This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am
Grace, mercy and peace be to
you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.
Prayer: May the words of my
mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord,
our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Today our Gospel reading comes from a part of Matthew’s Gospel which recounts to us the preaching and sermons of Jesus in the last week before death and resurrection, or as we call it, during Holy Week. Our reading, comes from Matthew chapter 22—however, in Matthew 21, we read about his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, and then a few chapters later, in chapter 26, we read about his Last Supper with his disciples, and then, when he was arrested and betrayed, and led to his crucifixion.
At the beginning of our Gospel reading today, we read these words: But when the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. At that time, there were two factions, two parties, if you like, or two camps, to which different Jewish scholars and leaders belonged. You had the Pharisees and also the Sadducees. We often hear many things about the Pharisees, but then also, sometimes we read about these Sadducees. Just before our reading begins today, we read where they put to Jesus a curly question. But it says there too: The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question. The question they ask Jesus is about the resurrection, and the evangelist Matthew makes a special point for our benefit so that we know that the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. Actually, in Acts 23, there is also an incident which relates to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and we read there: For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
So we can see the theological differences between the two parties. And so, when the Pharisees see that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, or we might say, that Jesus had “stumped” them, they also think that maybe they can put a question to Jesus.
So, we read: One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” We see in a few different places in the Gospels where people were trying to test Jesus. Of course, it’s a good thing to ask Jesus questions, but we should make sure that we have the right attitude. Of course, we know that Jesus is our wonderful Good Shepherd, and is a great teacher, and there are just so many things that we need to learn from him. But also, on the other hand, sometimes people want to go to Jesus and put a curly question to him, so that they can say, “I got you in a corner!”
Jesus says in answer to this question: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
Now, notice that in the question, the lawyer asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment?” He wants Jesus to give an answer, which says: “This is it! This is the one!” And then of course, they will be able to say, “But what about this one, and this one?” If Jesus had only spoken of loving God, then they would have said, “But what about our love towards our neighbour?” If Jesus had spoken about loving our neighbours, then they would have said, “But what about our love towards God?”
And so, Jesus answers very carefully, and very wisely, and also quite truthfully. He speaks about the love towards God, but then, he says, there is a second commandment which is like it: this is the love towards our neighbour.
Now, just before we go on, it’s very important for us to talk about a doctrine in the Scripture, which is taught in our reading today. That doctrine is the proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel. (Summary from Edward Koehler). The Law is the doctrine of the Bible in which God tells us how we are to be and what we are to do and not to do. For example, passages which teach us the Law, are like this: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Observe what I command you this day. These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children.
On the other hand, the Gospel is that doctrine in the Bible in which God tells us the good news of our salvation in Jesus Christ. For example, passages which teach us the Gospel, are like this: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that might live through him. God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
So there are many differences between the Law and the Gospel. The first difference, is who is doing the work? The Law teaches us what we are to do and not to do; the Gospel teaches us what God has done, and still does, for our salvation. Another difference is what the Law and Gospel show us. The Law shows us our sin and God’s wrath and judgment against sin, whereas the Gospel shows us our Saviour Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Another difference between the Law and the Gospel is what kind of effect it has in our hearts. The Law works in our hearts sorrow over sin and fear of punishment; but the Gospel works faith in Christ, love of God, and the hope of eternal life, and creates in us a new heart to that we have new desires to walk in God’s ways. And also, there is a difference between Law and the Gospel concerning the people to whom each must be preached to. The Law must be preached to all people, but especially to sinners who don’t repent and are unrepentant. The Gospel must be preached to sinners who are troubled in their minds because of their sins.
So, in our Gospel reading today, the Pharisees ask Jesus a question about the Law, and Jesus teaches the Law very clearly. He says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
So, let’s think for a moment about this teaching of Jesus. Jesus gives a summary of the Law. We also have another summary of the Law in the Old Testament in the Ten Commandments. Actually, the way that Jesus summarises the Law here also connects very closely to the Ten Commandments. For example, the first three commandments are: You shall have no other gods. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God [or, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain]. And, Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. These three commandments speak about having God alone as our God, about the name of God, and about the worship of God. We could say that all these first three commandments have to do with what Jesus says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
The remaining seven commandments are: Honour your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour. All of these things involve other people: our parents, people in general that we shouldn’t kill them, our husband and wife in the commandment against adultery, telling lies about people, and wanting to get things that are not ours which belong to our neighbour. We could also say that these seven commandments have to do with what Jesus says in our reading: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
So, you can see that Jesus is summarising the Ten Commandments. He says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. We can see here the tremendous standard that God holds us to. There should not be anything in our lives, anything in our hearts and souls and minds, right in our inmost being, that does not reflect the love of God. Now, we might ask: What’s in it for God, though? Why does he want us to love him so much, when it is so difficult for us? Why does he want our unconditional allegiance, why does he want our complete undivided attention? Isn’t it a little selfish of him to ask this of us? Well, not at all – you see, right from the beginning of creation, God created people, and he created them to flourish and prosper and to be happy and to enjoy their life. God is actually our great source of happiness and joy and enjoyment, and so, we actually always find our greatest joy in God. We have been created in such a way that things work like this.
Because of the fall into sin, our hearts are so troubled, our souls are often in great turmoil, and our minds are often not at peace. That’s because we direct our love to other places, to ourselves, to things, to the world, to other people first, but not to God. And so, we have great conflicts which rage within us. God is the joy of our heart, the satisfaction of our souls, and the peace for our minds.
And so, with every ounce of our effort, every movement and action of our heart and soul and mind, with every word and thought, we should love our wonderful and eternal God who made us. We might look at every moment we have, every second, every day, and every skill we have been given, and ask, “How can I glorify God with what he has given me?” Jesus says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
And then he says: And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. Here’s a question: Why is this commandment like the first? Why is it that loving our neighbour is like loving God? Aren’t they completely different things? Well, not at all, because you see men and women, people, human beings, are created in the image and likeness of God. Of all of God’s creatures, people are most like God, and so, to love them, is like loving God. Even Jesus when he came to his earth, didn’t actually become a snake, or a bug, or a panda bear, or a dog or a cat. He became a human being, he became a real man, he became like you and me. We were created in the likeness and image of God, but we lost that image, and that image was damaged and tarnished, in such a way that because of sin, we are now nothing like God when we compare ourselves to his purity and his holiness and his righteousness. And so, Jesus showed to us the perfect manhood, the perfect humanity. He showed us what it is to be a perfect person, a perfect human being—he showed us what a perfect human being in the likeness and image of God is really like, and because he was actually truly God, having God the Father as his own father, the perfect divinity of God shone through in everything he did, and in everything he said. We Christians are called to follow after him as his disciples, and to learn from him, and to follow in his footsteps.
So, when we demonstrate love to our neighbours, we should do it as if we are doing it to Jesus, who is both God and man in one person. And so, loving God and loving our neighbour are not two separate things. We don’t love God in such a way that we forget about the people around us—that creates self-righteousness. We don’t love people in such a way that we forget about God—that creates ungodliness, and we even start to forget what love is, because we learn it from God. We should love God, and then that love that we learn from God should pour out in love for people around us. We should think about all the time and the energy and the resources we have and ask ourselves, “How can I put these things to use, and myself to use, for God’s kingdom in serving the people around me whom he has called me to serve? If I were in their position, what would they need from me? If I were in their situation and if I were in their shoes, what would I need from them, and what would give me such great joy and happiness if I received some help or something from them? And so as Jesus says: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Now, we have been discussing so far the doctrine of the Law. You can see that the Law is a truly wonderful thing, it is a glorious thing, it is a holy and pure thing. The way Jesus teaches the Law is also so perfect and so wonderful. He answers the Pharisees’ question in a beautiful and wonderful way.
However, the Law of God is so wonderful and perfect and pure and holy and good, but we have fallen so far beneath it and its glorious standard. As St Paul says: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We do not love God as we should, and we do not love our neighbours as we should. In fact, there is a bubbling fountain of poison in our hearts, in such a way that we excuse ourselves constantly for all the times and moments we haven’t loved God and our neighbours. And it’s not just the things we have or haven’t done, but it’s our entire existence: our entire existence is really for the most part turned completely in the other direction, and most of the time, we don’t even care, it doesn’t even bother us, we are completely asleep and apathetic to it. If we had the slightest inkling of the high and glorious standard of God’s law, we would completely collapse into a pile of dust and dirt at the very mention of it.
And so, you sinners, Jesus calls us to repent—each of us, you and me. But there is another message, another doctrine, the Gospel. The Gospel shows us what God has done and still does for you and for your salvation. The Gospel points you in all your helpless and hopeless to your Saviour Jesus. There is a glory that far surpasses the glory of the Law. The glory of the Law was so great that when Moses came down from Mt Sinai, he had to wear a veil over his face, because the people just couldn’t handle this glory. But there is another message, another doctrine, and greater and brighter glory, which is the light and wonder and the beauty that shines from the face of your Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And so, Jesus, in the second part of our reading speaks of this glory, the glory that comes from him. He says: Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” Many people have the Law, but they don’t have Christ. They have the rules, and there is a great glory of the law, but it is only a glory of condemnation, it is such a bright light that can do nothing but blind them and curse them. But what about Christ? Whose son is he?
They said to him, “The son of David.” Jesus is the true Son of David, and was descended from the lineage of King David, it is true. But then Jesus says: How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?
Now, King David, was the writer of many psalms, including Psalm 110, which Jesus is quoting here. Jesus is David’s Son, but how is it that he is also David’s Lord? Well, I’ll tell you how! Jesus, the Son of God, even before he became a man, was there at the beginning of the world, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and created everything. The one who would become the Son of David, is actually also the Son of God, and truly God together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We sung about him even today: You alone are holy, you alone are Lord, you alone, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit, are Most High in the glory of God the Father.
And Jesus as true man and true God, atones for the sin of the world with his blood, he offers his life as a sacrifice for sin, and which is a completely sufficient and perfect offering, and acceptable to God, in such a way that Jesus enters into heaven with his wounded hands and feet at His ascension, and is seated at the right hand of God. And from this time onwards, the enemies of God, the devil and his armies and his minions have been destroyed, and all their power is completely vain, because the victory has already been won by Christ. David wrote: The Lord said to my Lord, that is, God the Father said to my Lord, the Son of God, Sit at my right hand, that is, enter into heaven and be enthroned in your human flesh, until I put your enemies under your feet, that is, until that glorious and wonderful time when the devil and death and sin will be completely defeated, and those who are covered with the blood of Christ will live with Christ in his glory together with the angels and archangels.
We read in our Gospel reading: And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. The glory of the Gospel, the glory of the person of Christ, who he is, and what he has done for us, is just too amazing to comprehend. Jesus just tears back the corner of one of the pages of the psalms, and shows us the glory of the Gospel there. Jesus says that David said this in the Spirit. We are shown a tiny glimpse of the way in which God has breathed out and inspired the Scriptures with the power of the Holy Spirit, in carrying along holy men of God.
Even today, while Jesus is at the right hand of God, he doesn’t rule there, in such a way that he is absent from us. Rather, he descends into our midst, and brings his glorious gospel of his grace into our midst, and absolves our sins, and forgives us. He sends us the Holy Spirit, and fills our ears and hearts. He baptised people into his kingdom, and makes them his own people, and claims them for himself, and makes them citizens of heaven. He feeds us with his own body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, for the forgiveness of sins, for our strength, for our health and healing in body and soul according to his blessing and his grace and his will, and for a wonderful preparation for a holy death.
And so, at the right hand of God, Jesus is constantly putting his enemies under his feet, and giving us the encouragement of his victory which he won for us on the cross, and which is manifested and revealed in such a wonderful way in his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. And we look forward to that wonderful time in the future when we shall see him with our eyes, face to face. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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