 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? Mark 12:18-24 There are two things we all better take to heart before we leave this earth. Number one, we need to know the Scriptures, and number two, we need to know the power of God. The Sadducees were a religious group of people who were very wealthy and highly influential in the political scene. They didn't believe in differentiating between good and evil because they said it was a personal choice for everyone to make--everything was relative to them. They didn't believe that God could do miracles, the resurrection being one of them. So they were an organized bunch of politicians who came across as being religious in order to gain influence among the people. Does that sound familiar? How many times do you see politicians attending multiple church services from varied religious groups. We can't help but think that their attendance is more politically-motivated than genuine. So here are these Sadducees trying to ask Jesus a really outrageous question. Look at Jesus' first words to them: "You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." The word for mistaken in the King James Version is a bit more accurate when it reads, "Do you not therefore err…" The Sadducees weren't just inadvertently making a mistake; they were willfully choosing to be in error. They denied that Jesus was who He said He was and they denied God's power. And this is where we can also make errors in life: by not being a person of the Word of God and not believing in and living by its power. We can get so sidetracked by questions and topics that have no real spiritual value. We come into contact with people every week that want to find a chink in our armor; some weird tangential question that keeps them from making a decision to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Don't allow their Sadduccaical questions to stray you from the focus of their need for a Savior in their lives. We get the awesome privilege to live out God's Word to a dying world. Don't forget its power in your life. Yes, God and His Word have the power to change lives--and to change your life! Do you believe it? Are you a living example of it? Don't be deceived by the so-called religious people or the politicians who deny the power of God. The Scriptures say that Jesus is coming back and that those who have lived by faith will be raised together with Him. Trust in His Word and trust in His power to save. Complete trust in God makes for great worship. Believing and living out God's Word makes for happy homes and families. Being a person of the Word makes for ethical and moral decision-making at work. Trusting in God's power makes for a person who is baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, able to accomplish the incredible. Make a choice this day to be a living light of His awesome power. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). |
Keeps them from making a decision to follow Jesus ~ Mike MacIntosh
