Whose Wife? July 30
Mark 12:18 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.”
The Sadducees were conservative in their interpretation of what writings were included under the term “Scripture.” They accepted only the five books of Moses. In these writings of Moses, they found no resurrection.
The question is an extreme example. A woman has married and is childless when her husband dies. A brother fulfills his obligation (Deut. 25:5-6) by marrying the widow, and she is childless when he dies. The same story continues through all seven brothers. Whose wife is she in heaven?
There are a number of Scriptures outside of Moses that tell us of the resurrection, as in Job 19:23-27, Dan. 12:2, and Is. 26:19.
We can see their question to Jesus has the purpose of forcing Jesus to admit there is no resurrection, thus agreeing with them against the Pharisees. Otherwise, he must offer proof acceptable to them that there is a resurrection, and no one has successfully refuted their argument previously.
His questioners are confident they have asked a question with no acceptable answer.
The Power of God July 31
Mark 12:24 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.
Jesus does not take a defensive position, but answers their questions on His terms according to the limited Scriptures they will accept.
First, Jesus asserts they do not know the Scriptures, a charge He will substantiate shortly.
Second, their doubt of the resurrection to eternal life is doubting the power of God. He does not speak of the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21) that would confirm His statement. God fulfilled His promise of a son Abraham and Sarah, life after the death of their regenerative ability (Gen. 18:1-15).
His third point regards the sexless life of angels who, because they do not die, have no need of procreation. The Sadducees do not believe in angels, but the lack of a need for marriage in heaven is clear from the analogy of angels and resurrected spirits.
Their question is meaningless because there is no marriage in an earthly sense in the resurrection. All of this is a prelude to the central lesson.
God of the Living Aug. 1
Mark 12:26 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.”
Jesus meets the Sadducees on their own terms by referring to the writings of Moses.
In Exodus 3, God Identifies Himself as “I AM,” an entity that has always been and always will be. In verse 6, God states that He is the God of Moses’ father, as well as of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s statement does not allow a time when He is not the God of these men.
Indeed, God’s statement speaks of a very personal relationship, a connection between God and individuals rather than God and a collective, such as a nation.
As the eternal God, His relationships are eternal, never ending. For this to be true, death cannot end the life of God’s Creation.
We must think of His relationship with Israel as eternal, as it is with other individuals and collectives, including Cain (Genesis) and Assyria (Jonah), for example.
Jesus does not chastise the Sadducees for their limited selection of Scripture, but for their misinterpretation of what they do accept. His remarks are gentle compared to His words against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
This is a reminder to study the Word of God in the context of His character.
The Greatest Commandment Aug. 2
Mark 12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Scribes were well-versed in the Law, having spent a lifetime of copying Scripture. This man recognized Jesus’ wisdom in His response to the Pharisees, and asks a question.
This appears to be a legitimate question to Jesus, a true desire for knowledge as to the first (greatest, or most important) commandment.
We might imagine this as a question that has been in the back of his mind for some time as he waded through the multitude of laws of the Pharisees. There was a large number of Pharisaic laws. Add the differing interpretations by respected teachers and the complexity of it all was beyond the understanding of lay people.
The scribe also copied both the Law from Moses and the pronouncements of the prophets. The Ten Commandments had been in the Ark of the Covenant, and the additional laws in the books of Moses had been in pockets on the outside. Simplicity had become more complex, and the complexity had become overwhelming with the interpretations and restrictions added and revised and multiplied over time.
In a complex physical world that often seems at odds with the core principles of righteousness and justice, the desire for an overriding principle that brings everything together is understandable.
We all look for the simplicity beyond complexity.
Simplicity Aug. 3
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The answer to the scribe’s question has been in plain sight. The words were hidden in the Scriptures that he probably had copied many times.
Jesus’ answer is from Deut. 6:4-5. The first commandment identifies the one God of Israel, and all are to love Him “with all your heart…soul…mind, and…strength.”
Jesus goes further to offer a second commandment. This is below the first commandment, but is also above all others.
Jesus quotes part of Lev. 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He goes on to say that “There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Even the Ten Commandments can be reduced to these two. Commandments one through four constitute the first or greatest commandment that Jesus mentions, and Commandments five trough ten constitute the second.
The answer to the scribe’s question is this simple. Complexity is banished. Uncertainty can be replaced by a simple standard when we have a question relating to God or to our fellow human beings.
And if our question regards something other than our fellow human beings, whatever it may be it is part of God’s Creation. And this refers us back to the first (or greatest) commandment.
Love Is the Greatest Aug. 4
Mark 12:32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
The scribe has heard Jesus’ words, and he understands.
He repeats the two greatest commandments back to Jesus using his own words. Indeed, the scribe now owns these words, this summary of all the Law and the Prophets. They are his to hold and to cherish.
Repeating Jesus’ summary in the words that are now his own, the scribe restates their importance in a way that is most meaningful to him. He says that loving God and one’s neighbor is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
As a scribe, he has been involved in “doing.” His work was the reproduction of the sacred writings, and he had been faithful in repeating the words.
With Jesus’ revelation to him, the scribe has let the words move from his hand to his heart. The words are no longer about doing – making offerings and sacrifices – as their primary goal, but about love.
The scribe has moved from writing to understanding, from doing to being.
Near The Kingdom Aug. 5
Mark 12:34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question concerning which was the greatest commandment had required no study or deliberation on Jesus’ part. Jesus already had come to His own conclusion on this question.
Jesus is our model. When we keep this concept first in our heart, mind, soul, and strength - in our loving, thinking, believing, and doing – we will be like Him.
The scribe has spoken Jesus’ words back to Him and signified that he understood them. The words of the scribe’s mouth have spoken truth. Now the scribe must bring them inside of himself, incorporate these concepts into his heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Jesus stands before friends and foes and the undecided. He desires that all find the kingdom of God, that they find it here and now.
He says the scribe is not far from the kingdom of God. The distance of the scribe from the kingdom of God is the distance from his tongue to his heart.
No one else questioned Jesus after this exchange. Is it because they understood, or because they did not want to understand, to have to change?
Next day
Mark 12:18 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.”
The Sadducees were conservative in their interpretation of what writings were included under the term “Scripture.” They accepted only the five books of Moses. In these writings of Moses, they found no resurrection.
The question is an extreme example. A woman has married and is childless when her husband dies. A brother fulfills his obligation (Deut. 25:5-6) by marrying the widow, and she is childless when he dies. The same story continues through all seven brothers. Whose wife is she in heaven?
There are a number of Scriptures outside of Moses that tell us of the resurrection, as in Job 19:23-27, Dan. 12:2, and Is. 26:19.
We can see their question to Jesus has the purpose of forcing Jesus to admit there is no resurrection, thus agreeing with them against the Pharisees. Otherwise, he must offer proof acceptable to them that there is a resurrection, and no one has successfully refuted their argument previously.
His questioners are confident they have asked a question with no acceptable answer.
The Power of God July 31
Mark 12:24 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.
Jesus does not take a defensive position, but answers their questions on His terms according to the limited Scriptures they will accept.
First, Jesus asserts they do not know the Scriptures, a charge He will substantiate shortly.
Second, their doubt of the resurrection to eternal life is doubting the power of God. He does not speak of the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21) that would confirm His statement. God fulfilled His promise of a son Abraham and Sarah, life after the death of their regenerative ability (Gen. 18:1-15).
His third point regards the sexless life of angels who, because they do not die, have no need of procreation. The Sadducees do not believe in angels, but the lack of a need for marriage in heaven is clear from the analogy of angels and resurrected spirits.
Their question is meaningless because there is no marriage in an earthly sense in the resurrection. All of this is a prelude to the central lesson.
God of the Living Aug. 1
Mark 12:26 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.”
Jesus meets the Sadducees on their own terms by referring to the writings of Moses.
In Exodus 3, God Identifies Himself as “I AM,” an entity that has always been and always will be. In verse 6, God states that He is the God of Moses’ father, as well as of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s statement does not allow a time when He is not the God of these men.
Indeed, God’s statement speaks of a very personal relationship, a connection between God and individuals rather than God and a collective, such as a nation.
As the eternal God, His relationships are eternal, never ending. For this to be true, death cannot end the life of God’s Creation.
We must think of His relationship with Israel as eternal, as it is with other individuals and collectives, including Cain (Genesis) and Assyria (Jonah), for example.
Jesus does not chastise the Sadducees for their limited selection of Scripture, but for their misinterpretation of what they do accept. His remarks are gentle compared to His words against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
This is a reminder to study the Word of God in the context of His character.
The Greatest Commandment Aug. 2
Mark 12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Scribes were well-versed in the Law, having spent a lifetime of copying Scripture. This man recognized Jesus’ wisdom in His response to the Pharisees, and asks a question.
This appears to be a legitimate question to Jesus, a true desire for knowledge as to the first (greatest, or most important) commandment.
We might imagine this as a question that has been in the back of his mind for some time as he waded through the multitude of laws of the Pharisees. There was a large number of Pharisaic laws. Add the differing interpretations by respected teachers and the complexity of it all was beyond the understanding of lay people.
The scribe also copied both the Law from Moses and the pronouncements of the prophets. The Ten Commandments had been in the Ark of the Covenant, and the additional laws in the books of Moses had been in pockets on the outside. Simplicity had become more complex, and the complexity had become overwhelming with the interpretations and restrictions added and revised and multiplied over time.
In a complex physical world that often seems at odds with the core principles of righteousness and justice, the desire for an overriding principle that brings everything together is understandable.
We all look for the simplicity beyond complexity.
Simplicity Aug. 3
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The answer to the scribe’s question has been in plain sight. The words were hidden in the Scriptures that he probably had copied many times.
Jesus’ answer is from Deut. 6:4-5. The first commandment identifies the one God of Israel, and all are to love Him “with all your heart…soul…mind, and…strength.”
Jesus goes further to offer a second commandment. This is below the first commandment, but is also above all others.
Jesus quotes part of Lev. 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He goes on to say that “There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Even the Ten Commandments can be reduced to these two. Commandments one through four constitute the first or greatest commandment that Jesus mentions, and Commandments five trough ten constitute the second.
The answer to the scribe’s question is this simple. Complexity is banished. Uncertainty can be replaced by a simple standard when we have a question relating to God or to our fellow human beings.
And if our question regards something other than our fellow human beings, whatever it may be it is part of God’s Creation. And this refers us back to the first (or greatest) commandment.
Love Is the Greatest Aug. 4
Mark 12:32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
The scribe has heard Jesus’ words, and he understands.
He repeats the two greatest commandments back to Jesus using his own words. Indeed, the scribe now owns these words, this summary of all the Law and the Prophets. They are his to hold and to cherish.
Repeating Jesus’ summary in the words that are now his own, the scribe restates their importance in a way that is most meaningful to him. He says that loving God and one’s neighbor is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
As a scribe, he has been involved in “doing.” His work was the reproduction of the sacred writings, and he had been faithful in repeating the words.
With Jesus’ revelation to him, the scribe has let the words move from his hand to his heart. The words are no longer about doing – making offerings and sacrifices – as their primary goal, but about love.
The scribe has moved from writing to understanding, from doing to being.
Near The Kingdom Aug. 5
Mark 12:34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question concerning which was the greatest commandment had required no study or deliberation on Jesus’ part. Jesus already had come to His own conclusion on this question.
Jesus is our model. When we keep this concept first in our heart, mind, soul, and strength - in our loving, thinking, believing, and doing – we will be like Him.
The scribe has spoken Jesus’ words back to Him and signified that he understood them. The words of the scribe’s mouth have spoken truth. Now the scribe must bring them inside of himself, incorporate these concepts into his heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Jesus stands before friends and foes and the undecided. He desires that all find the kingdom of God, that they find it here and now.
He says the scribe is not far from the kingdom of God. The distance of the scribe from the kingdom of God is the distance from his tongue to his heart.
No one else questioned Jesus after this exchange. Is it because they understood, or because they did not want to understand, to have to change?
Next day
