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Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, help me, that my understanding and application of today’s Scripture will equip me for the day laid before me.
Read MARK 12:18–27
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Marriage at the Resurrection
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[a] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[b]? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:23 Some manuscripts resurrection, when people rise from the dead,
- Mark 12:26 Exodus 3:6
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Where might you see abuse of Scripture in today’s culture?
Like a wrestling tag team, the next set of opponents is brought on, attempting to bring Jesus to the floor for discussion. The tale of a woman seven times widowed becomes increasingly ludicrous as it develops. One can sense the crowd joining in as bereavement is piled upon bereavement, culminating in the apparently decisive, unanswerable question, ‘whose wife will she be … ?’ (v. 23). The Sadducees are the unlikely proponents of this attack. On the one hand, they’re not normally allies of the more progressive Pharisees who preceded them. On the other hand, they’re described as denying the concept of a resurrection (v. 18)—yet their question is about relationships in the afterlife.
The Sadducees’ starting point is Scripture: Mosaic Law outlines such a situation in relation to two brothers.1 To tangle Jesus in the detail, they present a caricature of this teaching. A simple, practical application for life in a developing nation has become the basis for an intellectual argument. Jesus’ response tackles the Sadducees’ initial premise: ‘you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God’ (v. 24).
It’s not difficult to abuse the Bible. When we identify proof texts to support our pet biases without regard for the more complex bigger picture, we’re abusing the Bible. When we parrot familiar verses of praise rather than voicing our true feelings, we’re abusing the Bible. When we avoid difficult sections, we’re abusing the Bible. When we overcontextualize teaching and deem it irrelevant to the modern day, we’re abusing the Bible. The power of God to apply Scripture to our daily lives is what matters most.
Apply
Read a chapter of Deuteronomy (15, 24, or 26, perhaps), in the context of a plan for a young nation. Invite the Spirit to draw parallels with your own life.
Closing prayer
Spirit of God, as I study Scripture, give me wisdom to apply its truths to my own walk of faith, as well as to the workings of my nation.
1 Deut 25:5
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