A Pharisee Asked About the Law

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 22, 2020

A Pharisee Asked About the Law

Page 239-240

Matthew 22:34-46;

Mark 12: 28-37;

Luke 20: 41-44

G. K. Chesterton noted, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." At first reading, Chesterton may seem a bit cynical, but on closer reflection he is not far from the truth. The Pharisees in today’s reading certainly stand indicted by his insight. The Pharisees had compiled 613 commandments, and while they were quick to affirm that Jesus had correctly identified the greatest of their commandments, they were slow to discern that fulfilling the commandments was more important than reciting them, especially when it comes to loving your neighbors.

This lack of discernment carried over to the discussion of David’s son. The common expectation of the Messiah was that he would be the successor to King David’s throne and, thus, the one to defeat Israel’s enemies. However, if the Messiah was only David’s heir, the oppressive Romans would have been his only enemy. What if the Messiah were both David’s heir and King David’s Lord? Then the Messiah wouldn’t be limited to a regional foe like Rome, but as the Son of God, the Messiah could take on the ultimate enemies of all human life: sin and death.

The one person God sent to demonstrate the possibility of a new way of living was standing before the Pharisees. The one person who could actually love God with his whole heart, soul, and mind and love his neighbor as himself stood before the Pharisees. Not only could this one person love God and others so completely, he would make it possible for all of his followers to become people of such love. But the Pharisees missed seeing this one person because “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 KJV).   

Chesterton was right, the Christian ideal is difficult. It is not easy to make the life in Christ become our way of life. Therefore, in our quest for new life in Christ, we never want to lose sight of Jesus’ promise that, “What is impossible for people is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). We are not alone on our journey: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

My Takeaway: We can be assured that “God will transform (us) into a new person by changing the way (we) think. Then (we) will learn to know God’s will for (us), which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.