t know when our last day will be, are we NOT trying to reach as many people as possible in the days that we have left? The gospel needs to go out. Our time is running out with each passing day.
Tuesday is over, but Friday is coming…..
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 