During Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem, he had several interactions with the leaders of the Jewish people. In our text this week, he faced three challenging questions. First the Pharisees and Herodians sought to trap him with a legal question about one’s responsibility to pay taxes to support an ungodly human government. Though it seemed as though there was no way out, Jesus’ answer revealed the incredible wisdom he possessed; and their attempt to trap him failed. Next the Sadducees asked a ridiculous scoffing question about marriage in the future final resurrection of the body. Jesus rebuked them for not knowing the Scripture. His answer corrected the errant thinking behind the question, while exalting God and affirming the doctrine of the resurrection. Relishing how Jesus muzzled the Sadducees, the Pharisees took their turn asking, which commandment was greatest. Jesus answered with the expected, Sh’ma – the central declaration of Judaism. But it was not enough to leave it there, so drawing from Leviticus 19:18, he added a commandment that was to be on par with the first, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This one simple statement teaches us our kingdom priorities and that true love of God necessitates love for others.
Finally, having answered the three questions put to him by the religious leaders, Jesus posed one of his own to the Pharisees regarding the nature of the Messiah: “Whose son is he? … If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (42-45). Perplexed and fearful of the right answer, no leader was able to reply, and their opposition was silenced.
