“The Two Great Questions of Religion”

“The Two Great Questions of Religion”
Matthew 22:34-46

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dearly Beloved in Christ Jesus,
People have many questions about religion, but they ultimately boil down to just one:
“What must I do to be saved?” The Pharisees thought they had the answer, so they sought out
Jesus in order “to trap Him” concerning the fundamental question of their religion: “Which is the
great commandment of the Law?” They thought that if he answered wrongly, they could discredit Him in the eyes of the people, and if He answered correctly, they would be able to claim Him as their ally against their enemies, the Sadducees. But Jesus has a surprise for them, because after answering their question correctly, He in turn asks them the fundamental question of His religion: “What do you think of the Christ?” These two questions, are in fact “The Two Great Questions of (all) Religion”: 1) Which is the great(est) Commandment of the Law?; and 2) What do you think of the Christ? It becomes clear from Jesus’ presentation that day that no one can be saved who cannot answer both of them correctly!

I. The First Great Question: “Which is the Great(est) Commandment of the Law?

A. The Pharisees only ask the question to try to trap Jesus. (vs. 35)
1. He had just “Put the Sadducees to silence” by proving that there is such a
thing as resurrection from the dead. “Our God calls Himself the God of
Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob; but He is not the God of
the dead, but of the living!” (Matt. 22:32)
2. The Pharisees hated the Sadducees, and were glad that Jesus had put them
in their place.
3. Yet they still hated Jesus, because He constantly disagreed with their
doctrines – perhaps they could trick Him into agreeing with them by means
of a deep theological question.
a. If He selects one Commandment above the others, they would charge
Him with disrespect for the Law of God.
b. They had 613 commandments, 248 positive and 365 negative!
c. They sent one of their greatest “Lawyers” to question Jesus.

B. Jesus answers: “The highest Law is Love!”
1. Love God your SAVIOR (Yahweh) with all you are. (Dt. 6:5; vs. 37)
a. With all your Heart (the seat of your will.)
b. With all your Soul (your very life-force, your being.)
c. With all your Mind (your intellect)
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev. 19:18, 34; vs. 39)
a. Not commanding love of self, as liberals claim, but only acknowledging
it. (Buls: “you can’t read an imperative after a comparative (ñH), it
isn’t grammatical!”
b. This Commandment puts everyone else at the very least equal to
yourself, but really above yourself, as Jesus consistently taught.

C. The Moral Law (the 10 Commandments) is as important in the New Testament as
the Old, serving as:
1. A Curb,
a. 1 John 3:15 “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you
know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him!”
b. 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the
lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father,
but is from the world!”
2. A Mirror,
a. Romans 7:7-9 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never
be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through
the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not
said, "You shall not covet. But sin, taking opportunity through the
Commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from
the Law sin is dead. And I was once alive apart from the Law; but
when the Commandment came, sin became alive, and I died!!”
b. Rom. 3:20 “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight; for through the Law comes (only) the knowledge of sin.” and
3. A Guide (Ruler). (vss. 37 & 39, plus:)
a. Ps. 50:15 “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and
you will glorify Me."
b. Ps. 119:105 “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path!”
c. Rev. 2:10 “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life!”

D. But God’s Law can save no one!
1. Because no one can keep it perfectly, as it demands. (Gal. 3:10-11 For all who
rely on the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS
EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE
LAW, TO DO THEM. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the
Law; for "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.")
2. St. Paul, continuing in Romans 7:10-11 “And this Commandment, which was
supposed to bring life, proved to be death for me; for sin, taking opportunity
through the Commandment, deceived me (into thinking I could please God by
keeping it), and by it killed me!
3. Therefore, far from making sinners better, the Law actually makes them
worse in the sight of God!!
a. The “Lawyer” (Scribe) is amazed at Jesus answer. (Mark 12:32-33
"Right, Teacher, You have truly stated that He is One; and there is no
one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all
the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor
as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.")
b. And Jesus responds to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God!”
(Mark 12:34)
(1) Because he had nearly understood and expressed that no one
can keep the Law of God and thus be saved!
(2) Yet this Lawyer was not yet in the Kingdom, but just close,
because he did not know the One who was speaking to him; so
Jesus issues him an invitation by means of the other “Great
Question”of religion:

II. The Second Great Question: “What do You Think of the Christ – Whose Son is He?”

A. The Pharisees are quick to answer: “The son of David.”
1. As clearly taught throughout the Old Testament.
a. Is. 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no
end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that
time on and forever. The zeal of the SAVIOR of hosts will accomplish
this!”
b. And as commonly confessed by the people of Judah: Matt. 21:9 “The
crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is He who comes in the Name
of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
(1) This had happened only two days earlier!
(2) Jesus is having His final go at converting the Pharisees, on the
Tuesday of Holy Week! (God’s grace is incredibly long suffering!)
2. But they expect a Messiah who is no more than a human “son of David!”
a. A political Messiah, to deliver them from the grip of Rome.
b. A “Bread-king” to feed them for free: John 6:14 “After the people saw
the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is
the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ But Jesus, knowing that
they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to
a mountain by Himself!”
c. Even as many people today still think of the Messiah: Jews, Liberal
Christians, Millennialists, Mormons, etc.

B. Yet Jesus wants to bring them closer – even into – to the Kingdom of God!!!
1. Jesus’ next question is designed to get the Lawyer to admit that he doesn’t
know the answer, so that He who is the Christ can explain it to him: "How
is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls Him 'Lord, saying, 'YAHWEH SAID TO
MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT THINE ENEMIES BENEATH THY
FEET” (Quoting Ps. 110:1, the most quoted O.T. vs. in the N.T., 5 times in full,
plus at least another 8 times quoted in part or referenced.)
a. For the Old Testament is equally clear that the Messiah is also true
God!!!
b. Thus Jesus Himself must explain that He is both man and God – two
natures in One Person, which is utterly inconceivable to human
reason!!!
2. This “Personal Union” of God and man in Jesus is of utmost importance to our
salvation.
a. Only the God-man can keep the Law in our place!
b. Only the God-man can pay the penalty for our sins!
(1) Heb. 2:14 “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He
Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death
He might render powerless him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil!”
(2) As a sufficient sacrifice: Ps. 49:7 “No man can by any means
redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him, for the
redemption of his soul is too costly, and he should cease trying
forever.”“
c. Only the God-man can trample His enemies under His feet! (vs. 44b)
d. Only the God-man can be seated at the Right Hand of God! (44a)

Dear Fellow Redeemed in the Blood of Christ,
All these things the learned Lawyer, the self-sufficient Scribe had yet to learn. For he and
his fellow Pharisees did not understand that answer to the first great question of religion does not gain one entry into the Kingdom of God, but absolutely prevents it!! Nor had they carefully
considered that the second great question of religion is designed to lead one to the solution for the problem posed buy the first question: Only the Christ of God, the Savior who is God incarnate – God clothed in our humanity – can and does save all who trust in Him. Correctly understood,
the first question leads only to despair, but the second one saves!!! So, dear Christians, what do
you think of the Christ – Who is He, and what has He accomplished on your behalf? Answer:
“Why, He is the Only-Begotten Son of God, who has willingly taken on our sin, that we might gain His righteousness!!!” Thanks be to God for this heaven-sent answer, and the faith by which we believe it. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.