Matthew part 38

The Lamb Inspected

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday which designates the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding a donkey leading to the cross, burial, and resurrection. We have already read in Matthew 21 this event, as well as the significance of the donkey, the crowds’ shouts of Hosanna, and the subsequent cleansing of the Temple. Today, as we continue reading in Matthew 22, we will read the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees that is no ordinary conversation.

The roots of this conversation actually begin way back in Exodus 12. In fact, turn with me there and let’s read 1-6.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

Exodus 12:1-6

This instruction is for the Passover which will mark the night the Israelites are able to leave Egypt. This command becomes an annual celebration and ordinance for Israel. It is codified in Leviticus 23:5, and it is renewed in Deuteronomy 16 when the Israelites are about to finally enter the Promised Land.

Now, look again at the timeline. In the first month of the Hebrew year on the 10th day, the people are to bring a lamb. This lamb must be without blemish or spot and is kept until the 14th day when all the people will slaughter their lambs at twilight. Then, the people would celebrate and hold the Passover dinner during the night, which technically marked the 15th day according the Hebrew reckoning of days.

What does this have to do with Jesus riding a donkey on a Sunday in Jerusalem? John tells us Jesus’ ride was six days before Passover, and reckoning all the other events and timing we know in the Gospels, we can say Jesus rode into Jerusalem the same day all the people were to bring their sacrificial lambs. Even more, the 4 day period of inspection were the same days Jesus cleanses the temple and interacts with the chief priests and other religious leaders.

The conversation between Jesus and the priests following Palm Sunday is the inspection of the true Passover Lamb who is the Messiah.

When they ask Jesus about his authority and his understanding of the Law, they are unwittingly helping prove his identity as the Messiah. And because he is the Messiah, Jesus will also be able to take away the sins of the world when He goes to the cross. And yes, the day Jesus goes to the cross is the same day (and many commentators have noted Mark notes it is even the same time) the Passover Lambs would be slaughtered among all the households celebrating Passover.

A Test from the Pharisees | Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Matthew 22:15-22

Now the Pharisees begin to find a way to kill Jesus. Their first attempt is to test his loyalty to the Empire. If Jesus tells the crowd they do not have to pay taxes to Caear, then they can send him to the local magistrates as a rebel instigator. Of course, if he says they do have to pay taxes, then they will be able to gain back the crowd because they will treat him like a Roman sympathizer or tax collector. Instead, Jesus gives a much different answer.

You may recall when we looked at Jesus driving out the money-changers, the reason they are there to begin with is so that the people can exchange their Roman money for temple money. What is on the Roman coin that makes it unusable in the temple? There is a picture of Caesar. Just the picture itself causes it to fall under the category of “graven image” for the Jews, but many times the coin would also invoke some pagan deity or worse, call the emperor a deity. But the coins are still what is used in the civic system and what is owed to the emperor out of respect and honor for the government. It belongs to Caesar, and so the people should give it to the emperor.

Jesus’ saying reminds us Christians still owe their country’s leaders honor and respect.

Unfortunately, following Christ does not exempt us from civic duties, but notice exactly how Jesus puts it. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” If Caesar is owed taxes, then sure, pay the tax. But we are also to render to God what is God’s. What belongs to God?—Everything…not, ‘everything that is not Caesar’s,’ but rather everything is the Lord’s. Everything that we have is really the Lord’s. Everything Caesar owns is actually the Lord’s. So, if Caesar demands some material thing, then let him have it, but even his power is limited. Caesar cannot command eternity, and so this saying reminds us to keep in mind who is truly powerful in this world. In fact, we can take this a step further by saying, “No matter what Caesar is owed, he cannot command your heart.”

This saying reminds us to give honor where it is due, but our hearts should always belong to the Lord.

A Test from the Sadducees | Matthew 22:23-33

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Matthew 22:23-33

The Sadducees bring their own test to Jesus, and this test is ironic in that they don’t even believe in the resurrection. They have probably used this line before as a way of demonstrating their perceived foolishness of the resurrection. Rather than engage in the foolishness of the scenario, Jesus just points out their assumptions are wrong to begin with.

First, they don’t know the Scriptures. Scripture speaks to the resurrection of the dead. First, Elijah and Elisha both were able to raise the dead through God’s power. More generally, Job 19:25-27 speaks of the resurrection stating, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.” Psalm 16:9-10 says, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” And there are several others, as well.

Second, they don’t know the power of God. Again, Elijah and Elisha raised the dead. Jesus has raised the dead in their own time. And if God can make everything out of nothing, and give life to humans and animals, then surely he can raise the dead.

Third, Jesus corrects the entire concept of marriage. Marriage is a human institution, but it is also an earthly institution. In heaven, humans will no longer marry nor be given in marriage because they become something more like the angels.

Last, when the Lord addresses who he is to people in Scripture, he uses the present tense. He doesn’t say he was the God of Abraham, He is the God of Abraham. Jesus is telling them these people still live even though their bodies are in the grave.

The Resurrection is taught in the Old Testament, confirmed by Jesus, and is the assurance of eternal life in the new Creation.

The Greatest Commandment | Matthew 22:34-40

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “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 neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:34-40

This last question comes from a lawyer who is impressed Jesus was able to silence the Sadducees. What is the greatest commandment? Mark gives a slightly longer version of this conversation mentioning Jesus includes the Shema in his reply. The full version is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Now, you might notice a slight difference between Deuteronomy’s version and Matthew’s. In fact, Mark’s is also different having both “mind” and “might.”  These differences only illustrate the varying copies of the day and the type of literary device used. It’s called a merism—a combination of opposing terms in order to mean the whole. Think of the phrase, “I searched high and low” or “for better or worse, richer or poorer, etc.” Conventionally, we understand what is being said. We should love the Lord with everything that we have and are.

And Jesus adds on the second greatest commandment just for good measure—love your neighbor as yourself. These two commands sum up the Law and the Prophets. The commandments and ethics of Scripture fall under these two categories. Whatever gray areas we may find in life, we can make better decisions if we keep these two commands in focus.

Sound Christian ethics begins with Loving the Lord with all you are and loving other people as you love yourself.

After these tests, Jesus turns to them and poses his own question.

A Test for the Pharisees | Matthew 22:41-46

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “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?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Matthew 22:41-46

Game, set, and match! The debate goes to Jesus! But what is this quote from David he uses? It is found in Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is a song of David which is a Messianic prophecy that speaks to the power of the Messiah to subdue kingdoms and conquer Israel’s enemies. But the key phrase is in verse 1 in which David says, “The LORD says to my Lord.” The English loses some of the meaning in translation. Literally, it would be David speaking saying “YHWH says to my King/Sovereign”. The Lord tells David’s King to sit at the right hand of God.

Now, if the Pharisees know the Messiah will be a son of David, why would David call his descendant “lord”. That is not how monarchies work. Jesus even adds fuel to their fire of confusion by reminding them David speaks this “in the Spirit.” They believed in the inspiration of Scripture just as we do today, and Jesus wants them to really think about this conundrum.

They do not have an answer, and so they remain silent. In fact, this whole exchange makes them realize they will not be able to get Jesus to say something that will condemn him.

Now, I have a bit of speculation I would like to add here…and I don’t think it is too far fetched. I believe at least some of them understood exactly why David says, “The LORD says to my Lord.” The Messiah would be a human, but if David calls him ‘Lord’ as though the Messiah predates David in some way, then the Messiah would also have to be divine—and many Old Testament Scriptures acknowledge this truth, as well. This is, in fact, what we believe. Jesus was both human and divine. He is the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, who took on flesh and dwelt with us.

The dual nature of Jesus, being both human and divine, was foretold in the Old Testament.

I believe some of the Pharisees, and perhaps some Sadducees, started to connect the dots. After hearing the miracle stories, listening to Jesus speak, and now listening to him answer their questions, they knew this Jesus was no ordinary person. He probably was the Messiah, and they would have to repent from everything they had been doing. They would have to swallow their pride, bow to him as the True King, and give up all their earthly authority. But I also don’t believe they were ready for all of that.

And now the exchange is done. The testing of the Lamb of God is finished. We don’t know exactly how many days these conversations took place. Matthew’s narrative seems to make them happen fairly quickly, but in chapter 26, Matthew notes that there are two more days until Passover. So, it would appear 21-25 happen within a four day period. For now, the testing of the Messiah is complete. Jesus has proven himself. In 23, the scribes and Pharisees will be denounced with 7 woes. Then, Jesus will turn his attention to the end of the age. It will be in chapter 26 that Matthew renews the story and Jesus will head to the cross.

But for today, as we close, let’s consider the truth about Jesus: He is the Messiah, the chosen Lamb of God who takes away sin. He is the Passover Lamb, the sacrifice needed so that judgement and death pass over the house. The question for us is, “Have we put our faith in the Lamb of God?”

Have we asked for forgiveness of sin? We cannot have forgiveness without Jesus.

Have we put our trust and allegiance in the true King, the son of David who is also Christ the Lord, God’s Anointed King?

As Matthew has shown us throughout his Gospel, Heaven is wide open for any who would enter, but we cannot enter the Kingdom of God without first surrendering to the King of Kings, Christ Jesus.