A LAWYER
Following this, a lawyer who was an expert in the law of Moses, assured that he could defeat the Lord Jesus, asked Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (22:36). To this the Lord Jesus answered clearly and simply, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (22:37, 39). At this answer, the lawyer’s mouth also was shut.
The Lord Jesus answered every question. He silenced the priests, the elders, the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the lawyer. Then the Lord Jesus asked them a question: "What do you think concerning the Christ?" (22:42). The Lord seemed to be saying, "You have questioned me about religion, politics, fundamental beliefs, and the law. You have missed the mark. These are not the central point. The mark is Christ. What do you think about Christ? Tell me, whose descendant is Christ?" They had some knowledge of the Scriptures and answered promptly that Christ is the Son of David. The Lord acknowledged their answer as correct but then asked them, "How then does David in spirit call Him Lord?" (22:43). In other words, how could the grandfather call the grandson, "Lord"? Once again, every mouth was shut.
THE TWO NATURES OF CHRIST
Let us consider the same question. How could the grandfather call the grandson "Lord"? It is because Christ has two natures. On the one hand Christ is the Son of David, and on the other hand He is the Lord of David. He is a human being, a man, and according to his human nature, he is the descendant of David, the Son of David. However, the Lord Jesus is not so simple. He is wonderful! He is not only a human being; He is also a divine being. He has the human nature, and He has the divine nature. He is a man and He is God. As a man, He is the Son of David. As God, He is the Lord of David. The poor Pharisees and Sadducees did not see that the Lord Jesus was such a wonderful Person—both man and God. He is such a wonderful Person, having humanity as well as divinity.
But even more of Christ is revealed in this portion of the Word. Christ is also presented as the resurrected, ascended, and coming One. Matthew 22:44, a quotation from Psalm 110, says, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on My right hand." For the Lord Jesus to sit at the right hand of God means that He has been resurrected and has ascended into the heavens. Then Psalm 110 continues by saying, "Until I put your enemies underneath your feet" (22:44). This refers to His second coming. At the second coming of Christ, God will put all His enemies under His feet and make them His footstool. Here we see a wonderful Christ: He has humanity and divinity; He is the resurrected One, the ascended One, and the coming One. This Christ is the center of God’s purpose and economy. However, many Christians are like those poor Jews who were discussing religion, politics, and the interpretation of the Bible. They take care of the secondary items and miss the central item, which is Christ. They miss the Christ who is man and God, the crucified One, the resurrected One, the One raised to the third heavens, the One sitting at the right hand of God, and the One who will return to subdue all His enemies. This Christ is the central item.
The Lord Jesus revealed Himself to His opposers, but none of them saw the vision because they were filled with their indignation against Him. They were entirely preoccupied with other things. They simply could not hear a word about Christ as the center. Today the situation is the same. I have met a good number of dear Christians who had become fully preoccupied with their own things and were quite disturbed concerning the Lord’s recovery. When they talked with us, they could not receive even one word. They were absolutely confident that they were right and we were wrong. They did not offer the smallest space or the slightest opening to receive our word. We must see that in the kingdom of God there is no ground for religion, politics, or doctrine. In the kingdom every inch of the ground is for Christ. In the church, in the Lord’s recovery, and in the reality of the kingdom, every inch is for Christ.
If we summarize all of the points from the last chapter and from this chapter, we will see Christ with God’s building. We also will see the vain and wasted words of those who opposed the Lord Jesus. Christ is the Son of God, the chief cornerstone for the building of the church, the stumbling stone, and the smiting stone. To the church Christ is the cornerstone, to the unbelieving Jews He is the stumbling stone, and to the Gentile world He will be the smiting stone. He is also the Bridegroom, the center of the marriage feast. In addition, He is the very element of the marriage garment which qualifies us to share in the marriage feast. We must experience such a Christ. He is both God and man. He has been crucified, resurrected, and has ascended to the right hand of God where He is waiting until all His enemies are subdued. In all the local churches, we simply need this Christ. In the local church Christ is the center, the hub, and the church is the rim. The Lord’s recovery is Christ and the church. This is the kingdom. We do not want to hear anything about religion, politics, doctrines, or the interpretation of the Scriptures. We simply care for Christ.
(The Kingdom, Chapter 30, by Witness Lee)
