I find the best questions lead us to the best answers. Certainly it is true that a poor question keeps a person lost or confused, so we must seek high quality questions before God in order to learn from Him. The disciples of Jesus were like this and the Pharisees pretended to be.
Do you ask questions as a Disciple or a Pharisee?
In Matthew 22: 34-40 we read the discourse between Jesus and the Pharisees, who were trying to prove that Jesus was not Who He said He was. Wrong motives always lead to poor behaviour. When you read the passage in context and compare the behaviour of those present, you’ll find your right motive. The Pharisees were trying to trick and trap Jesus so they could have Him destroyed. The people, however, were amazed at His teaching, astounded by His wisdom, and followed Him with a hunger for more.
Wrong motives always lead to poor behaviour.
Jesus tried to silence the Pharisees earlier with a pretty sharp question of his own; “Do you not read the scriptures?” (Matt 21:42). You could probably cut the air with a knife, but even that rebuke didn’t slow them down or redirect them!
Jesus teaches us the Greatest Commandment
You can learn from any interaction with Jesus, even when your motive are impure or your attention is wavering. The times in my life when I’ve made colossal mistakes have been responded to in love and grace by Jesus and brought me to a place of discipleship – which is personal growth. And, so, in this question presented by the malicious Pharisees, we can glean a benefit for ourselves.
What, then, is the Greatest Commandment? It would be good for us to make sure we do not miss the answer our Teacher gives us. “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,’” Jesus says, quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 (in Matt 22:37).
We are created by God in the image of God to spend our lives prioritising how we worship God. We will worship God only in accordance with the image we hold of God. This is why unbelievers do not worship, for they do not know God. But what happens when believers have a wrong image of God? Their worship is mis-aligned, (the Pharisees are a great example!). When we have a true picture of God, we will worship as He deserves.
Make sure you catch the new devotion series, Called to Minister. It’s just five short videos, but will be sure to encourage you in your life of worship.