Introduction

Jesus assumes the authority that rightly belongs to him over the recognized leaders in Jerusalem.

I

Do you remember watching the Wizard of Oz movie? Think about the end of the movie when Dorothy and her companions finally meet the wizard. I hope I don’t spoil the movie for you. You know how it was, a giant head, booming voice, smoke going everywhere. It was very frightening. And then what happened? Dorothy’s little dog Toto pulled back the curtain to reveal a simple older man operating everything. And what did he say then, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” This great wizard who was known all around to be able to do any and everything was revealed to be something not so special.

In Matt. 22, we have seen the leaders in Jerusalem attempt to expose Jesus as a fraud. They want to humiliate him, get him arrested, anything they can to get the crowds to stop following him. And yet the more they try to expose him, the more he is revealed as the true Messiah, the true leader of Jerusalem. And the more they are exposed as simply the “man behind the curtain” we might say. In other words, the more the religious leaders tried to expose Jesus as some sort of fraud, the more they revealed their own ignorance and lack of faith and devotion for God.

N

We were born into sin, our sin nature is pervasive, it effects every part of us, our will, our emotions, our thinking, our beliefs, our flesh. Because of sin, we are naturals at doing the same thing as the Wizard of Oz, though perhaps not as dramatic as him. We put up curtains to cover up our real selves and put on elaborate displays to make people think that we are something other than we are.

The more Jesus is unveiled it becomes more and more clear that he is the Lord of all.

The more the leaders of Jerusalem are unveiled it becomes more and more clear that they are far from what they present themselves to be

When our hearts are exposed, will it be revealed that Jesus is truly the Lord of our hearts?

T

In Matt. 22:34-46, Jesus reveals that he is the Lord over the law and the Lord over all.

R

Matt. 22:34-46

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Lord over Law vv. 34-40, Lord over All vv. 41-46

Lord over the Law

Matthew 22:34–40 ESV

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ 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. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Revelation

“Legal authority”

Jesus expresses his authority on legal matters.

What is Matthew doing? Showing that Jesus is the rightful leader in regard to the Law.

Jesus has been in a showdown between him and the leaders of Jerusalem. The leaders of Jerusalem have been trying to trap him and get rid of him. At the very least, they want to stop him from exercising authority over the crowds and gathering this following that he has. They want to show the emperor has no clothes.

So far the questioners have become more and more learned. First, it was the disciples of the Pharisees, then the Sadduccees, and now we have an expert of the law from the Pharisees. They are now sending out their foremost legal scholar in order to test Jesus. You can see this lawyer’s motivation at the end of v. 35. To be clear, though the translation calls him a “lawyer” this does not mean that he spends his time in a court of law advocating for clients in front of a judge. Rather, this means he is an expert in Old Testament law, the Torah.

When dealing with laws, especially these Old Testament laws, it can be sometimes difficult to know which to follow. For example, the law commanded that a son should be circumcised 8 days after he is born. The Sabbath law commands no work. What if the 8th day after the son is born lands on Sabbath? Which should a faithful Jew follow? Should he circumcise according to the law or should he keep the Sabbath?

A good lawyer—that is, a good expert in the OT Law, would tell you that the circumcision should be kept even if it landed on the Sabbath. In other words, they would argue that the law for circumcision is greater than the law for Sabbath. The legal scholars in Jesus’s day would argue about which law is the “greatest” or the “great” law. In other words, which law should be held above all others. And you could see how this could easily result in endless legal debate if the wrong law was considered to be the greatest.

Jesus does not answer with a ritual, a ceremony, a civil law, or even merely another moral rule. He goes straight to the center of our lives—our devotion to God. When He says, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” He is not dividing us into compartments, as though we could give God one part of ourselves and keep the rest. He means the whole of who we are. Every affection of the heart, every desire of the soul, every thought of the mind—every bit of our entire being is to be turned toward God in love.

I am reminded of a science teacher who stood before his class with a large glass cylinder. He filled it to the top with softballs and asked, “Is it full?” The students answered, “Yes.” Then he poured in a container of marbles, and the marbles rolled into the spaces between the softballs. Again he asked, “Is it full?” This time the students answered more confidently, “Yes.” But then he poured in sand, and even the sand found its way into the spaces the marbles had left.

That is what this commandment feels like. God is not asking for the large, obvious parts of our lives only. He does not merely ask for Sunday mornings, a few good works, or our outward obedience. He asks for the marbles too—the hidden motives, the quiet thoughts, the private desires. He asks for the sand—the smallest corners of our hearts that we would rather keep for ourselves.

And the more honestly we look at this command, the more we realize that we have never obeyed it fully. There is always another space not yet surrendered, another affection that competes with God, another thought, desire, or ambition that falls short of loving Him with our entire being. The commandment is so great that it exposes us. We may think we have loved God enough, until His Word pours in the marbles. We may think we have finally given Him everything, until His Word pours in the sand.

Jesus says the second is like unto it. “Love your neighbor” is the command. Love is a whole-being act, it involves our will, our beliefs, our emotions. Love involves believing truth about others, yearning for others wellbeing, and doing things for their wellbeing.

We live in a culture that had perverted love, so we always have to define it, sadly. Our culture says similar things: Love involves believing truth about others, yearning for others wellbeing, and doing things for their wellbeing. But our culture says that an individual’s feelings determines what is true, an individual’s decides what’s best for their own wellbeing.

But what is most loving is believing, yearning for and doing for the benefit of others what corresponds to reality—what corresponds to God’s reality. Because believe it or not, other people can yearn and have feelings for wrong things. That does not mean it is loving to give them things they yearn for. The determining factor for what is loving is God’s law: do not lie, do not hate, do not defraud, do not oppress, do not take revenge, etc . . .

Matthew 22:40 “40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” The “law and Prophets: was a way for Jesus to say what we would call the Old Testament. And it’s on these two commands that all the Scripture hangs. One commentator notes:

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke7) The Greatest Commandments (22:34–40)

These two commandments are the greatest because all Scripture “hangs” on them; i.e., nothing in Scripture can cohere or be truly obeyed unless these two are observed. The entire biblical revelation demands heart religion marked by total allegiance to God, loving him and loving one’s neighbor.

Relevance

Have you ever heard “good people get into heaven?” Or have you ever wondered, couldn’t a good Atheist be accepted into heaven? What about that Atheist who helps the old lady cross the street, isn’t that good?

All these questions have shown that not only has our culture redefined what love is, the culture has also largely redefined “goodness.”

Tell me, how can a “good person” get into heaven if that good person has never once even obeyed what Jesus said is the greatest commandment?

Think about what Jesus says is the greatest commandment: Matthew 22:37 “37 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.”

Consider the question: How many weeks of your life have you fully obeyed this command? How many days of your life have you fully obeyed this command? Hours? Minutes? Do you even have one second in your life where you could confidently say you obeyed this command fully?

And yet, the overwhelming majority of Americans today would say that they are good people, yet we cannot even obey what Jesus says is the greatest commandment for one millisecond of our lives.

Remember what Matthew is doing here. The religious leaders are trying to expose Jesus as some fraud. But instead, Jesus is revealed to be the Lord over the law, rightly discerning what the greatest command is.

And Listen to this, if you don’t hear anything else, hear this: when it comes to judgment day do you know who will be the one exercising judgment? 2 Timothy 4:1 “1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:” Jesus, the Lord of the law will be the judge.

All these people going around believing themselves to be good, and yet what matters is the judge’s verdict. Jesus is the judge.

And guess what? Jesus has told us the greatest commandment. If you break the greatest commandment, wouldn’t that be the worst offense?

And all these people who think they are good don’t care one bit about God.

Matthew is not just revealing for us that Jesus is the Lord of the Law, he is also revealing how far short we fall.

When Jesus gives the greatest commands, on which the rest of Scripture hangs, he does not merely reveal his intellect or his ability to understand the law, he pulls back the curtain on our hearts. One day, we will stand before him with no curtain to hide behind. Nothing we can manipulate, nothing we can use to impress. And we will be asked, “Did you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might?”

What will you say?

Will you make and excuse? Will you lie?

Or will you be honest?

“No, Lord Jesus, I failed. I could never. I was so weak. But I know, Lord, I know you did. I know you are strong. And I know, trusting in your death, your resurrection, and I know, ‘all who trust in you will not be put to shame.’”

Bridge

But Jesus is not satisfied with revealing himself to be Lord over the law, he goes on to question those who have been questioning him and proves that he is Lord over all.

Lord over All

Matthew 22:41–46 ESV

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 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 is he his son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Revelation

Finally, Jesus turns to ask his interrogators a question, a question concerning the identity of the Messiah. He asks who’s son the Messiah is. To which they answer David’s son. And, of course, they aren’t wrong. David wanted to build God a house, but God responded saying he was going to build David’s house (i.e., dynasty) and make it everlasting. This would be fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus. Matthew made it clear at the beginning of this gospel that Jesus was in the Davidic line.

But the leaders of the day assume that being a son of David makes him David’s inferior. But Jesus dismantles this thinking by quoting Psalm 110:1 “1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.””

David is speaking this Psalm about the Messiah. The way it is translated may make it confusing. But if you took the time to flip back and look at Psalm 110:1 you would see David saying, “Yahweh says to my Lord. . .” In other words, David is referencing the Messiah as his superior.

This Messiah figure in Psalm 110 does not rule like David, nor does he rule with David, this Messiah rules with God. In this Psalm, God says to the Messiah, “sit at my right hand.” The Messiah rules over all, “until I put your enemies under your feet. . .” According to this psalm, God will cause everything to be subjected to the Messiah.

And this is what is startling about the Messiah. Even though he is truly called the “son of David” he is much more than a mere son of David. David himself acknowledges this when he calls him “Lord.” This leaves the question open. . .who’s son is he?

And all throughout Matthew’s gospel, he has given the answer: the son of God. Matthew 3:17 “17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” Matthew 17:5 “5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.””

The Pharisees cannot answer Jesus’s questions and are silent. They never again try to debate him or make a fool of him.

Jesus does not just claim to be the ruler of Jerusalem, or just the ruler of Israel, he claims to be the ruler of all, alongside God himself.

Relevance

If Jesus is Lord of all, is he Lord of your heart?

This the question that faces all of us. Because he is either our Lord or our enemy, and we do not want him as out enemy. God himself promises to do away with all of Jesus’s enemies.

Have you ever seen one of those videos where someone in court disrespects a judge? Judge Judy was real popular for a long time. She would not allow a plaintiff or defendant to disrespect her.

There was a real popular video that went around. I think because of Covid, courts started running virtual sessions. Defendants could appear by video in front of the judge. There was a video of someone who was caught driving with a suspended license. He was required to appear in court through the video conference call. He got on the call in time, and you can tell he’s not looking at the camera very often. Then you notice that it appears he is in a car. This man is literally driving a car with a suspended license while being in court for driving a car with a suspended license. As you can imagine, things did not go well with him. The judge gave a much harsher consequence because of it.

When you swing out into eternity, when you stand in the heavenly court room, what are you holding on to? What are you hoping in?

There are so many people around here who think they are good enough, they think, “Oh sure, I believe in Jesus,” and yet they live as if Jesus is simply a way to avoid hell not as Lord of their life.

So don’t look into your heart and wonder, “Do I really believe in him?” don’t try to keep a tally to prove you are a good person, instead ask yourself this one question: do you live as though Jesus is Lord of your life? Because it makes a difference!

Jesus proves to the Pharisees that he is no mere earthly king, he is the Lord of all, above the greatest king they have ever had. And they question that leaves us with is he our Lord?

Application

Summary

Jesus has pulled back the curtain. The Pharisees looked impressive, but they did not truly love God. And when Jesus pulls back the curtain on our hearts, we discover the same thing. We have not loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Yet the One who exposes us is also the One who stands at the right hand of God as Lord over all.

Tell

So stop pretending. Stop trying to convince yourself, others, or even God that you are better than you are. The greatest danger is not being exposed by Jesus; the greatest danger is spending your whole life hiding behind the curtain. Come to him honestly. Confess where your heart is divided, where your love has grown cold, where you have wanted him as Savior but not as Lord.

Show

What does that look like this week? Pick one place where you know Jesus is not fully Lord. Perhaps it is your thought life, your entertainment, your money, your schedule, your bitterness toward someone, your fear of what others think, your secret sin. Do not make a vague promise to “do better.” Name it specifically before God. Then surrender that one area to him every day this week in prayer: “Lord Jesus, this belongs to you. Rule here too.”

Image (Gospel)

Imagine standing before Jesus on the last day. Every curtain is gone. Every excuse is gone. Every hidden motive is brought into the light. And if all you have is your own record, you will stand there speechless like the Pharisees.

But imagine instead that beside you stands the very Judge himself. The Lord over the Law. The Lord over all. And he says, “This one is mine. I obeyed the greatest commandment for him. I loved the Father with all my heart, soul, and mind in her place. My righteousness is theirs.”

That is the gospel: the One who will judge you is the very One who died and rose to save all who trust him.

Challenge

So here is the question: when Jesus pulls back the curtain on your life, what will be revealed? Will it be a person still hiding, still pretending, still saying, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”? Or will it be a sinner who has come into the light and said:

“Lord Jesus, I have failed to love God as I should. But you are Lord. You obeyed where I could not. Rule my heart, forgive my sin, and make me yours.”

Do not leave here merely admiring Jesus as Lord over the law and Lord over all. Bow to him as Lord of you