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In the Gospel reading Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus is asked which commandment is the greatest. I suspect he meant which commandment is the most important. Jesus responds to the question by combining two teachings one. He quotes from the Torah, Love God: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”, Deuteronomy 6:5. Love your neighbour: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, Leviticus 19:18. Jesus creatively brings these two commands together in passage.

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There is also a sub-story here—one hidden in plain sight. Why were some Pharisees so adversarial toward Jesus? The first point worth noting is that not all Pharisees were against Jesus.

Sadly, however, there was a small group of Pharisees who actively worked to undermine and trap Jesus at every opportunity. I am sure Jesus was likely annoyed by them. Yet, ironically, some of Jesus’ most powerful teachings emerged from his dialogue with the Pharisees.

As a psychologist, I wonder why those particular Pharisees were so opposed to Jesus when many of their colleagues were not. You may have heard the expression “overreacting.” People often use it to describe someone whose response seems far greater than the situation warrants.

But I would argue that people are not necessarily overreacting.

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In Scripture, heaven and the reign of God are often described as a banquet. We know that the first miracle Jesus performed making wine was at a wedding banquet. This image would have had particular meaning in the ancient world. Food preservation was difficult because refrigeration did not exist. People generally ate what was available.

Perhaps the parable speaks to what happens when we become so busy that we fail to recognize the Spirit working in our lives and communities. The king invites people to a celebration that would feed them physically, emotionally, and socially. Yet they walk away. Could something similar happen in our own lives?

We may be invited into experiences that nourish our bodies, our relationships, and our spiritual lives. But because we are busy, distracted, or preoccupied, we may fail to recognize or value the invitation. We may walk away from possibilities that could help us grow.

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