Disingenuous Questions

Gospel:  Matthew 22: 34-40

Today's Gospel portion seems ordinary on the surface.  The Pharisees ask Jesus a question about the law, and Jesus answers it.  No controversy ensues, and it moves on to the next scene.  But there is more to this passage than meets the eye.  The Pharisees approach Jesus because they saw that he had rebuked the Sadducees, their bitter enemies.  They see in Jesus a potential ally, and so they approach him with a question about the law to see if he might in fact be one of them.  

Their question about the law is not a sincere one.  There is not a desire to know the truth about the matter.  The question serves only to see whether Jesus agrees with them or not.  As it happens, a great many Pharisees would in fact agree with Jesus' answer to the question.  To love God above all else and to love one's neighbor is an answer many rabbis and scholars of the law would agree as the foundations of the entire Jewish law.  But the answer is incidental in this case.

This passage serves as a caution for us.  Do we approach Jesus with questions because we sincerely want to know the answer, or do we approach Jesus with a desire for him to agree with us?  How much of religion is about creating images of God and theologies to support our preconceived positions!  Yet, authentic religion is about the quest for wisdom and truth that informs and shapes our lives to deeper commitments of mercy and love for others.