The Question That Turns the Tables

Church, picture the longest question and answer session in Jerusalem history. It is the last week of Jesus’ life, and he is teaching in the Temple courts. By the time we reach Matthew 22:34, the priests, the elders, the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees have all taken a turn. Each group arrived with a carefully prepared question and left with a quieter walk home. If you have ever sat through a long meeting where everyone had something to say and no one brought snacks, you have a small taste of that Tuesday.

Then a lawyer steps forward with one more question. Matthew tells us it is a test, so this is not a friendly chat.

Here is the part I want you to notice before Sunday. At the end of the scene, Jesus uses a phrase that sounds almost like a throwaway: “the Law and the Prophets.” To us it is two nouns in a sentence. To the people standing there, it was a way of saying “the entire Bible.” It was shorthand for everything God had spoken to Israel, from the first pages to the last.

So, what was in that library? One long story with a surprising amount of repetition. God makes a good world and places people in it as his image bearers, and he walks with them in a garden. People decide they would rather run things themselves. God does not walk away. He calls Abraham, rescues a family out of slavery, and brings them to a mountain where he gives instructions for how to live as his people. Then prophet after prophet shows up to say, in a hundred different voices, “Remember who you belong to.” Then the library goes quiet for a very long time, and Israel waits.

That is the world the lawyer lives in. When he asks which, commandment is greatest, he is not really asking for trivia. He is asking how all of it fits together. It is a bit like handing someone a thousand-page book and asking for the one sentence that explains it. Notice, too, that he is asking Jesus, the one person in the room who might actually know.

And then, in a move worth slowing down for, Jesus turns the tables and asks a question of his own. He points to one line in a psalm that every person there would have known. He asks them to look at who is speaking, and who is being spoken to, and whether it all adds up. Jesus is a gifted teacher, and he does not hand out answers like leaflets. He asks questions that stay with you.

I will leave the puzzle unsolved here on purpose. Here is what I would like to invite you to do this week. Read Matthew 22:34-46 slowly, one time through in the morning and one time at night. Then read Psalm 110, which is only seven verses. Pay attention to who is talking, and who they are talking about. Fair warning: someone ends up with a footstool.

Come on Sunday curious. Bring your own questions too. Jesus has a long track record of welcoming those.

Words Worth Knowing

Torah: A Hebrew word meaning “instruction” or “teaching.” It names the first five books of the Bible, and it is often translated “law,” though it carries the sense of a loving guide for living.

The Law and the Prophets: A phrase people in Jesus’ day used for the Scriptures we now call the Old Testament. It means the teaching God gave through Moses together with the messages God sent through the prophets.

Prophet: Someone who speaks on God’s behalf. Most prophets in Scripture spend less time predicting the future and more time calling God’s people back to faithfulness.

Messiah: A Hebrew word meaning “anointed one,” someone set apart by God, often a king. The Greek form of the word is Christ.

Lord: In Scripture, a title of honor and authority. When it is used of God, it points to the One who rules over everything and everyone.

Grace & gratitude,
Pastor Mark