Trick Question

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the Law, tested Him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’” Matthew 22:34-36

Jesus was widely known during His time in public ministry, but He was not necessarily widely liked – especially by the religious higher-ups. There were three specific groups of the religious elite that particularly targeted Him: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians. One of the things these groups were always trying to do was to trap Jesus by asking Him trick questions. They questioned Him on everything from taxes, to heaven, to marriage. While the questions from these groups were rarely sincere, we can still learn a lot about the heart of God – and often the selfishness in our own hearts – through these exchanges.

One such conversation that is particularly enlightening is found in Matthew 22, when a Pharisee asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the Law. While we know from Scripture that this particular man had no real interest in knowing what Christ most wanted from him, in another context this is an honest question, isn’t it? Have you ever wondered what pleases God the most? Have you ever wondered if there are some commands that He deems more important than others?

This question, however, is both loaded and fundamentally flawed. Why is it a loaded question? It is loaded because in those days the Pharisees had counted 613 separate laws. They had divided those laws into affirmative laws (247) and negative laws (365) and into heavy laws (like present-day felonies) and light laws (misdemeanors). They spent a lot of time ranking laws, yet still considered all laws equally great because it was God Who had commanded them. If Jesus picked out one law as greater than the others, He would be saying that the other laws were not that important.

The question is also fundamentally flawed. It shows of a lack of true understanding of grace. It has legalism written all over it…and yet many Christ followers are still living lives enslaved to this line of thinking. It makes sense under the Old Covenant system of obedience to laws, High Priests, and the continual sacrifices necessary to remain in good standing with God. But it has no place in the New Covenant of grace. The Old Covenant asks, “What must I do?” The New Covenant proclaims, “Look what Christ has done!”

This deeper understanding of the question makes Jesus’ response all the sweeter. He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”There it is…grace…freedom. What does God want most from you? He wants you. All of you…your dreams, desires, fears, struggles, and abilities. Perfection isn’t necessary, but surrender is. May our strongest efforts be not in trying to do enough to please God, but rather in knowing Him and loving Him.

God, thank You for freeing me from the futility of trying to be good enough to earn Your love, because I know I never could be. Please forgive me for the times I slip back into a Pharisee mentality. Help me to always live in the light of Your grace and Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf. In Jesus’ name, Amen.