Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity (1880)

Matthew 22:34-46

No doctrine has been so forcefully debated within the first five centuries of the
Christian church as the doctrine of Christ (Docetists, Arians, Nestorians, Eutychians).
Many have stumbled in these disputes and it illustrates a dark spot in the history of the
Christian Church. It has been said, "Why this dispute? What is important, Who and
what was Christ? The main thing is and remains not Christ's person and work, but
Christ's teaching." This is a great error. Christ's person and work is inseparable from His
teaching; yes, Christ's person and work is the actual focus and the foundation of His
teaching. If this foundation falls down, then the entire structure of his teaching falls
down. Christ Himself also testifies to this in today's Gospel. After the Pharisees had
referred the question, "What is the greatest commandment in the Law?" to Him and
Christ had answered this question, He subsequently put forward the question to the
Pharisees: "What do you think about Christ?" thus indicating that this is the most
important question. The subject of our present consideration therefore is:

The important question: "What do you think about Christ?"

On doing so, we consider:
1. what answer the Pharisees once gave to this question;
a. what their response was (Christ is David's Son, nothing more, therefore
a mere man
1
),
b. why they thought about Christ this way (because they not only did not
delve into the promises of the prophets about the One Who was to
come, not with desire of salvation, but also did not understand God's
Law, the fulfilling of the Law in all kinds of external works, did not seek
in the love of God and the neighbor, and therefore can be righteous
before God and be saved through the Law and presumed to need no
Savior),
c. that the entire world is today still full of these Pharisees;

2. what Christ Himself had declared to be the only correct answer,
a. what is His answer, . that Christ is not only a true man as David's Son,
but also true God as David's Lord, actually both in one person, and . that

1
Cf. Matthew 16:13-14.
He is the "Lord", i.e. Redeemer of the world dearly bought by Him as
His possession,
b. whoever stands only in this knowledge (whoever can say with David
from the heart of Christ: "My Lord"
2
);

3. how important it is whether a man answers falsely or truly the question: "What do
you think about Christ?"; because
a. whoever answers the question falsely like the Pharisees is irretrievably
lost, because outside of Christ there is no salvation
3
, and is still one of
Christ's enemies, whom He will make His footstool
4
,
b. whoever answers truly from the heart like Christ in today's Gospel can
and should be certain of his salvation, because Christ sits at the right
hand of God; therefore He forevermore can save those who come to
God through Him
5


Finally, I ask you, my hearers, the crucial question about salvation and
damnation: "What do you think about Christ?" Perhaps this question is not required
within a Christian community. Only in this time of apostasy has this question become
necessary even amidst Christ's Church. Perhaps all of you can answer it in the same
way as Peter once answered it: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
6


2
Romans 10:9 and the 2nd Article of the Creed ("is my Lord").
3
John 14:6, 10:9; Acts 4;12; John 8:24.
4
Luke 19:27, 20:18.
5
Hebrews 7:25.
6
Matthew 16:16.