Read Matthew 22:34–40
Questions from the Scripture text: Who heard what (v34)? What did they do? What occupation does one of them have (v35)? What is his purpose in asking? What does he call Jesus (v36)? What does he ask about? Who answers (v37)? What is His answer? What two things does He call this commandment (v38)? How does He compare the second to the first (v39)? What does He say the second is? What does He say about the two commandments?
What obedience does God require? Matthew 22:34–40 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seventeen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God requires obedience that is covenantal, commitment, complete, comprehensive, and consequential.
The Pharisees would have been happy that the Sadducees were silenced (v34). This testing of Jesus (v35) was not an attempt to get Him killed as before. When Mark records this (cf. Mk 12:28–34), we see something of a rapport between Jesus and His questioner.
This is the last attempt to question Him (v46, cf. Mk 12:34), and between this passage and next (v41–45), Jesus displays His superior, comprehensive knowledge of the teaching of all of Scripture in the law (v37–40) and the gospel (v42–45).
Here, He teaches that obedience to the law is
covenantal (“the Lord, Your God,” v37),
commitment (“love”),
complete (“all… all… all”),
comprehensive (“heart… soul… mind”), and
consequential (love for God requires love for God’s image, and application in all of life).
How has love for God been factoring into your thinking and feeling about what to do? How had love for neighbor been factoring into it?
Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for loving us. Grant to us that we would love You with all that we are, for we ask it through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP49A “Hear This, All Earth’s Nations” or TPH393 “Spirit of God, Dwell Thou Within My Heart”
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