Introduction
Tuesday of Jesus’ final week is one of the busiest days of His earthly ministry. After cleaning out the Temple on Monday, Jesus returns to Jerusalem on Tuesday to teach, challenge hypocrisy, answer profound questions, and prepare His disciples for the future. His words today are full of knowledge, conviction, and prophetic insight. As we reflect on some of Tuesday’s events, we are encouraged to examine our hearts, strengthen our faith, and walk in spiritual discernment.
Below is the outline of the events that happened on Tuesday.
- The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree (Matthew 21:20–22, Mark 11:20–26).
- Jesus’ Authority Challenged (Matthew 21:23–27, Mark 11:27–33, Luke 20:1–8).
- Jesus taught in Parables: (Matthew 21:28–22:14, Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19). The Two Sons, The Wicked Tenants, The Wedding Feast
- Jesus Debates in Public: (Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, Luke 20:20–26). Paying Taxes, Question about Resurrection, The Greatest Commandment, the Messiah.
- Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1–36, Mark 12:38–40, Luke 20:45–47).
- Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37–39).
- The Widow’s Offering (Mark 12:41–44, Luke 21:1–4).
While these events cannot all be covered in this short write-up, I will concentrate on one main event: The debate about The Greatest Commandment
The Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40)
On the Tuesday of His last week on earth, Jesus stood in the Temple courtyards, surrounded by questions designed to trap Him. Religious authorities questioned His authority, tested His knowledge, and attempted to reduce His mission to a legal dispute. It was a tense day, one of His last public teachings before the cross. In such a context, Jesus was asked a deep question.
“Which commandment is the greatest?”
Instead of debating over the technicalities of law, Jesus exposed God’s heart by His answer. While Jesus did not dismiss their question about the great commandment, ‘Love God with all your heart.’ He turned the answer outwardly: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” By so doing, Jesus reinterpreted faith as compassion in action in a setting characterised by hierarchy and division. How we treat individuals, especially those who are unable to repay us, demonstrates our genuine commitment to God. According to Jesus, the Greatest Commandment includes a faith that is relational, wholehearted, and evident in the way we love others.
How we treat individuals, especially those who are unable to repay us, demonstrates our genuine commitment to God. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” It serves as a reminder that love, love for God and love for people, rather than complexity, is at the core of Christianity. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Jesus reminded His audience that obedience is worthless without love. The law was never intended to be a burden of regulations but rather a means of fostering relationships. He demonstrated that God’s desire has always been connection, heart to heart, life to life, by putting love at the centre. To love God unconditionally and without reservation.
As Christians, this is an exhortation to give Him our entire being, including our thoughts, feelings, desires, and behaviours. Just as Jesus asked His audience to consider how much they loved God on that Tuesday, He is asking you and me today to think about our love for him, which can be demonstrated in the way we love our neighbours, our fellow human beings.
In this Holy Week, it is essential to allow LOVE to serve as an anchor that keeps us firmly rooted in our trust in Christ.