The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW 22:29

MATTHEW 22:42

1541

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 1 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living . 33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. A question is asked concerning the greatest commandment (S/A - Mk 12:28-34) 34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a law- yer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great com- mandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, 2 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, 3 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love thy neighbor as thyself means - “Learning to obey every civil law in the Old Testament” 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets . CHRIST questions the Pharisees concerning His Messiahship (S/A - Mk 12:35-37 & Lk 20:41-44) 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

1. Quoted from the OT - Exo 3:6 2. Quoted from the OT - Deut 6:5 3. Quoted from the OT - Lev 19:18

42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he ? They say unto him, The Son of David. 22:30 Jesus pointed out that in our new resurrected bodies will be asexual ( as the angels ). Meaning, there will be no marital relations in Heaven. 22:39 There are two Greek words translated “ love ” in the Bible: 1. DJDSK ( agape ) – meaning, “ to love unconditionally ” ( Eph 5:25 and II Jn 1:6 ) 2. MLOHZ ( phileo ) – meaning, “ to love conditionally ” ( Titus 2:4 ) The word used here in Matthew 22:39 is the Greek word DJDSK ( agape ), not MLOHZ ( phileo ). Although there are some within Christianity who interpret this verse to mean that you can’t love others until you have first learned to love yourself, the love they are describing is the kind of love that deals with how someone “feels” about them self ( phileo love). However, feeling good about oneself has absolutely nothing to do with treating others right. For example, although a thief hates to be stolen from, a thief has no problem stealing. In other words, a thief can love ( phileo ) himself without loving ( agape ) you. This is not what is commanded. The Bible teaches self-sacrifice and self-denial, not self-image, self-esteem, or self-worth ( Gen 3 :6- 8 ). The problem with self-focus (self-image, self-esteem, and self-worth) is that it usually leads to self-pity. Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow. Awareness of others is a healthy antidote to this self-focus. Sadly, there is a great deal of emphasis these days on self-acceptance. Most people, including a lot of Christians, base their self- worth on their position in life, possessions in life, and pleasure in life, instead of on the Person of God . This kind of contemporary thinking looks inward for human acceptance instead of outward for God’s acceptance ( Mt 13:44 -46 and Eph 1:3 ). No creature of God will ever properly accept themselves until they know their Creator has accepted them. Although it’s nice to feel good about yourself ( phileo love), it has nothing to do with how you treat others around you ( agape love). Are we not still commanded by law to love ( agape ) our neighbor, even when our neighbor has become our enemy (Lk 6:27)? John Maxwell in Everyone Communicates, Few Connect notes: It’s difficult to find common ground with others when the only person you’re focused on is yourself. 1 NOTE – All five parts of the OT Law deal with how we love God (moral, personal, separational, and ceremonial laws) and how we love our neighbor (civil laws), not how we love ourselves ( Josh 1:8b and Exo 17:9 – point #3).. THE ADAGE IS TRUE: Christianity isn’t about us; it’s about everybody around us 22:42 The Pharisees were correct, but not “complete” in their response. Although it is true that the OTMESSIAH ( NTCHRIST ) would come from the seed of David (Psa 132:11), He would also be God (Jere 23:5-6). What Jesus was attempting to show the Pharisees was that the son of David was also the LORD of David.

1 Maxwell, John. E veryone Communicates , Few Connect , Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson, 2010.