URC Daily Devotion 27 February 2026

St Matthew 22: 41 – 46
 
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’  He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
 
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet’”?
 
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’  No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
 
Reflection 
 
Which child is your favourite? There are any number of attempts at forced choices that don’t lead anywhere. The classic conundrum….. Wordplay, whataboutery, riddles…. They are all here in this little passage highlighting the age-old play on words that so often results in misunderstanding, misdirection, or, heaven forfend, fake news!!!
 
In today’s social media world the dualistic/reductionist questions asked are making a comeback. Too often literalism rules, when what is required is the time and nuance to ease out of them in a similar manner, add one little stretch. The subtle response probably won’t be caught, but will aid folks hear a new story in just a little bit. As it did for Jesus listeners in his to and fro with the Pharisees, hearing him ask question after question of them.. 
 
The great sadness here is in the last line, “nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” 
 
We seek to know the boundaries, to establish the limits and practice the restrictions, exploring safely the Spirit’s expectations. We are not prepared for the shock of her inclusivity. We resist a universal acceptance, irrespective of another’s social, ethnic, religious, political, financial standing. 
 
“Insiders” and “outsiders.” That’s what we understand. That’s what we want to assess. A person’s skills, her language abilities, his cultural customs, her values and beliefs, his readiness to assimilate, her commitments….. to make sure they are on the same page as us.
 
Asking questions is directly related to good. It is in the interplay of question and response, and question of a response, etc. that we test for the common good. When economic theories trump questions about same, we are in deep difficulty. This is the real world equivalent of not asking religious questions – when they stop we are in deep difficulty.
 
Testing questions, helpful questions, require that everything be up for grabs. They also respect provisional responses knowing that they will be tested in time to come.
 
Prayer
 
The Holy Spirit is an unrestricted ocean of compassion,
always moving, patient with the questioner;
seeing the hidden agenda a question reveals,
never demeaning the one who asks.
Insiders. Convenient, comfortable, acceptable, safe.
But then the Holy Spirit shatters our conventions,
breaking our traditions, smashing down our barriers.
In the power of love the gift of grace allows 
a flood of compassion to cascade justice
on all who are in Her way