16
the character of God. He quoted Exodus 3:6, "
ejgwv eijmi oJ qeo;" jAbraa;m kai; oJ qeo;"
jIsaa;k kai; oJ qeo;" jIakwvb
." Since, "
oujk e[stin oJ qeo;" nekrw`n ajlla; zwvntwn
God is not the
God of the dead but the living," it follows inferentially, there is a resurrection from the
dead. With such a proof, the Sadducees are shamed to silence, and the crowds is
"
ejxeplhvssonto
"--overwhelmed in amazement,
58
for again he taught with authority (7:28;
13:54; 22:22) thus further amplifying Jesus' ethos.
Round four, part one: Love the L
ORD
22:34-40
Jesus, challenger to the Jewish leadership groups, is yet to be defeated. Now the
Pharisees enlist one of their Torah experts, a
nomiko;"
, a scribal lawyer, for another
rhetorical assault. The lawyer poses a question concerning the greatest theological
principle of conduct: "
didavskale, poiva ejntolh; megavlh ejn tw`/ novmw/
?" In riposte, Jesus
provides the correct answer, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:5): "
ajgaphvsei" kuvrion to;n
qeovn sou ejn o{lh/ th`/ kardiva/ sou kai; ejn o{lh/ th`/ yuch`/ sou kai; ejn o{lh/ th`/ dianoiva/ sou
."
Without pause He confidently adds, "
deutevra de; oJmoiva aujth`/:
ajgaphvsei" to;n plhsivon
sou wJ" seautovn
." By drawing from Leviticus 19:18 Jesus masterfully coalesces the Old
Testament holiness code. The Decalogue and the Covenant are fulfilled by loving God in
faithful obedience and loving one's "neighbors" as well. No Pharisee would disagree that
on this doubled commandment "all the Law and the prophets hang (
krevmatai
)." Thus, by
removing grounds for controversy or identification of heresy, Jesus brilliantly undercuts
their attempt to cast him as a heretic outside the center of the Jewish orthodoxy or even
the Pharisaic "party line."
Round four, part two: David's Lord 22:41-46
While the Pharisee elite was standing there, Jesus now goes on the offensive.
Jesus' questions speak to the heart of the matter--they concern both the authority and the
57
Neyrey, 49.
58
Carson, 461; Neyrey, 113, 111.