The Rev’d Jim Lam

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (25 October 2026. Year A)

Readings: Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18, Psalm 1, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 22:34-46

Jesus was surely widely-known in his days, but as the gospel story we heard just now indicates, Jesus’ popularity might not match his fame, especially among the high and mighty in the Jewish society. In Matthew 22 alone – this is the chapter from which last Sunday and today’s Gospel readings are taken – Jesus was asked tricky questions by the Herodians, the Sadducees, and then the Pharisees, one after the other. The passage we just heard was the bit about a question posted by the Pharisees and the way Jesus handled it.
The entire sequence was part of a high-pressure confrontation in the Jerusalem temple where religious leaders made continuous attempts to trap Jesus publicly before his arrest and crucifixion.
It is interesting to note that in the four Gospels, Jesus was asked some 180 questions. Many of them were tricky questions or traps set by religious leaders like the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were designed to discredit him, trap him in his words, or force him to break Roman or Jewish law. So, how did Jesus handle all these?
Instead of responding with simple and direct answers to such traps, Jesus routinely offered counter-questions, parables, or, remained silent. Author and former Church of England parish priest Paul Ian Clarke argued that Jesus was not avoiding the truth at all. Instead, he was trying to help people see the questions differently, because he recognized that the questions people asked were often not the questions they really needed answered. (Paul Ian Clarke, The Strange Reason Jesus Refused to Answer Questions, Medium). This way, Jesus exposed the questioner’s motives and shifted the focus to self-examination, rather than getting himself entrapped in what he said.
So, did Jesus answer any questions explicitly at all? Pastor and scholar, Martin B Copenhaver published a book in 2014 entitled: “Jesus is the Question: The 307 Questions Jesus Asked and the 3 He Answered”. From the book title alone, we can summarise that Jesus had a one-in-a-hundred straight reply rate when we compare the number of direct, unvague answers he gave with the times he responded in other ways. The Gospel passage we just heard was one out of the three. So, let’s take a closer look at the story.
A lawyer, who was a member of the pharisees, asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the Law. From the Scripture, we know that this particular man had no real interest or intention to get to the bottom of this matter. However, from another perspective, this could also be considered an honest question. Right? Have you ever wondered what pleases God most? Have you ever pondered whether there could be a commandment that God would deem more important than others?
Why, then, was the question this man put to Jesus considered a loaded one? We must take into consideration that the Pharisees regarded the Mosaic Law as the core foundation of identity, piety, and daily life and scrupulous obedience to it was the ultimate path to holiness for the Jewish people. Although they spent a lot of time ranking laws, they still consider all laws equally important, because they were what their God commanded them to obey. This would mean that, should Jesus pick out any one law as greater than the others, he would be saying that the other laws were less great and less important. Such words could be considered potentially blaspheming!
And yet, this time, Jesus did not bypass the question. Instead, he gave a straight answer. Quoting Scriptures, Jesus directly summarised the Ten Commandments. He said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Deuteronomy 6:5). And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18). On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-39).
Although he often used indirect methods, Jesus did speak plainly on vital occasions, like this time. Jesus gave a straightforward response because this question addressed the very core of human morality and divine law. And because, Jesus’ whole ministry was essentially focused on redefining faith – moving it from strict legalism to a deep relationship built on love.
In our Old Testament reading this morning, we heard that God spoke through Moses to his people that “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2). This is a foundational and highly important concept, and so, was repeated a total of six times in the Book of Leviticus. Holiness involves being set apart for God’s purposes, that is, living a life that is redirected towards God’s priorities. Jesus’ words provided an ultimate roadmap for holiness. Loving God with all heart, soul and mind ensures that one’s inner life, thoughts, and motives are aligned with Him. From this, true holy behaviour flows naturally as a result.
In other words, for a human, holiness is not achieved through rigidly following legalistic requirements, but rather, changing what and who one loves. In effect, Jesus made it clear that the true essence of fulfilling that holy standard was love. Therefore, to grow in holiness, one must grow in love, because God is love (1 John 4:8). This means that, if one loves God completely, one would, and should, also love one’s neighbour actively, because this reflects God’s divine nature.
How to do that? These are some of the ways Scripture teaches us to show neighbourly love, including:
• Watching our words, so that we use speech to build, encourage, and heal, rather than gossip, tear down or cause harm;
• Show hospitality and generosity, through sharing resources and welcoming strangers;
• Carry one another’s burden, by offering practical help to people going through grief, hardship, or physical distress;
• Love and pray for enemies, by extending forgiveness, kindness and prayer, even to those who might have mistreated or opposed you; and
• Seek justice for the vulnerable, by standing up and advocate for the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed.
So much to do and learn!? Yes and no. Many of these are what we in All Saints are doing already, or planning to do. Remember our community-serving activities and programmes? The Food Bank, Seasons, and Lunch on Jesus, just to mention a few. And also, do you recall our pastoral team’s sharing about “How do we show we care?” last Sunday?
Through all these, people will know that we are followers of Jesus by our love. They will see in us the image of Christ, as The Reverend Lucy said last week.
Yeah! We are doing well. Let us pat ourselves on our back! And feel smug. But just for one minute. We must not allow ourselves to be drunk with self-complacency, but work together and try even harder
To fill each human house with love,
It is the sacrament of care;
The work that Christ began to do,
We humbly pledge ourselves to share.
Just like we sang in our final hymn last Sunday. Amen.