Who's Asking?

Mark(ed) for Action  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  45:17
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Intro

“Can I have some money?”
That question depends as much on who is asking as it does the question itself.
“Can I have some money… for the carnival games?” Child to parent.
“Can I have some money… to food?” Same child, at college.
“Can I have some money… that I loaned you?” The lender to the borrower.
“Can I have some money… before the police arrive?” said the bank robber.
Are we asking out of dependance or desperation? Asking for what we’re owed or demanding what is not ours?
Today we’ll read about a group of people - the Sadducees - who approached Jesus with a question. Mark 12:18. There are three things we must answer to understand Jesus’ response. 1) Who are the Sadducees? 2) What’s the nature of their question? 3) Who are they asking. When we’ve explored those questions, we’ll be ready to apply the lesson.
Pray
Mark 12:18–27 ESV
18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “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. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 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’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

Who’s Askin’?

This is a little tough for me. The passage today takes us to an interaction with Jesus and a group I probably would be naturally draw to.
We might be familiar with the the Pharisees - they are one of our favorite boogie men in the NT.
There seems to have been three main sects, or schools of thought, in what is called second temple Judaism. Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Essenes.
Let me ask - What do you know about the Sadducees? (The Sadducees are sad you see, because they don’t believe in the resurrection.)
The Pharisees we know better. But the third group are the Essenes. These were the guys who lived in communes out near the caves near Qumran. Think Dead Sea Scrolls.
Venn Diagram
They all sought God, they all pursued obedience, they all followed scripture. But what that looked like and how they worked that out varied widely between them.
They each had some solid understanding of God, but each distorted the revelation of God in some way.
The Sadducees came with spiritual baggage. What they believed was not news to Jesus, He knew they denied the resurrection. He knew they thought that once someone died, they ceased to exist. He knew they didn’t believe the prophets and most of the later books of the Old Testament weren’t from God because they spoke about a spiritual reality they denied existed.
So when they approach Jesus with a question about some technical aspect of resurrection, the entire nature of the question has to be understood as antagonistic!
It’s like your antagonistically atheist neighbor asking about at what time a child goes to hell when they die if they haven’t accepted Jesus. Ya know, that’s a question, but it’s not the question THEY are asking. Who’s askin’ defines the question.

Can You Repeat The Question?

So hearing the question (which was no small task) from the Sadducees, Jesus give two answers. He answers the question they ask, and He questions the answer they seek.
The question the ask: How does marriage work in the afterlife? What happens when there are multiple husbands as God’s law direct? They question Jesus to give a scriptural response to what they see as proof that there is no afterlife.
If there was an afterlife, and God directed mirage like this (and he did for the Israelites), how is God’s law supposed to be true - and we know that His law is true! They thought they had Jesus in an impossible situation. Just like the Pharisees with the question about taxes.
The answer they sought: They didn’t what to know what would happen with this woman. They wanted to show that their understanding of the spiritual world was correct, and that Jesus was a false prophet. They were more concerned about the intellectual acquisition and application of the books of the law than of the lives of the people around them.
As Jesus answers their question, and addresses their errors, I can’t help but think about another encounter Jesus had. God is the God of the living He tells the Sadducees.
But there was a particular woman Jesus encountered who actually represented some aspects of this fictional example. She was Samarian, and had 5 ex-husbands - working on her 6th. When she came to draw water from the well Jesus asks for a drink. Again Jesus draws the conversation away from the immediate question and points her to the life available in God. What is so marvelous here is not only Jesus, in both cases, pointing past the shortsighted questions, but that in both cases He points to the Living God who invites us into the eternal life only He can provide!
Jesus sees our weak questions. But praise God He is not limited my them! How often I’ve come in prayer with all sorts of junk and baggage in my heart and mind. “Why this, Lord?” And how often Jesus repositions my prayers and my perspectives - off of myself, off of the temporary, away from pain or pouting and into His presence. When I first saw grievance, He turned the question to His glory.

You Better Have Your Facts Straight!

The Sadducees came to catch Jesus in a theological error. And they did so with very shallow deception. The reason for these is they thought Jesus was an undereducated, upstart, outsider who was way beyond His element. They discounted any stories about His miracles because they didn’t believe in an interactive spiritual world.
The problem was - on all accounts - they were quite wrong!
There are two themes that run through the end of Jesus ministry. Jesus asserting His authority over a rebellious creation, and that rebellious creation seeking His destruction.
We see this when Peter and a few disciples acknowledge Who Jesus is. We see this at the mount of transfiguration. Three times Jesus asserts His authority over death. (His own death and resurrection.)
And we see this as Jesus confronted every level of Jewish authority.
11:27-33: chief priests, scribes and elders
12:13-17: Pharisees, and Herodians
12:18-27: Sadducees
12:28-24: Scribes
And Jesus asserts His authority over the Jewish leaders - and therefore the entire chosen people.
But His authority is housed in humility, service, and sacrifice. His assertions are about what HE will do for the world, not to the world.
Jesus revealed who He was, but few had eyes to see. The Sadducees ask the wrong question because they don’t know who they are speaking to.
Have you ever watched ‘Undercover Boss’? Some of those folks would never talk to the owner of the company like they do if they knew who he was. Character is revealed when we think there are no consequences, yet we do right anyway.
Because the Sadducees didn’t understand God’s word, didn’t understand God’s power, they couldn’t recognize His Son when they were face to face with Him. The question they ask, there for, is not the primary question Jesus answered.
They asked, “whose wife will she be?” Jesus’ answer showed they not only had the attendee list wrong, but they didn’t know the subject matter. They were probably used to coming up with convoluted scenarios that confused others. Then taking the response to confusing question as proof of their position, the saw themselves in the right.
Jesus saw through their cluttered ‘logic’. He reveals the source of their error. And proclaims the truth and splendor of God!
Application
How often do we approach God with a fouled up perspective on our lives? We don’t understand the power of God in our lives or the world; and we don’t understand the truth and mercy of the scriptures.
Do we come to Jesus with a long story about how our situation deserves special consideration? Well, what I’m doing isn’t sin because it’s better than the alternative.
This ‘special circumstance’ was the same approach the Sadducees used. Their purpose was to disprove God’s goodness. When we use that same approach, even if it’s not our intend, the result is the same. When we undermine God’s truth with our long story of why we can’t obey, we don’t prove ourselves wrong, we misrepresent the goodness of God to a world that needs to hear better.
Do we come to Jesus with bad theology? Theology is simply the study of God. There are a proliferation of ideas swirling around the world, and many of them seek to combine themselves with the living One and only true God reviled through the Bible, through the history of His people, and through Jesus of Nazareth. There are two main sources of bad theology that pull people away from God today.
The first is adding to our understanding of God. Adding ideas and concepts from eastern mysticism, or what is essentially new age religion. ‘Good vibes’, karma, and meditation are three.
The scripture talks about meditation, so what am I talking about?
Joshua 1:8 ESV
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Psalm 1:1–2 ESV
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 63:5–6 ESV
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
Psalm 119:99 ESV
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
Scriptural meditation is peaceful seclusion focusing on God’s person, message, and actions. This is one aspect of what Jesus made a habit of when he went off to find a quite place to pray.
But the meditation presented so often today is not this. From mayoclinic.org
Ways to meditate can include:
Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing.
You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher.
Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.
Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful, or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment.
In mindfulness meditation, you broaden your conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions. But let them pass without judgment.
Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts training. In tai chi (TIE-CHEE), you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.
Transcendental meditation. Transcendental meditation is a simple, natural technique. In this form of meditation, you silently repeat a personally assigned mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase, in a specific way.
This form of meditation may allow your body to settle into a state of profound rest and relaxation and your mind to achieve a state of inner peace, without needing to use concentration or effort.
Yoga. You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, you're encouraged to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.
These all have their origins in eastern mysticism, out of which Buddhism and Hinduism came. Sikhism, Jainism, and others come from similar spiritual thought. ALL these remove God as supreme and place the creation as it’s own collective deity.
Though you might not get a lesson in Hinduism if you go to a yoga class, you will get taught Hindu beliefs.
There is great danger in thinking we can incorporate spiritual practices from other religions who worship other gods and not offend the One True God.
Deuteronomy 8:17–20 ESV
17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Seek out the Lord, and follow Him only. We cannot understand God better by following the paths to other gods.
And the second great threat to following God as He truly is are corrupt teachings. These are found in recent manmade religions of Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness. We could even include the Muslim faith that diverged much longer ago.
These distort the identity, teachings, purpose, and power of God into something far from the truth. They do it in different ways. They maintain a branch of truth. The difficulty here is not finding new ideas mixed with Christianity but sorting out the same words used to mean something completely different.
To put it bluntly, these are what Paul warned in Galatians 1:6-9 “6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
My prayer is that none of us find ourselves accursed by God. Either by lying philosophies, lying religions, or deceitful words. God has delivered one message - the good news of the Gospel.
That we are all naturally and unavoidably sinners in rebelion from God - that rebellion earning us the judgement of eternal separation from God and spiritual death. But that Jesus, who was in every way fully God, but lived a life in the flesh like any person but without sin, offered Himself to pay the penalty of your sin and mine. That He offers us forgiveness if we call out in need of Him, acknowledging that He - and only He - is able to forgive us of all our sins and clean us from our guilt. And when all we can do is surrender to His forgiveness for us, He takes possession of our live to give us a meaning, a purpose, and a destiny in Him. That means His Spirit live is us now, and our spirit will dwell with Him in eternity.
This very thing is what the Sadducees denied. This is why they were quite wrong. Because they denied that God was the living God of the living.
Jesus called them out of their error to witness the truth and power of God through the death and resurrection of His own body. And today He calls you to that same truth.
1 Timothy 2:3–6 ESV
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
We all approach Jesus at some time, for some purpose. When you do, and seek understanding there is no more important thing to be answered than “Who’s Asking?” Is your question coming from a forgiving, redeemed child of the King? Or from someone intellectually curious, but in all other way uncommitted? Or maybe your coming to ask the question as an angry adversary to God.
No matter where you are, I can’t be more happy you are here. There is one answer for any of us - the one mediator Jesus Christ - who’s death can cover our guilt.
As we sing this last song, I ask that you reflect on how you’ve interacted with Jesus recently. In light of who He is, what He has offered, and what He has called us to - will you offer to Him your all today?
If you have questions about following Jesus, or need other prayer, please come up and talk with me.
Pray

Notes

Mark shows how Jesus was superior to all the leaders in Jewish society:
11:27-33: chief priests, scribes and elders
12:13-17: Pharisees, and Herodians
12:18-27: Sadducees
12:28-24: Scribes
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