Trick Question - The Greatest Commandment

Living Hope Presbyterian Church

~ Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus faces trick questions from religious leaders, emphasizing love for God and neighbor as central commands.

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Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And 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 first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ©2011 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Trick Question #3 - The Greatest Commandment

Sermon Summary

The sermon delves into a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry as he faces trick questions from religious leaders seeking to entangle him in his words. Focusing on the encounter where a scribe asks Jesus about the greatest commandment, the sermon emphasizes the importance of loving God with all one’s being and loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Jesus highlights the centrality of love in fulfilling the law and prophets, urging listeners to notice the profound relational aspects of these commandments and their implications for daily living.

Key Points

• Transition in Jesus’ ministry towards the cross in the Gospel of Matthew.
• Pharisees attempt to trick Jesus with questions after his confrontations with other religious groups.
• The scribe’s question on the greatest commandment as a test for Jesus.
• Jesus’ response emphasizing love for God and love for neighbor as foundational commandments.
• The interconnectedness of loving God and loving others in fulfilling the law and prophets.

Bible Verses Mentioned

• Deuteronomy 6:5
• Leviticus 19:18
• Matthew 22:34-40

Humor and Anecdotes

• Comparison to confirmation hearings with trick questions for entertainment value.
• Reference to George Bailey noticing Mary in “It’s a Wonderful Life” to illustrate noticing familiar scriptures anew.

Key Quotes

• “On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
• “Jesus isn’t calling us to pretend. Hating sin in ourselves and in others is loving ourselves and others.”

Themes

• Love as the central theme: Emphasizing love for God and neighbor as foundational to fulfilling God’s commands.
• Relational focus: Highlighting the relational nature of love towards God and others, challenging listeners to embody these principles in their interactions.
• Notice and reflect: Encouraging listeners to notice familiar scriptures with fresh eyes, reflecting on the profound implications of loving God and neighbor.

Discussion Questions

1. How does the concept of loving God with all your being translate into practical actions in daily life?
2. In what ways can we overcome cultural influences that hinder our ability to love our neighbors as ourselves?
3. Reflect on a time when you noticed a familiar scripture or concept in a new light. How did this impact your understanding or actions?

Metaphors and Stories

• Comparison to George Bailey noticing Mary in “It’s a Wonderful Life” to highlight the importance of noticing familiar scriptures anew.
• Illustration of self-love and loving one’s neighbor by referencing C.S. Lewis’ reflection on self-affection and its relation to biblical love principles. ___

An Essay on this Sermon

On Love, Commandments, and What We Miss

One thing that’s surprisingly hard for people is to answer simple questions. Not because the answers are hard, but because the questions reveal something about us. In Matthew 22, a lawyer asks Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” On the surface, it sounds straightforward. But it’s not really a question; it’s a trap. The lawyer isn’t curious—he’s testing Jesus, trying to pin him down with his own words. And Jesus answers anyway, not with something clever or evasive, but with the obvious: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And then he adds, “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

What’s striking isn’t just the answer, but how obvious it is. Everyone listening already knew these commandments. They recited them, wore them, even etched them on doorposts. But they’d missed them. Jesus doesn’t give them new information; he puts a spotlight on what was always there, but overlooked. It’s like noticing something in your house that’s been in the same spot for years, but today you really see it.

The Problem with Obvious Things

People are great at complicating simple things. Loving God and loving your neighbor should be clear enough. But we turn them into checklists, debates, and theological gymnastics. That’s what the Pharisees did. They had 613 commandments categorized into “heavy” and “light” ones, like some cosmic filing system. They weren’t looking for meaning; they were looking for control.

Jesus cuts through all of it. He doesn’t rank commandments. He doesn’t say, “Well, it depends on the situation.” He just says: Love God. Love people. Everything else hangs on that.

The reason this answer is so brilliant isn’t because it’s complex but because it’s true. The best ideas are often the simplest ones that everyone already knows but ignores. Like eating healthy or saving money. It’s not rocket science; it’s just inconvenient. Loving God and loving people isn’t hard to understand—it’s just hard to do.

Loving Without Liking

One of the trickiest parts about love is that we confuse it with liking. But Jesus never says, “Like your neighbor as yourself.” Liking is about feelings. Love is about commitment. You can love someone you don’t particularly enjoy being around. You do it by wanting the best for them, even when they’re annoying, wrong, or downright awful.

C.S. Lewis once pointed out that he doesn’t have warm, fuzzy feelings toward himself all the time. Sometimes he’s disappointed, frustrated, even disgusted with himself. But he still acts in his own best interest. That’s what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn’t mean pretending they’re great when they’re not. It means wanting good for them the same way you want good for yourself, even when you don’t feel like it.

Missing the Point

The lawyer in Matthew 22 wasn’t looking for truth; he was looking for a loophole. That’s the thing about trick questions—they’re designed to make someone stumble, not to understand them. But Jesus doesn’t stumble. He answers so plainly that it leaves no room for debate. It’s almost disappointing if you were hoping for drama.

But here’s the real twist: after Jesus gives this perfect answer, the lawyer just moves on. No follow-up question like, “How do I love God more?” or “What does loving my neighbor look like?” He hears the answer, acknowledges it’s good, and leaves it at that.

And that’s what most of us do. We hear the right answer, even agree with it, and then do nothing about it. The problem isn’t ignorance. It’s inertia.

Why It Matters

Jesus’ answer isn’t just about religion. It’s about how to live. We spend so much time optimizing our lives, setting goals, and chasing success. But all of it hangs on something basic: love. Not the sentimental kind, but the hard, unglamorous kind that requires patience, sacrifice, and humility.

When Jesus says everything hangs on these two commandments, he means everything. Relationships, work, faith—they all fall apart without love. It’s not just a religious principle; it’s a design feature of being human.

You don’t need new information. You need to notice what’s been there all along.

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