YOU'RE IGNORANT

Mark 12:18-27

Mark 12:18-27

Ignorant- lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about a particular thing.

Intro: Do you know the scriptures? Who wants to be tested? Name the disciples, name the books, fruits of the spirit?

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.”

Round 3

· What’s a Sadducee?

o A sect of Jews that arose in the Maccabean period (167-160BC)

o They believed in free will over fate, they rejected life after death & no rewards or punishment, and they adhere primarily to just the “books of Moses” or the Torah while treating the rest of the Scriptures as suspect at best.

· Why are they here?

o This is effectively round 3 between the religious leaders & Jesus

§ 1stwas their attempt to challenge Jesus’ authority, 2nd Pharisees & Herodians tried to trap Jesus with a politically charged question

I. A ridiculous question

· The Sadducees now approach Jesus in another attempt to trap him. This time w/a theological question

· There question is dripping with both arrogance and ignorance all at the same time.

o When they ask their question about the resurrection one must hear the sarcastic tone in which it was asked.

o They were the aristocrats of the Religious leaders.

o This stands to reason given their beliefs (see above)

o The wealthy are among the most difficult people to reach with the Gospel

· As foolish as their question is, there is an aspect of it that touches many of our hearts.

· The question of will we be married in heaven? Or will we know one another in Heaven.

· And what sparks this question (aside from their agenda), is the OT teaching concerning Levirate Marriage (Deut. 25)

o Whose wife will she be?

o 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven

o It is hard to imagine Heaven being great if I’m not married to my bride.

o 1) What does Jesus say?

§ People will not enter into marriage in Heaven (clear)

§ But what it does not say is that marriages into here will be dissolved

2) What do we KNOW?

§ Relationships forged here in this life will continue in the next.

§ Instituting the Lord’s Supper-29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Mat. 26:29

§ Dr. Russell Mooore “We can expect to live life with friends, family members, mentors, and disciples forever; and we have forever to build new friendships as well…The truth is that we do not know what such relationships will look like in the new creation. But we do know that God perfects and blesses our relationships, and that joyful intimacy now is not replaced with cool civility in eternity. God is love, and love never dies.”

§ Tertullian: “…we who are together with God shall remain together.… In eternal life God will no more separate those whom he has joined together than in this life where he forbids them to be separated.”

§ We will be LIKE angels NOT angels! Worship and interact.

§ So what’s the take away? While there may or may not be Marriage in Heaven, we have every confidence that we will rejoicewith our loved ones and angels together for all eternity!

II. The Response of Jesus

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.”

· There is a pretty famous line in the Star Wars movie “The Last Jedi” where Ben Solo, the modern equivalent to Darth Vader, has just made this grand statement to Luke Skywalker who he plans to kill. When he finishes his grand declaration Luke responds by saying; “Every word that you just said, was wrong.”

· Jesus has just endured another ridiculous attempt by man to trick Him.

· And basically says “you are wrong”.

· And you’re wrongbecause you do not KNOW the Scriptures or the power of God

a. Jesus could not have been more insulting or more right.

b. Jesus knew that they didn’t value the majority of the OT (the Scriptures), but only the Torah

c. The doctrine of the resurrection is most clearly taught in the OT by the books of the Prophets and the Historical Writings

i. For instance; Daniel 12:2 2 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.

ii. Psalm 49:15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.

iii. Job 19:26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in[a] my flesh I shall see God,

d. In one verse then Jesus authoritatively asserts a couple of things geared specifically to the Sadducees and their wrong beliefs.

25 For when they risefrom the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angelsin heaven.

Context- Acts 23:8 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

o In this statement then Jesus has just affirmed that their resurrection is not an if but a when. Because they WILL rise! In fact, everyone will rise. (see Dan. 12:2 above).

o And as another corrective measure, He also affirms that there are indeed angels in heaven!

o Jesus thus declares, The Power of God!

· In verse 26 Jesus uses a passage that they would not be able to dismiss because it is found in the Torah. In Exodus 3:1-6, the account of the burning bush.

· Jesus says; “And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses…

· Can you even imagine the thoughts running through their heads when Jesus questions them about whether they had read the account of the burning bush?

· Don’t you know the Torah?

· “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.

· Now this is not to declare that this is somehow a limitation of God, it is a declaration that there is no such thing as “the dead”.

· The understanding goes like this; God declared, long after the death of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob “I am their God! Not I was their God!

· Because they are all very much alive!

· “You are quite wrong.” ESV

· You are very much mistaken!” LEB

· You are badly mistaken. CSB

· You have made a serious error.” NLT

Jesus is the promise of the Resurrection!

· You see Jesus may have been teaching prior to the cross but He knew fully that the cross and indeed the resurrection lied directly in front of Him.

· The emphatic answer to their rejection of the truth of resurrection would soon be on full display.

· In our text we are in the portion of Mark’s account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ where He is within days of the cross.

· Jesus had been ministering for 3 years!

· He had been ministering to people through miracles!

· He had been pouring Himself into people through relational discipleship

· He has been Proclaiming “The Kingdom of God is at hand”! Repent! And Believe!

· And for His mercy and His grace in leaving the glories of Heaven to be born of a virgin woman,

· For His kindness to not leave us, sinners to the just and right punishment we deserve,

· For His willingness to submit to the Father’s will perfectly

· For the purpose of ransoming all who would believe,

· He, our precious Savior, He was betrayed with a kiss from one of His disciples

· He, the Prince of Peace, was flogged and mercilessly beaten to an unrecognizable pulp

· He, the merciful Savior, had a crown of thorns pressed into His skull and He was mocked and spit on

· He, the triumphant returning King, was nailed to a wooden cross,

· And He, God the Son, had the sins of the world including my sins and your sins, placed on Himself

o And He endured 2 things He had never experienced before,

o He experienced the absence of the Father as the Father could not look on His perfect son because of our sin!

o Then Jesus, “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” He, endured the righteous unfettered Wrath of God! The judgement and punishment we all deserve!

o And He gave up His spirit and said it is finished! And He was laid in a tomb.

· Satan rejoiced at His death

· The religious leaders breathed a sigh of relief, at last we are done with this reprobate.

· The Sadducees, you can imagine, smugly declaring, let Him rise from that.

· Yet, 3 days later, the stone that sealed the tomb was opened!

· The women who came to the grave found an empty tomb with an Angel who said,

· “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, He has risen; he is not here,…Go, tell His disciples”

· Jesus then appeared to His disciples and then to over 500 people!

And the world has never been the same! The Sadducees were ignorant! You are not! Live like you believe