Matthew 22:35 (YLT)

Passage

and one of them, a lawyer, did question, tempting him, and saying,

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:33 And having heard, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching;

Matthew 22:34 and the Pharisees, having heard that he did silence the Sadducees, were gathered together unto him;

Matthew 22:35 and one of them, a lawyer, did question, tempting him, and saying,

Matthew 22:36 `Teacher, which <FI>is<Fi> the great command in the Law?'

Matthew 22:37 And Jesus said to him, `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thine understanding--

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "and the Pharisees having heard that he..." into verse 36's "Teacher which FI is Fi the great...", so "lawyer" and "question" 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 "question" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.