What we have before us this evening is -yet another story of challenge and continued confrontation…
For the record, this is the third time in a matter of weeks…
The “powers that be” – are amp-ing up their attempts to entrap Jesus.
In one fell swoop Jesus was able to amaze and silence the Pharisees “much to their embarrassment…and shame.”
Then in a like confrontation with the Sadducees – he was able to “muzzle them and leave them stymied, mouths ajar.”
In the eyes of the people Jesus’ honor continued to explode and sky-rocket!
The Pharisees, the Scribes, the Sadducees, the High Priest, some Herodians, the Jerusalem elite and even some lawyers were assembling against one very out spoken rabbi who continued to amaze and capture the imaginations of the crowds.
It was as if, the crowds were “wowed” by him and his ever-growing reputation. He needed to be stopped. He needed to be silenced.
So this gathering of the elite – was a “conspiratorial gathering”…all of them gathered for the purpose of conspiring against this one man.
They looked for the best debater in their midst. It needed to be someone with a deep command and understanding of the issues of the day and time. It was so much more than “just a contest of argumentation.” This needed to be a “formal opponent,” the best of the best. Someone schooled, skilled and educated in the laws of Moses…They could not look bad for a third time.
The debater was selected. He is a lawyer with as much knowledge of the Mosaic Laws as any Pharisee. He is skilled in debate. And his approach is all but mapped out.
The lawyer will approach the rabbi in a public setting.
Which commandment in the law is the greatest? It is a catch 22. It is the perfect question. He will be publicly dishonored and disgraced.
No matter which law Jesus chooses, the lawyer will no doubt – follow up and ask why he did not pick one of the other laws…
It is an old ploy…
It is actually very reminiscent of the Jewish mother who picks out two shirts for her son to wear. One is blue, the other is red.
She asks him which one does he like the best. He responds by saying that he likes them both equally. They are both nice shirts.
She then asks him to try one of them on…
So the son tries on the blue one, walks into the living room and his mother says, “So you do not like the red one?” Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Sometimes there is no clear way out of a predicament.
You do of course realize that there are 613 Jewish laws in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
Among Hebrew scholars and teachers each and every law was considered to be of equal importance.
No law was better or more important than another. They all carried equal weight.
Some Hebrew scholars actually divided the 613 laws into 365 “thou shalt nots” – one law for each day of the year. The rest were all “thou shalls”… When it came to the sacred law…you did not mess around with it.
So the lawyer approaches Jesus and is respectful, but only at a minimalist level. So which law does Jesus lift up? A portion of the Shema… The Shema being a prayer – that serves as centerpiece for the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. It encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism. “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God; the Lord is one!” It is traditionally said as last words on a person’s lips…and taught by Jewish parents for their children’s recitation before going to bed at night. It was a “canned answer”- the kind of answer any man would have suggested on the streets. It was the ancient standard statement of faith. It was popular.
And then, he combined Leviticus 19 to it “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
His response was perfect. To disagree with his assessment was to disagree with all the people surrounding them.
Loving God is about loving people. Loving God is not about pious recitations concerning the law. It is love in action. Love applied.
No one on this day was able to respond to Jesus…he had silenced them and he left them speechless again.
I am sure more than one person shook their head and said, “I don’t know how he continues to do it!” And Jesus walked away!