Normally I would say to read a Bible text before reading here, but for Matthew 22:15-46 it may be better to do the reverse.
Remember the setting. It is probably Tuesday of what we would call Holy Week. Jesus is preaching to the crowds in the courtyards surrounding the Jerusalem temple. His teachings challenge the status quo maintained by the Jewish religious leaders. They are not happy. To make matters more tense, yesterday Jesus came into the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and caused a stir. A riot while the city is packed for the Passover holiday is the last thing the Jewish leaders want.
First century Judaism was not a united religion. There were a number of factions.
Perhaps the biggest were the Pharisees. These Jews recognized the importance of the temple in Jerusalem but also established their own synagogues (teaching sites) throughout the region. They accepted what we would call the Old Testament as scripture.
The Sadducees were another major group. They rejected the Pharisees decentralized teaching sites and focused on the centrality of the temple. Perhaps they could be called more conservative than the Pharisees. The only scripture they recognized were the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Herodians made a third group. As their name suggests, they supported the leadership of the Herod family. The Herods were not blood line Jews and their claims were illegitimate. But it was good enough for the Romans!
The Zealots were a nationalistic movement against the Romans and were apparently quick to take up arms.
The Essenes were a sect that had removed themselves from other forms of Judaism. They often lived apart. The Qumran community which is responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls was perhaps the largest Essene community. The Essenes are nowhere mentioned in the Bible
There were not necessarily clear lines between these factions. In general though, they did not get along. However...
In these verses from Matthew 22 we discover at least three of these groups united around a common opponent: Jesus.
Often the things Jesus says here are pulled out of context. They are presented as deep and significant things Jesus teaches. That is probably a mistaken approach. It is better to interpret these verses remembering that Jesus is in hot water with every faction of Judaism that would show its face in the temple. These factions are challenging Jesus one after another. The Pharisees have joined forces with their rivals, the Herodians, and they try to trap Jesus (22:15-22) He turns the tables on them. Then the Sadducees have a go at him. (22:23-33) They use an absurd situation based on their limited scriptures. But by quoting from that same limited scripture Jesus replies with a greater challenge. Then the Pharisees immediately try again, this time on their own. (22:34-45) Jesus replies with a very orthodox answer. But then he responds with a challenge of his own. Ultimately Jesus takes on all and silences all.
I think the biggest thing to notice here is that Judaism is uniting against Jesus. Jesus is taking no party line but showing problems within them all. When we get to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus he does nothing to defend himself. Some interpret this as meekness and acceptance. However, remember that Jesus has taken on his opponents before. What was left to say? Nothing.
I think these verses are more intended to show humanity rejecting Jesus rather than highlighting what Jesus says. Jesus does have a lot more to say. We'll turn to that next week as we look at Chapters 23-25. For now though, let this remind us once again that God's logic does not follow our logic. God's ideas of power do no follow our ideas of power. Our categories are not God's categories. A life driven by truly responding to God's grace is not going to ingratiate us to those who have earthly power. Yet this should not frighten us. Our Lord Jesus faced the same. And by his presence we can face it too.
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