“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.” Matthew 22:37-40 NLT
Read Matthew 22.
I remember giving a birthday party for my son when he turned 7. We had invited a large group of his friends, and most parents had RSVP’d that their children would be coming. We were excited! I went to a great expense to make this party special with plenty of food, games, prizes, candy, and place settings for all of his friends. When the day of the party came, however, only about half of the children came. Although I hid it, I was so irritated inside that these moms would be so inconsiderate to say they were coming and then just not show up.
I called some of them, and I heard things like, “My son played a ball game this morning, and when we got home, I was just too tired to go back out.” “Uh, I decided I didn’t feel like going today.” “We got busy and forgot.” Etc. I thought, “Really? My son was counting on your son to be here because you told him that he would, and this is why you didn’t bring him?” I have since learned that this happens everywhere. Not everyone was brought up with the manners that my mom instilled in me. However, there is a lesson here. Even though a free party is offered, not everyone will take advantage. Even when they say they will come, many will make excuses instead of being faithful to their promises.
Jesus addressed this same dilemma and used it to teach us an important message about the Kingdom. In Jesus’ day, when people were invited to a banquet, it took days to get everything ready. Once it is prepared, a messenger goes and calls the guests to come to the party. However, in this instance, the guests all had excuses about why they couldn’t come. Some had to work on the farm or their business, but some had ambushed the messengers and killed them.
The king was furious and sent his army to seize those who had killed his messengers. He then sent more messengers to go through the streets and invite everyone they saw. Since the original guests were not worthy to partake, this left the place settings open for all the rest who would come. And they did! The good, the bad, the common, the lame… They filled the banquet hall! However, the king noticed that one of the guests had the nerve to come to the party dressed inappropriately. When the king approached him about coming to the banquet without proper wedding attire, the man had no defense. He was just indifferent. Therefore, the king cast him out into outer darkness where there would be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus wasn’t messing around. While God’s chosen people had rejected the Messiah, the invitation to come would be extended to the Gentiles. We are all invited now! However, Jesus made it clear that we still have the responsibility to be made clean before God before we will be accepted. It is only by the blood of Jesus, and accepting Him as our Lord, that we are saved!
Afterward, the Pharisees tried another ploy to trap Jesus. They loved to ask Him questions that they thought would back Him into a corner. It seems that no matter how He answers, they will find an opportunity to arrest Him and put Him away for good. However, they are always dumbfounded by Jesus’ wise and witty responses. This time, they asked Jesus if it is lawful to pay taxes. Should they support the evil Roman government with their tax money? Jesus asked, “Whose name is inscribed on the coins?” “Caesar’s,” they responded. “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” (verse 21). Again, Jesus foiled the Pharisees! Chalk one up for Jesus!
The Sadducees came along and tried to stump Jesus next with their teaching about the resurrection of the dead. They did not believe, and they had been teaching their followers that there will be no resurrection. Of course, as they approached Jesus with their question, they were hoping to trap Him as well. They asked a question about a woman who marries a man and bears no children. He dies, and she married his brother. They have no children. He then dies, and she continues down the line of brothers. She had married all seven but had no children from either of them. So, whose wife will she be in heaven?
Jesus explained that they were so clueless about what Scriptures say about the resurrection. When the dead rise, there will be no marriage. We will all be spiritual beings, like the angels, in the afterlife. He didn’t say we would BE angels, but we would be beings similar to angels. Because they didn’t believe in the afterlife, Jesus used the relationship of God to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to illustrate that the dead are actually alive. God is the God of the living! So, yes, the dead will arise and live again!
The Pharisees stepped up again. It was a back and forth between the two groups trying to snare Jesus. This time, it was an expert of the law who asked Jesus, “Which of the laws of Moses is most important?” I LOVE Jesus’ reaction so much! He answered basically to Love God and love people. More precisely, He said, “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.” (verses 37-40).
In other words, if you truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (added in the other Gospels), and if you love your neighbor as you love yourself, you will naturally be obedient to all the other laws. Every other law stands on these two commandments. Real love involves obedience, and every law is an expression of love.
Jesus completed this line of questioning by asking the Pharisees whose son the Messiah was. They believed it was David. Well, biologically, David’s lineage could be traced to Jesus. However, Jesus asked them to explain the Psalm that quoted David as saying, “The LORD said to my Lord…” What did David mean? Would He say that about His son? If the Messiah is His Lord, how can He also be David’s son?
Jesus really stumped them with this one! Jesus had illustrated that He is God’s Son. After this, no one dared ask Him any more questions.
