Religious Ignorance
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
In the past few messages we have seen the religious leaders attempt to trap Jesus with some hard questions. The three Stooges [priests, scribes, elders] tried to trick Him on the question of “His Authority”. Then Laurel and Hardy come along [Pharisees and Herodians] and try to trap Him with a question about paying taxes to Caesar.
Tonight were going to see the religious “cream of the crop”, the Sadducees, try to trap Jesus with their loaded question. The problem, all they do is show their “Religious Ignorance.”
Text: Mark 12:18-27
18 Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:
19 “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.
20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.
21 And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise.
22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.
23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know 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 But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”
1. The Sadducees;
1. The Sadducees;
The Sadducees were a small group of the Jewish aristocratic party whose members came largely from the priesthood and the upper classes [Caste system]. Though less numerous and popular than the Pharisees, they occupied influential positions on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court, the high priest was a Sadducee, and generally cooperated with the Roman authorities.
Though they were thought of as liberals, they were really fundamentalists. They accepted only the Books of Moses (the Pentateuch) as authoritative and rejected the oral traditions observed as binding by the Pharisees and any other books of the canon of scripture written by the prophets.
They were staunch opponents of the Pharisees and denied the truths of the resurrection, future judgment, and the existence of angels and spirits.
6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.
8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
Pastor Alan Carr says, “They believed in the existence of God, but they rejected everything else that was of a supernatural nature. They did not believe in demons, angels or the devil, they did not believe in miracles. They did not believe in Heaven or Hell. They did not believe in a future judgment. They did not believe in life after death, nor did they believe in the resurrection of the dead. That’s why they were “Sad-you-see”. They could not find these doctrines in their reading of the Pentateuch, so they rejected them out of hand.”
Even though they held the highest religious offices in Jerusalem, they were “religiously ignorant.”
2. The Religious Ignorant Question; 18-23
2. The Religious Ignorant Question; 18-23
Their question was a good question in its context because it was based upon the law of Levirate marriage.
5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.
6 And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
This was a very important law to the nation of Israel and their families. By law, the son was considered the first-born son of the deceased brother. This assured two things: (a) that the family name continued, and (2) that the property holdings were kept in the family. This was a law that had been given to help preserve and to enlarge the nation of Israel.
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”
This law was what brought about the union between Judah and Tamar, Gen. 38, which ensured Jesus would be born of the tribe of Judah. It also made possible the marriage of Ruth and Boaz, Ruth 4, which further ensured Jesus would be born of the tribe of Judah.
Their use of the Levirate marriage law was ignorant in this situation, because they did not believe in the resurrection and that was the main point they focused on.
[23] The Sadducees assumed that their hypothetical situation proved the resurrection to be a pipe dream of fools. If it were true, look at the chaos it would cause in heaven wondering who would be married to this woman.
Brother #4 should have said no based on what happened to the previous brothers!
They believed God is too smart for that, and the books of Moses (which are the undisputed Word of God) do not mention a future resurrection. Therefore, it cannot exist.
3. Jesus reveals their Ignorance of Scripture; 24-27
3. Jesus reveals their Ignorance of Scripture; 24-27
Mistaken- means “to wander,” or “to go astray” (the noun form of this verb is the English word “planet”). The Sadducees had wandered from the truth into error.
Jesus said “you don’t know the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
[25a] In the resurrection, which Jesus said “when” meaning it will happen by the Power of God.
[26-27] Jesus is setting the record straight that there is a resurrection by the power of God, and also that the Sadducees were mistaken about it not being in the Old Testament and even in the Pentateuch.
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah
20 You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes.
Though the Sadducees wouldn’t believe these scriptures, Jesus uses Scriptures from the Book of Exodus, the Law of Moses, which they would not deny!
3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
God said “I am” not “I was.” Though they died physically, they are alive spiritually right now!
When God says, “I am” it implies His covenant, and it is inconceivable that the eternal God does not maintain an eternal covenant with His people.
Turn with me to [Luke 16:19-31] The Rich Man and Lazarus
Turn with me to [Eph. 4:7-10] Resurrection of OT saints with Christ when He ascended, and the distributing of spiritual gifts through the Holy Spirit to the saints on earth.
God is the God of the living, not the dead!
[25] Who’s wife is she? The Sadducees assumed, like most Christians do today, that life in heaven is going to be a continuation of life here on earth now. And its not.
Earthly marriage-Marriage was designed for companionship, Gen. 2:18, continuation of the species, Gen. 1:22, and for the fulfillment of legitimate sexual needs, 1 Cor. 7:2.
When we get to Heaven, we will be like the angels, only in the sense that we will be spiritual beings that will have no need for the physical necessities of this earthly life, including marriage.
So, the answer is, she want be any of their’s wife because there will be no marriage in heaven like there is on earth. All the saints in heaven will know perfect love and joy as children of God and will not be focused on earthly desires but heavenly work and worship!
Angels are intelligent, moral, and spiritual beings created by God who worship Him and carry out His will.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—
Isn’t that what we are saved to do?
Close;
Many religious people and christians today are mistaken about the Scriptures and the power of God, just like the Sadducees were. Example;
Adam and Eve ate an apple in the Garden of Eden.
The High Priest never entered the Holy of Holies without a rope tied around his ankle.
The Lord helps those who help themselves.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem when she was expecting Jesus.
There were three wise men.
The angels rejoice when someone is saved. [Luke 15:10]
Noah only took two of every kind of animal into the ark.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Don’t be Religiously Ignorant!!