Matthew 22:34Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Pharisees, driven by their profound shame and envy of Christ, witnessed the crowd's acclaim for Him following His rebuttal of the Sadducees. In their hypocrisy, they sought to test Him by asking whether He would elaborate on the first commandment, implying a need to amend the law in order to find grounds for accusing Him. Matthew and Luke refer to the questioner as a lawyer (Matthew 22:35, Luke 10:25), while Mark identifies him as a scribe (Mark 12:28). This does not present a contradiction; some emphasize his expertise in the law, while others highlight his role in conveying the law’s interpretation to the people.

The narrative surrounding Herod and Pontius Pilate reveals their collusion in the condemnation of the Master. This is echoed in the actions of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who despite their mutual hostilities, found common ground in their opposition to Christ. When presented with the denarius, those who were caught off guard and witnessed the downfall of their adversaries should have been persuaded by such instances. Yet, rather than drawing lessons from these events to cease their malevolent schemes, they chose instead to allow bitterness and jealousy to fuel their moral decay.

The Sadducees' defeat spurred the Pharisaic scribes to confidently seek confrontation with Jesus. They plotted together (Matthew 22:34) and selected one of their own to engage Him (Matthew 22:35).

They gathered together in an effort to outnumber Him, for they were unable to prevail against Him through judgment. Confronted with the truth, they became aware of their own vulnerability and thus sought to fortify themselves with numbers. They deliberated among themselves, thinking, “One speaks for all, and we all speak for one; if one is triumphant, it seems to everyone that we share in that victory. Conversely, if one is vanquished, then all will seem to share in that defeat.” O Pharisees, preoccupied with human approval! By coming together as a collective, you shall all be overcome through One. Do you not recognize that if one among you suffers defeat, you all fall short? Does not your conscience reveal its turmoil? Yet it is a tempting comfort for a man with an impure conscience to believe that others are unaware of it.

The Pharisees were present in the crowd when the Lord exposed the Sadducees; taking pleasure in the disgrace of their opponents, they sought to compensate for their own embarrassment. Upon hearing that He had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees came together, possibly to plot among themselves, and then collectively approached Jesus Christ once more. They returned with the same ill intent of challenging Him, aiming to provoke Him with a question they believed would be challenging, hoping to bring Him low in the sight of the people.

As the Lord resisted these temptations, certain supportive individuals rallied to Him. One among them, although not recognizing Him as the Messiah but acknowledging Him as a proclaimer of the truth, posed a question. His intent was not merely to gain insight into Christ’s perspective but to express his alignment with Him regarding a matter of profound moral significance. "Teacher," he inquired, "what is the greatest commandment?" Jesus replied, "It embraces two fundamental commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. The first is the most important commandment, and the second is similar to it." The scribe affirmed this, adding that love surpasses all offerings.

The distinction between Matthew and Mark lies in how they portray the lawyer's interaction with Christ. In Matthew, the lawyer, influenced by the Pharisees, serves as an instrument to test the Lord, attempting to ensnare Him with his words. In contrast, Mark presents the lawyer approaching Jesus after recognizing His adept response to the Sadducees about the resurrection, receiving affirmation from Christ regarding his closeness to the kingdom of God.

In light of their shortcomings, the Pharisees convened once more within the temple and resolved to present Jesus with what they believed to be the most challenging inquiry regarding which commandment in the law reigns supreme. They categorized the commandments into primary and secondary, regarding ceremonial laws as primary, while relegating the others to secondary status. However, they were divided on which of the primary commandments held the utmost significance—some argued that the commandment regarding the Sabbath was the most critical, whereas others held the law of circumcision in higher regard. Consequently, they selected their most knowledgeable scribe and dispatched him to Jesus with the question: Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the law?

The Pharisees, pleased by their rivals' downfall, sought to challenge Him once more with a question. A lawyer among them approached Him, asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the Law is the most significant?" This inquiry indicated an acknowledgment of His teaching authority, allowing the lawyer to genuinely seek His insight on the dilemma that troubled him. Among the legal scholars, there were ongoing debates regarding what constituted the greatest commandment, one that aligned most precisely with the essence of righteousness. Traditionally, this matter became mired in incessant discussions of trivial nuances, such as categorizing commandments into heavy and light, primary and secondary, as well as deductive and supplementary classifications, and so forth.

The Pharisees once more convened with the intention of challenging Jesus. This gathering may have been fueled by a sense of satisfaction derived from witnessing the embarrassment of their rivals, the Sadducees, while simultaneously relishing in the latter's disgrace among the populace, despite their own recent humiliation. It is possible that, seeking to counter their own shame and to demonstrate superiority over the Sadducees, they united with a purpose (Ps. 2:2), intent on provoking the Lord once more. Their aim was to ensnare Him with what they believed to be a complex question, thereby creating an opportunity to accuse or discredit Him.

Upon hearing that the Lord had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees assembled together, seeking to reclaim their status in the sight of the people and to demonstrate their superiority over their despised adversaries. To achieve this, they appointed one among them, an adept scholar of the law, to challenge Jesus Christ once more, aiming to confuse Him with what they deemed a perplexing query. This scribe, seemingly not entirely in sync with the malicious intent of his colleagues, approached the task with eagerness, as he was greatly impressed by the Lord's response to the Sadducees.