He Silenced Their Questions with a Question [Matthew 22]

15Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.34But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.

35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,  36"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

37And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38"This is the great and foremost commandment.

 39"The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40"On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

 41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:

 42"What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David."

 43He said to them, "Then how does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying,
    44'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
         "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
         UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET"'?

 45"If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his son?"

 46No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

 

This is the last week of Jesus' life and the leaders have questioned Him at length. They were trying to trick Him into saying something that would condemn Himself.  He has answered some of the questions directly and some with parables.  But the question about which is the great commandment is their last formal question.  His answer is love. Love God with all your heart, soul and mind.  Love your neighbor as yourself. 


Then Jesus asks them a question.  What do you think about the Messiah that has been promised? "Who's son is He?"  They know the scriptures well so they answer with confidence, "The son of David."


Then Jesus quotes David as saying, "THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD," and asks how David could call Him 'Lord' if He is his son?  They could not answer. 


I have been pondering all morning why that was such a hard question for them.  They knew it was true but they couldn't answer why it was true.  Did the answer point to the truth that Jesus was the Messiah and they didn't want to hear that truth?  Were their ideas about scripture so entrenched with preconceived ideas that they were not even willing to think about the answer?


May we be willing today to let Jesus ask us hard questions about what we believe the scripture to say.  May our hearts be open to consider what truth the Holy Spirit may be asking us to look at with new eyes. And above all, let us ask Him to cause us to love God with all our heart, mind and soul today.

 

Verna McCrillis, 1/25/2009