Day 73, Matthew 22
As we navigate the final days of Jesus’ ministry on earth, each evangelist has different contributions to make to our understanding of God’s purpose as it is fulfilled. This rich feast will feed us for several weeks!
And speaking of feasts, Matthew records Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast. This teaching shows us the purpose of God in sending His Son to become our bridegroom. It also shows us that many who are invited to God’s kingdom will decline, preferring their own priorities.
Now religion and politics come together in their unholy alliance, to trap Jesus. They ask about the legality of paying taxes to Caesar. But I love Jesus’ response: “Why are you testing me, you imposters who think you have all the answers?” He is not even slightly threatened by their posturing, alliance-making, and deceptive plotting.
Since the coin bears Caesar’s image, it belongs to Caesar, but since humans beings bear God’s image, they belong to God.
And the trick question about marriage after the resurrection (from the Sanhedrin leaders who don’t even believe in the resurrection) is swiftly rejected by the powerful truth “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Finally, they bring again the question that has been answered by others earlier in Jesus ‘ ministry: What is the greatest commandment? “Love God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you. And love your friend in the same way you love yourself”. These answers of Jesus show 1) that He had the greatest relational understanding of God of any human to date, and 2) that the Sanhedrin were breaking the very commandments they purported to preserve - a sad truth that has been repeated by religious authorities for many years since this incident.
And finally, Jesus asks the Pharisees who the Messiah is, and they cannot answer. A tragic indictment of their empty religious duplicity and their misplaced trust in positional authority.
This stuff only makes sense to those who are willing to be childlike nobodies. But to them, it is both powerful and transformative. That’s where I want to live today, how about you?
Have a great day!
Mark.