Matthew 22:35 (ASV)

Passage

And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him:

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:33 And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Matthew 22:34 But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together.

Matthew 22:35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him:

Matthew 22:36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

Matthew 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lawyer", "asked", "question", and "trying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lawyer" and "asked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "But the Pharisees when they heard that..." into verse 36's "Teacher which is the great commandment in...", so "lawyer" and "asked" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lawyer" and "asked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.