Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” Mark 12:24 ESV¹

Read Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27 & Luke 20:27-40

It might be possible for any person to use the Bible to defend any position he/she may hold. For many points of view, one would have to ignore much of the Scriptures to accomplish such a task. But it is a very real possibility as well as a significant danger for any of us, even those who are devoted Christians, to take Scriptures out of context and attempt to bend them to our purposes.

The Bible records an interaction Jesus had with a group of religious leaders who simultaneously assumed that they were right with God yet ignored major portions of God’s Word to hold onto their predetermined beliefs.

“The same day” (Matthew 22:23a), “Sadducees came to Him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked Him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife and when he died, left no offspring. And the second took her and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God’” (Mark 12:18-24)? “‘And Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore because they are equal to angels and are sons of God being sons of the resurrection’” (Luke 20:34-36). “‘And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”’ (Mark 12:26)? “‘Now, He is not God of the dead but of the living for all live to Him’” (Luke 20:38). “‘You are quite wrong’” (Mark 12:27b). “And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at His teaching” (Matthew 22:33). “Then some of the scribes answered, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well.’ 40 For they no longer dared to ask Him any question” (Luke 20:39-40).

Picking and Choosing

Often, we may be guilty of taking pleasing Bible verses out of context and applying them to our lives without considering the context. Whether we are intending to or not, by doing this, we are approaching the Word of God from a superior position. Instead of allowing the Scriptures to shape our belief system, we can take from the Scriptures those things that solidify our way of thinking and subconsciously dismiss anything that doesn’t agree.

Because the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, nor did they wish to change their perspective on the issue, they looked at Scripture through that biased lens. They saw what they wanted to see and operated out of that fixed position.

“The same day” (Matthew 22:23a), the Sadducees had witnessed Jesus silence the Pharisees and the Herodians when they attempted to catch Jesus in something He said to turn Him over to the authorities (Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:1-12 & Luke 20:20-26).²

Now, there was a difference of opinion between the Pharisees and Sadducees, two of the influential religious groups of the day, about the spiritual world and the afterlife.

“The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all” (Acts 23:8).

Both of these groups were very serious about what they believed. Luke, in The Acts of the Apostles, told of a time involving the Apostle Paul when this disagreement about the resurrection became violent.

“A dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in [Paul]. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And when the dissension became violent, the tribune [made up of unbelieving Romans], afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks” (Acts 23:7-10).

Manipulating the Word

The unloving attitude that often includes lashing out violently to those of differing opinions is created, in part, by coming to the Word of God looking for that which solidifies what we already believe. Our selfish pride makes us justify this behavior and assumes God’s stamp of approval on it. It is that same pride that keeps us from being humbled and bent to the whole counsel of Scripture. And it is that same high opinion of ourselves that encourages us to invent ways to assert our dominance over those who disagree with us.

The Sadducees may have come to Jesus with a multifaceted purpose. In asking their question about the resurrection, perhaps, they intended to discredit Jesus as well as exert dominance over the Pharisees who had failed in their attempt to trap Jesus. If the Sadducees were able to stump Jesus with their question, they would be successful where their competition had not been and they could show their superiority over this increasingly popular Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth. Additionally, if, by chance, Jesus did agree with them, the Sadducees might be able to assert their religious superiority over the Pharisees. In their minds, confronting Jesus was a win/win situation.

To accomplish their goal, the Sadducees picked one random law from the whole of the Old Testament that seemed to them to prove that the resurrection was impossible.

“‘If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel’” (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

The Sadducees conceived a scenario that confirmed to them what they already believed. And they arrogantly presented this possibility to Jesus.

“‘There were seven brothers; the first took a wife and when he died, left no offspring. And the second took her and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife’” (Mark 12:20-23).

To come to their conclusion about the resurrection, the Sadducees had to ignore evidence of life after death in multiple places throughout the Scriptures. The Old Testament contained physical evidence of people being raised from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-22; 2 Kings 4:18-21, 32-35). Also included in the Sacred Writings, were the testimonies of Job and David who believed they would be resurrected (Job 14:14-15, 19:25-27; Psalm 71:20). And the writings of the prophets spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-11) and the awakening from the dead of the righteous and the sinful in the end times (Psalm 49:13-15; Isaiah 26:19-20; Daniel 12:2-3).

Just on the basis of what was written in the Old Testament, which was available to the Sadducees, the Apostle Paul conclude that the resurrection was indeed factual.

“I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God … that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:14a-15).

Additionally, already, in His earthly ministry, Jesus had risen the son of a widow from the town of Nain (Luke 7:1-17), the preteen daughter of a synagogue ruler (Luke 8:49-56), and His friend, Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:1-44). If the Sadducees were seriously trying to discover the truth about the resurrection, they could have turned to multiple sources. Instead, they stubbornly and pridefully stuck with what they already believed.

According to Jesus, the Sadducees missed to most obvious proof that the resurrection was true in the very words and name of the God they claimed to follow.

“‘And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”’ (Mark 12:26)? “‘He is not God of the dead but of the living’” (Matthew 22:32b).

The Sadducees undoubtedly had read the passage about the burning bush multiple times. They could probably quote it word for word. And they may have even spent time teaching this passage to others. But they had not meditated upon it and searched for its deeper meaning. They may have had much knowledge but they did not know the Scriptures.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong because you know [not] the Scriptures …’” (Mark 12:24a)?

You cannot know the Scriptures if you do not possess the humility to ponder them and allow them to change your preconceived ideas concerning your religion.

Missing Out

The Bible is God’s Word, His chosen primary source for revealing Himself to humans. When we don’t know the Scriptures, we cannot know God. And when we don’t know God, we do not experience His power or encounter Him to the level which He intends. And when we are unable to encounter Him and His power, our faith is disabled.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong because you know [not] … the power of God’” (Mark 12:24)?

When we don’t believe God is who His Word says He is, nor that He can do what His Word says He can do, this prevents us from seeing God working in the very ways we most need to experience Him. This unbelief hinders us from transferring the true knowledge of God’s character into the circumstances of our lives.

Because the Sadducees did not believe in the dead being raised, they missed out on the importance of the resurrection of Christ. In the process, they overlooked the essentialness of their spiritual regeneration.

Just a few days after the Sadducees approached Jesus attempting to justify their perspective on life after death, Jesus proved the truth of the resurrection by raising from the dead Himself. The evidence of Christ’s resurrection was established by many witnesses. Paul explained:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Notice that Paul said, “For I delivered to you as of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3a, emphasis added). Resurrection is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Bible. Speaking to the believing Jews, some of whom may have been former Sadducees, the writer of the book of Hebrews exhorted them to accept the resurrection as a simple fact and move on to deeper spiritual revelation.

“Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1-2).

 Embracing Transformation

When we come to the Bible with preconceived ideas, looking for verses to justify our positions or collecting ammunition to prove what we want to believe, we will miss the very truths that transform our lives and give us freedom and hope. But if we choose to believe that the Bible contains the words of a Sovereign, All-knowing, Loving God our hearts can be opened to discover the life-changing truths for which our souls have been longing. When we realize God cannot lie (see Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2 & Hebrews 6:18), our stone-hard arrogancy begins to melt into humility. It is then that we begin to accept God’s Word as correct even if it differs from our opinions. Because the Sadducees couldn’t get past their disbelief in the resurrection, that position became a blockage that hindered many of them from receiving salvation.

Why is the resurrection of Christ essential to the Christian faith? Why is it necessary for salvation to believe Jesus was resurrected?

• Without the crucifixion and the subsequent resurrection, humanity could never be saved

The Apostle Paul wrote to those who were struggling with the idea of the resurrection.

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. … For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 16-19).

For salvation, we need to believe that Jesus came to this Earth, took on a human body, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and was raised from the dead. If Jesus was not raised, that means our sins have not been forgiven. If we are not forgiven, we are still in our sins and we will rightly face eternal punishment for our wrongdoing. Since Jesus did die, paying the price for our sins, and rose again we have access to eternal life. Upon our believing and receiving Christ’s gift on our behalf, it is as if, in God’s eyes, we never sinned at all.

• Jesus’ resurrection means His sacrifice for us was sufficient. His resurrection means, in Him, our sins are forgiven.

The author of Hebrews explained:

 “Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. … For by a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11-12, 14).

Obviously, between offering a completely sufficient sacrifice and sitting down at the right hand of God, Jesus had to rise from the dead. Paul promised:

“[Righteousness] will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised from the dead, Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25).

Although He was sinless, Jesus willingly experienced death, the punishment for sin. But death, having no right to Him, could not hold Him and Jesus rose again. If Jesus had been a sinner, His death would have been required to pay for own His sins. Because Jesus was righteous, His death was a perfect sacrifice that extends to all who chose to believe in Him. Because He rose, we can be forgiven and His righteousness is passed on to us.

• Jesus’ resurrection means death has been defeated. In Christ, our punishment has been removed.

We have inherited a sinful nature from our forefather, Adam. In Adam, we are sinners and experience death as retribution for sin. But, through Christ, we are raised to life. In Christ, we have been transferred from death to life by faith.

“Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment’” (John 5:25-29).

Because Christ died and was resurrected, all humanity will rise again from the dead. Since Jesus conquered death with His righteous life, He will have the right to judge all the resurrected. Those who have accepted His gift of salvation will enter into eternal life with Jesus. Those who have rejected Jesus and His sacrifice will enter into eternal judgment away from His presence.

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:2-3).

“But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him” (Hebrews 9:26b-28).

• Jesus’ resurrection means sin has been conquered. Through Christ, our struggle with sin, self, and Satan has been quelled.

Jesus was made like us so we could be made like Him. Because death had no right to Him, in Christ, it has no right to us either. In Christ, death can no longer hold us; we also will rise.

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. … Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:14-15, 17).

“You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages, He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:1-9).

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin but He also deprived Satan and our fleshly natures of the strength and power they once had over us. In Christ, the enemy no longer has anything over which he can accuse us, and in Christ, we can deny sin and choose righteousness.

• Jesus’ resurrection makes change possible. In Christ, we become new creatures.

Now, one must die before he/she can come back to life. The resurrected life is different than the previous life which died. Though He was recognized as the same person, Jesus’ resurrected body was capable of doing things His previous body was not. In His new body, Jesus could enter closed rooms (see John 20:19). Jesus’ raised body was able to disappear (see Luke 24:30-31). As far as we can tell from recorded Scripture, it doesn’t seem that Jesus’ resurrected body needed food or rest.

Jesus instructed the Sadducees,

“‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage for they cannot die anymore because they are equal to angels and are sons of God being sons of the resurrection’” (Luke 20:34-36).

Paul explained this transformation like this:

“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” (1 Corinthians 15:50-55).

Physically, our resurrection means a changed physical body. But resurrection isn’t only physical; it also must be spiritual. There is a spiritual resurrection after a spiritual death that results in a new spiritual body. We need to die to our sin and selfishness before we can live in righteousness. This type of resurrection does not happen in the future upon our physical deaths but happens here and now when we die to ourselves. The power of God is demonstrated in this by a changed life.

“For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died, He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives he lives to God. So, you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:5-11).

“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:8-11).

If, in Christ, we have died to sin and have been raised to righteousness, our lives should be revamped to match this change.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are Above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are Above, not on things that are on Earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death therefore, what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming …  Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:1-5, 12-14).

“Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

• Jesus’ resurrection means eternal life is a reality. In Him, our life does not end.

“[Paul prayed] that [believers would] know what is the hope to which He has called [them], what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward [them] who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:18-20).

By believing in Christ, we can experience the power of His resurrection in us. In Him, we are transferred from death into unending life where we have hope of an inheritance in heavenly places.

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive … Thus, it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the Last Adam became a Life-giving Spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the Second Man is from Heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the Man of Heaven, so also are those who are of Heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the Man of Heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:19-22, 45-49).

Because He conquered death through His resurrection, the Son has the right to give eternal life to those who believe in Him for salvation. Eternal life begins at the point of salvation and is sustained by intimately coming to know Jesus while we are here in our earthly bodies.

“‘Since [the Father gave the Son] authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom [the Father had] given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know [the Father], the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He had] sent’” (John 17:2-3).

Eternal life continues with Christ in Heaven in our redeemed, angelic-like bodies.

“But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as He has chosen and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind and the glory of the earthly is of another. … So, is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:35-40, 42-44).

“Beloved, we are God’s children now and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

Unless the resurrection is real, there is no hope for salvation, forgiveness, pardon, righteousness, victory over the enemy, or eternal life. Hyperbolizing, Paul pronounced:

“If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Corinthians 15:32b).

Submitting to God’s Word

Just because you say something isn’t so, that statement doesn’t make that thing non-existent. Until they were blue in the face, the Sadducees could demand that there was no such thing as the resurrection but that would not make what they said true. Like the Sadducees, what you believe may not be true.

Just because you sincerely believe something, it doesn’t make it so. But if God says something, it does make it so! That is why He has given us the Bible and why He has preserved it all these many years even in the face of those who have tried to stamp out it. The Scriptures contain what we need to know to discover God, His purposes, and His ways. The Bible points the way to salvation, righteousness, and eternal life. We can truly know the Scriptures if we take the time to go both deep and wide into the Word of God. And we can experience the power of God if we humble ourselves to what we find in the Bible and respond accordingly. So, let’s repent from trying to make the Bible promote what already believe and start accepting what God has to say.

 

¹ Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

² For my commentary on this event, check out: https://www.blueturtletrails.com/faithful-rendering/