Love Commanded, Love Given

Love Commanded, Love Given

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity – 10/19/2025

Matthew 22:34-46

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion of God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew in the twenty-second chapter with special emphasis on verses forty-one and forty-two which read as follows:

“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.”[1]  

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It was the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the tension in Jerusalem was thick. The Pharisees and Sadducees were desperate to trap Him, that is, they wanted to catch Him saying something that would discredit Him before the people or give the authorities grounds to arrest Him.

They had already tried to politically entrap Him by asking “s it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”[2] Jesus’ answer silenced them.

Then the Sadducees had tried to entrap Him theologically by asking about marriage and the resurrection. Jesus refuted them too, saying, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”[3]

In today’s reading from Matthew,  a lawyer, a professional in the Law of Moses, steps forward with what might at first glance seem an innocent question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

But this question is not what it seems on the surface. Just as with the Pharisees and Sadducees, this lawyer is not really asking a question of curiosity, but a test. The rabbis of the day loved to debate which commandment was most important, which laws were “heavier” and which were “lighter.” If Jesus picked one commandment over the others, they could accuse Him of minimizing the rest or otherwise misunderstanding the Law.

Jesus escapes this trap with clarity and authority, “‘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.” With these words, Jesus not only silences His opponents but reveals the very heart of God’s Law.

And then, in a single breath, He turns the tables and asks His own question: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” The lawyer came to test Jesus about the Law.Jesus answers with the Law and then asks about the Gospel. It’s in this distinction, shown in moving from the question of the Law to the question of the Christ that the whole Christian faith is held together.

The Proper Understanding of the Law

When we talk about the Law, we’re not just talking about a list of rules. The Law is the perfect expression of God’s will. It tells us how life is meant to be lived before God and with one another. The Law has three uses, each one necessary and good in its own way. That is to say, the Law of God does three things in our lives.

First, the Law is a curb. It restrains sin and keeps order in society. Even unbelievers, through conscience and civil law, know certain things are wrong such as murder, theft, lying, and adultery. The Law acts like a fence to keep the world from plunging into chaos caused by sin. It’s the reason most people stop at red lights and why most crimes are punished. It’s a gift of God’s preserving grace shown in good order, justice in society, and the internal voice that talks us out of doing something wrong.

Second, the Law is a mirror. Here the Law does its deepest work. The Law reflects the holiness of God. In so doing, it also shows our unholiness. When we look into that mirror, we see what’s really there: selfishness, pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, and even unbelief. It exposes not only what we’ve done wrong, but what we’ve left undone. The Law says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Not part of it. Not when it’s convenient. All. Every bit of our lives are to be submitted under the authority of God’s Law. No part of us is to be exempt or held back from it. When we stand before that mirror, we begin to realize that we have not even begun to love God as He deserves, nor our neighbor as ourselves.

Third, the Law is a guide. For those who are in Christ, redeemed and forgiven saints, the Law reveals how God expects us to live. It teaches us what a life of faith looks like. It shows us how to serve our neighbor in our daily callings as parents, children, workers, citizens, church members, or anything else. The Law no longer threatens; it instructs. It becomes a joyful description of how Christian love acts.

Now, if we were to summarize the entire Law, as Jesus does, it’s about love, specifically, love for God and love for neighbor. That’s not sentimental emotion, but self-giving devotion. To love God with all your heart is to trust Him above all things, to revere His name, to gladly hear His Word. To love your neighbor is to seek his good even at your own expense. That’s the proper understanding of the Law. It is not only about external behavior, but demands total inner and outer devotion to God and complete selflessness toward others.

Our Failure to Keep the Law and Our Desire to Be Justified by It

Here is where we see the problem. If the Law demands perfect love, who among us can say we’ve kept it? It’s easy enough say we love God when life is going smoothly. It’s easy to love our neighbor when our neighbor agrees with us, we like him, or when it doesn’t cost us anything. But what about when love requires sacrifice? What about when loving your neighbor means forgiving the one who hurt you, or speaking truth when you’d rather stay silent?

The truth is, none of us loves as we should. Our love for God is divided. Our hearts are often more passionate about our hobbies, our work, or our comfort than about prayer or hearing His Word. Our love for neighbor falters when we’re merely inconvenienced. We are quick to judge and slow to help.

The Law, as mirror, leaves no room for self-justification. As James writes, “ whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”[4] Yet, even knowing this, our sinful nature tries to justify itself. We want to believe that we’re doing pretty well. We compare ourselves to others in order to seem more righteous. We excuse our sins as minor flaws. We shift blame to anyone and anything other than ourselves.

This is exactly what the Pharisees were doing. They wanted to be righteous by their obedience to the Law. But the more we rely on the Law to make us righteous, the more it condemns us. The Law demands perfection. Anything less is failure. And so the Law leaves us with one question: Is there any hope for those who cannot love perfectly? The answer the Law gives is a resounding, “No!”

But this is when Jesus turns the conversation.

The Solution: Who Is the Christ?

After silencing the lawyer’s question, Jesus asks His own to the Pharisees around Him: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” They reply, “The son of David.”

This answer is correct, but not enough to merely repeat it unthinkingly. So Jesus presses further:

“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?”

No one can answer Him. And for good reason. They did not understand Who Jesus really is. And so Jesus reveals the mystery of His person and work. The Christ is not merely another human descendant of David. He is both David’s Son and David’s Lord. True man and true God in one person.

Why does that matter? Because only such a Savior could fulfill what the Law demands.

You and I cannot love God perfectly, no mere human being can. But Christ can and, in fact, did. You and I cannot love our neighbor perfectly. But Christ can and, in fact, did. He fulfilled the Law not only in action, but in motive, in thought, even in desire. Every moment of His life was lived in perfect love for the Father and in perfect service to others. He is the embodiment of the Law’s righteousness. He, uniquely of all human beings, was without sin.

And then, here’s the wonder of the Gospel, He offered that perfect righteousness in place of our failure. He took upon Himself the curse of the Law. The wrath of God for sin that should have fallen on you fell upon Him. The condemnation you deserved was nailed to His cross. The death you were meant to die was put on Him.

As Paul writes, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”[5]Or again, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”[6]

The Law’s demands are met in full, but not by you. Instead, they are fulfilled by the One who stood in your place. So when the Law accuses you of sin, when your adversary the Devil sneeringly whispers that you are not fit for the Kingdom of God,  when your conscience says, “You haven’t loved enough,” you can say, “You’re right, but Christ has. He loved perfectly, and His perfect love is counted as mine.” That’s the freedom of the Gospel. The righteousness God demands, God Himself provides in His Son and is credited to you by faith.

Conclusion

Matthew tells us that after Jesus asked His question, “No one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more questions.” The debate was over. The Word of God had spoken. And that’s how the Law and the Gospel always work. The Law speaks and all self-righteousness is silenced. The Gospel speaks and sinners are set free.

So today the same two questions come to you: What does the Law demand? And who is the Christ?

The Law demands perfect love. The Christ gives perfect love to you. The Law says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” The Gospel says, “Here is One who has loved you with all His heart.” The Law says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Gospel says, “Here is One who loved His enemies, who prayed for those who crucified Him, who laid down His life for sinners.” In Him, the Law finds its fulfillment and the sinner finds the peace for forgiveness.

So now, as those redeemed by His blood, you are free, not free to sin, but free to love. Free to serve your neighbor, not in order to earn righteousness, but because righteousness has already been given to you. And when you fail, return again to the Christ who loved perfectly in your place. His mercy is new every morning. His grace never runs out.

The Pharisees walked away in silence that day, their questions unresolved. But for those who know the answer to Jesus’ question, “What do you think about the Christ?”, there is no silence, only praise: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” And He most certainly has.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Matthew 22:41-42 English Standard Version. All further quotation from the holy Scriptures are from the ESV.

[2] Matthew 22:17ff

[3] Matthew 22:29

[4] James 2:10

[5] Romans 10:4

[6] 2 Corinthians 5:21