After I started following Jesus, I was blessed to have a godly man guide me in the ways of the Lord. He had a perspective about life that he had developed from years of studying and applying the things he learned from Scripture. I had very little experience in the ways of the Lord, so when I asked him questions, I must have sounded very ignorant and shallow. But at no time did I ever ask him a question where I was trying to test him.
When this man, who was known to be an expert in the law, came to test Jesus, he had no idea what a trap he was setting for himself. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law; His mission was to fulfill it the way God intended for it to be lived.
Being the skillful teacher He was, He asked this man a very simple question to prepare him for the greatest challenge of his life. I can imagine that teacher of the law drawing from the numerous passages he had memorized to proudly answer Jesus’ question.
Jesus masterfully acknowledged his well-chosen answer and set him up for a great teaching application in the next part of the famous lesson.