Slices
Prepare
‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness’ (Jeremiah 31:3). Sit in the gaze of God, who loves you beyond measure.
Bible passage
The greatest commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’
37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’
Whose son is the Messiah?
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’
‘The son of David,’ they replied.
43 He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him “Lord”? For he says,
44 ‘“The Lord said to my Lord:
‘Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.’”
45 If then David calls him “Lord”, how can he be his son?’ 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Explore
I love these words from Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love: ‘The greatest honour we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.’* What is our response to the undeserved, unconditional love that God bestows on each of us? The answer comes in Jesus’ reply to this further challenge from the Pharisees (v 36). Emphasising God’s desire to be in relationship with us, our natural response to God’s love must be to love God with our whole being, and to live this out in loving our neighbours as ourselves.
With all the Pharisees gathered, Jesus creates the finale by asking a question delving deeply into their expectation of the Messiah. Despite their understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus helps them look at Psalm 110 (v 44) with fresh insight, where David addresses the future Messiah as Lord. Not only is the Messiah of human descent, but is also divine. The Pharisees are speechless, and yet, despite all they have seen and heard, they still fail to recognise Jesus as their promised Messiah.
This closes Jesus’ dialogue with the religious leaders; there is no more to say, and he turns to his disciples and the gathered crowds. But that’s for another day!
*Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, translated with an Introduction and Notes by Barry Windeatt, Oxford University Press, 2015
Respond
‘The greatest honour we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.’ What does this mean for you?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 42,43; John 16
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray that Mission Enabler Janine Parkinson will be able to help a new Faith Guide in the Chesterfield area who is new to faith and is keen to share this new-found faith with young people and work in local primary schools.
A child has started following Jesus. Help them keep growing.
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