All In
Matthew 22 records a day when Jesus encountered the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Scribes all of whom were determined to catch Him and trip Him up. These three groups represented the leadership of the Jewish people. The Pharisees were the “law guys.” They were the ones who knew what the law said and called the people to follow them. Jesus, though, gave this warning, “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not do.” (Matthew 23:3).
The Sadducees were a religiopolitical group. They were wealthy businessmen who, though calling people to follow the law, were more involved in the political side of life. They chose to agree more with the Romans than the common people were comfortable doing. However, they seem to have done this because they were so wealthy that they wanted to protect themselves even to the point of siding with the Romans. Jesus warned about their teachings as well (Matthew 16:6).
The scribes were upheld as the wise men. Not many could write and they were given the task of copying the Scriptures over and over as primitive copy machines. The scribes knew the written word so well that it was said they knew the middle letter on a papyrus page. They could be called the sticklers for the details of the written law. They were also lawyers.
On this particular day, these groups came to catch Jesus in some kind of error. “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.” (Matthew 22:15). The same day the Sadducees posed a question to try to catch Him though they did not believe the premise of the question themselves. They did not believe in angels or the afterlife, but that is what they asked about. Finally, the scribes came to test Him.
This last test was to tell what was the greatest command. The scribes thought for sure that they had Him because they were the lawyers who knew that all the law was important. Jesus’ answer was so powerful that “…no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” (Matthew 22:46).
Jesus answered their question with such power and clarity. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (verse 37). He was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 where the heart, soul, and strength are referenced. Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27 record the same event and reference all 4—heart, soul, mind, strength.
For our purposes, the point of this answer is to say that we must be all in with God. With our heart, we must be all in with intimacy. With the soul, we must be all in with intensity. With the mind, we must be all in with intention. With strength, we must be all in with involvement. This truly represents our whole being. Are you all in?
— Mike Johnson
