"The Astonishment" (Matt. 22:33)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/31/2023 9:36 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  “The Astonishment”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 22:33

 

            Message of the verse:  “33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.”

 

            I have mentioned in our last SD that it along with the one today will be very short.  Well this one will actually be shorter than the one from yesterday, as we will be wrapping up our study of Jesus confronting the Sadducees, and then in the next SD I will be talking about the “lawyer” that the Pharisees sent to confront Jesus in verses 34-40.

 

            The following is the meaning of the word “astonished”

1) to strike out, expel by a blow, drive out or away

2) to cast off by a blow, to drive out

2a) commonly, to strike one out of self-possession, to strike with panic, shock, astonish

3) to be struck with amazement, astonished, amazed

 

            The truth of this verse is that the crowds were used to be astonished by the teaching of Jesus.  Luke writes the following in his comparative passage of Luke 20:39 “Some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well.’”  Luke goes on in verse 40 to write: “For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.”  Verse 40 is speaking of the Sadducees not having the courage to question Jesus any longer.  The truth is that if they would have believed Jesus then they would have been convinced of who He really is.

 

            MacArthur concludes his comments on this verse by writing “In the Temple that day Christ again magnificently demonstrated His deity, giving an answer to the unanswerable that could have come only from the omniscient mind of God.  Christ demonstrated His absolute commitment to Scripture, and infinitely greater commitment than the biased and self-deceptive commitment of the Sadducees.  And our Lord divinely affirmed the reality and glory of the resurrection that awaits those who belong to Him.”

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When Jesus came to earth He talked to many people about their need to trust Him as their Savior and Lord, and yet when we look at the beginning of the book of Acts we only see 120 people sitting in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.  My point is that there were many who rejected the Savior when He was right in front of them speaking to them.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire to trust the Lord when it comes to witnessing to a number of old friends that I have become reacquainted with and have been praying for.  I spoke to one of them, Bill yesterday and he told me that it was none of my business of how he believed.  I told him it was my business and it seems that he appreciated that comment.

8/31/2023 9:59 AM  

"Ignorance of Scripture" (Matt. 22:31-32)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/30/2023 8:17 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                         Focus:  “Ignorance of Scripture”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 22:31-32

 

            Message of the verses:  “31 "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 32  ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.’”

 

            The first thing that I want to talk about is that these next two SD’s, especially tomorrows will be pretty short, and that is ok as this week seems to have many things that I have to get done, including the preparation of my Sunday school class, going to grandson’s soccer ball games, and visiting my sisters and daughter for lunch, something that I have been doing once a month for a few months now.  God is good!!

 

            Now in an earlier SD I talked about how the Sadducees did not take a lot of stock in the Old Testament books past the first five books of Moses, and therefore they did not see anything about the resurrection of the dead in those books they did not believe in it.  Jesus is not going to show them that the resurrection is talked about in the Pentateuch as Jesus reminds them of a statement spoken…by God that is recorded numerous times in the book of Exodus.  I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

 

            “The dead are raised, even Moses showed,” Jesus first told the doubting Sadducees in Luke 20:37.  37 “But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ (Luke 20:37 NKJV).”  As Moses was about to begin his last 40 years of ministry to the Lord he was staying with his in-laws helping with the sheep and saw a “strange” sight as he saw a bush burning but not burning up.  This is where the Lord first spoke to Moses telling him that “"I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Ex. 3:6).  It just came to me that it just took two chapters to read about the first eighty years of the life of Moses and the last forty years took the rest of the Pentateuch to see the rest of Moses’ life.  Now it was hundreds of years later that the Lord had declared to Jacob, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac” (Gen. 28:13) long after Abraham had died.

 

            MacArthur writes “Jesus’ excellent exegetical argument is based on the emphatic present tense of the I am used in that passage from the Pentateuch.  After Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were long dead, the Lord was still their God every bit as much as when they were alive—in fact, in many ways even more so, because they had become perfectly sinless and their souls were experiencing the fellowship of His eternal presence.

 

            “These three patriarchs are singled out, and each is specifically related to God suggesting His unique personal intimacy with each one.  Whether the genitive preposition of refers to God’s belonging to the patriarchs or to their belonging to God, both meanings are true.

            “The present tense is used because God is not the God of the dead but of the living, and if He is presently the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then those men obviously are still alive in another realm.  They would also still have to be living so that God could fulfill His promises to them which were not fulfilled during their lifetimes.

 

‘13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them’ (Heb.11:13-16).”

 

            The conclusion of this section shows that Jesus had accomplished what the wisest Pharisee or scribe had never been able to do and what He did was unequivocally prove the resurrection even from the Pentateuch.  And the end result was “He had put the Sadducees to silence” (Matt. 22:34).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Whenever I get down because of what is going on at this time in our country all I have to do is remember this section in Matthew 22 in which Jesus refers to God being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, knowing that He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust the Lord to put in my heart the things that He wants me to teach this upcoming Sunday in our class.

 

8/30/2023 8:52 AM

 

"Ignorance of God's Power" (Matt. 22:30)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/29/2023 8:57 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  “Ignorance of God’s Power”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 22:30

 

            Message of the verse:  “30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

 

            I want to begin with something that I quoted from John MacArthur in our last SD to help us get a good start in this one:  “The Lord then explains, in reverse order, how they misunderstood God’s Word and God’s Power.” 

 

            You may remember that in my discussion about the Sadducees that I stated that they did not believe in the resurrection, and they did not believe in angels, and so Jesus talks about both in verse 30.  Jesus declared here that men and women neither marry, nor are given in marriage, in the resurrection.  “The relationship of marriage is beautiful and divinely ordained, but it is an entirely earthly and temporal institution” (MacArthur’s commentary).

 

            He goes on to write “Sexual relationships, reproduction, and childbirth have no place in heaven because there is no death there and no new life born as there is on earth.  Nor will there will be any exclusive relationship in heaven, because everyone will be perfectly and intimately related to everyone else, including to the living God Himself.  In heaven, men will be like angels, equally spiritual in nature, equally deathless, equally glorified, and equally eternal.  Luke reports Jesus’ additional statement that resurrected believers ‘are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection’ (Luke 20:36).”

 

            One of the many problems of the Pharisees teaching was about their view on the resurrection, as they taught that one’s resurrection body will be the same as their earthly body had been.  This teaching confused the believers in Corinth about this subject.  Paul, in trying to explain in terms that those immature and misinformed Christians could understand wrote the falling in 1 Corinthians 15:39-44 and 48-49 the following.

 

39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body… 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

            The truth is, and many have trouble is, that God’s limitless power is easily able to transform the earthly into the heavenly.  It is really foolish that someone deny the resurrection idea that God is restricted to raising up dead bodies in the same form as that in which they died.  This foolishness attracts the power of God.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is my belief that God can do anything that He desires to do for His glory with of course the exception of committing a sin, which He could never do.

 

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord through His Spirit to cause me to do the things that He has called me to do in eternity past in order to bring glory to Him.

 

8/29/2023 9:30 AM

"The Answer" (Matt. 22:29-32)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/28/2023 8:44 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                         Focus:  “The Answer”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 22:29-32

 

            Message of the verses:  “29 But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God. 30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 32  ‘I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.’”

 

            I have to say that I think that perhaps in the minds of these arrogant Sadducees that they were thinking that Jesus was just going to give up, not say a word, and then walk away in humiliation and disgrace, similar to what happened to the Pharisees when they debated with them.

 

            However what we see is that without hesitation and immediately “but Jesus answered” them putting them on the defensive, saying to them, “You are mistaken.”  MacArthur writes “The Sadducees has succeeded only in putting their own ignorance on display for everyone in the Temple to see and hear.  ‘You are dead wrong,’ Jesus said in effect, ‘and have no idea what you are talking about.’”  I believe that because of their arrogance that they were not “Sad you see.”

 

            MacArthur writes about “Planao, from which are mistaken is translated, means to go astray, wander off, or deceive.  In its form here it means to lead oneself off course or to stray from the truth.  It often carried the idea of being cut loose from reality.  Like the false teachers condemned by Jude, the Sadducees were ‘wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever’ (Jude 13).”

 

            Now as we continue looking at these verses we will find out that next Jesus presented the two reasons why the Sadducees were mistaken.  Now let me say something that also goes along with the answer as to why they were mistaken and it has to do with the JW’s and also other “religious” groups like that.  The other day I was leaving my development to do something, probably taking my walk when I spotted a very nice Lincoln dropping off a number of very good dressed men and women.  I know what these people were doing as they came to petal their poison in our neighborhood.  I have to give them credit in getting out to neighborhoods doing what they believe is right, but they were erring in not understanding the Scriptures, just like the Sadducees, and in the Sadducees case they were also erring in not understanding the power of God.  Nothing could have cut them to the quick worse than to be accused of not understanding these two areas in which the proud Sadducees considered themselves most authoritative.

 

            In our next SD, Lord willing we will look at how the Lord then explains, in reverse order, how they misunderstood God’s power.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I suppose that at times I may have misunderstood certain parts of the Scripture, but not the important parts which talk about salvation.  If you understand about salvation and receive it you then have the Holy Spirit living in you to teach you what is in the Bible.  It is also very, very important to keep yourselves from sin so that the Holy Spirit can continue to teach you.  Remember 1 John 1:9.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Remember 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Confess means agreeing with God, and don’t let pride get in your way which may cause you to not agree with God about certain sins.

 

8/28/2023 9:14 AM

 

           

PT-2 "The Absurdity" (Matt. 22:24-28)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/27/2023 7:54 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  PT-2 “The Absurdity”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 22:24-28

 

            Message of the verses:  “24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES, HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP AN OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.’ 25 "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother; 26  so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 “And last of all, the woman died. 28 “In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.’”

 

            In our last SD we looked at what the levirate law was all about and not today we want to begin with the story of Boaz who took Ruth as his wife because her first husband, Mahlon, had died.  In that story there was on relative who was closer to Mahlon but once he found out that he had to marry Ruth he decided that he did not desire to do that and so Boas happily married Ruth.  (Ruth 4:1-10)  That beautiful story not only depicts the human preservation of Mahlon’s linage but also the divine preservation of the lineage of Christ (Matt. 1:5).

 

            As I read this story I have my doubts about something these Sadducees said "Now there were seven brothers with us;” as it is likely they custom-designed it for this occasion.  When the first brother married, the six other unmarried, and therefore when he died…having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother.  The process was repeated with all seven brothers, and eventually everyone, including the woman, died.

 

            MacArthur concludes this last section:  “It is not difficult to imagine the glint in the eyes and smirks on the faces of the Sadducees as they looked at Jesus and propounded their supposedly unanswerable question:  “In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be?  If all eight would appear in the resurrection exactly in the condition and circumstances in which they had died—as the Pharisees, and presumably Jesus, maintained—how could their marriage relationships possibly be reconciled?  That dilemma proved the idea of resurrection to be patently absurd, as Jesus now would be forced to admit, by His silence if not His words.”    

 

            Lord willing we will be looking at verses 20-32 in our next SD and the title will be “The Answer” which will be the answer that Jesus will give these very sad Sadducees.

 

8/27/2023 8:13 AM

"The Absurdity" (Matt. 22:24-28)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/26/2023 9:10 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus: PT-1 “The Absurdity”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 22:24-28

 

            Message of the verses:  “24  saying, "Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES, HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP AN OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.’ 25 "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother; 26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 "And last of all, the woman died. 28 “In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.’”

 

            When we looked at the last group of these Jewish leaders they did the same thing as this group of Sadducees, and that is they are trying by addressing Jesus as Teacher to put Jesus off guard with condescending flattery.  One commentator called “polished scoffing,” and perhaps that is a good way to describe them.  MacArthur adds “Their choice of titles was especially duplicitous (two-faced) because it was as a Teacher that they intended to embarrass and discredit Him.”

 

            The problem with these Jewish leaders is that they really don’t know who they were dealing with, as they were dealing with the second person of the godhead who knows everything, even their thoughts.  The same problem exists today as people who think that they are believers, and even some who are act like Jesus is just another person.

 

            There is no higher appeal that could be made than to Moses, not only for the Sadducees but for any Jew for Moses was the great lawgiver, the supreme spokesman for God in the Old Testament.  The Sadducees were aware of Jesus’ high regard for Scripture, and they knew that He would not contest the validity of the teaching they were about to cite, namely, the provision for levirate marriage.

 

            MacArthur explains:  “The term levirate is from levir, Latin for ‘husband’s brother.’  The Mosaic provision is found in Deuteronomy 25:5-6, a summary of which the Sadducees here gave to Jesus.  In order that tribal names, families, and inheritance might be kept intact, If a man dies, having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up an offspring to his brother.”

 

            This custom of levirate marriage was practiced for a very long time and was honored by God even before He directed Moses to place in the law.  When Judah’s son Er was killed by the Lord because of his wickedness, Judah told another son Onan, who at that time was not married to “Go into your brother’s wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”  Onan resented the fact that the children would not be considered his own and “he wasted his seed on the ground.” This act was “displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also” (Genesis 38:8-10).

 

            Now because of this being the weekend I usually do not have very long Spiritual Diaries, and the reason is that I teach Sunday school and thus need to go over my lesson in preparation to teaching it on Sunday morning.  Lord willing we will finish this section in our next SD.

 

8/26/2023 9:34 AM

PT-4 "The Approach" (Matt. 22:23)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/25/2023 8:47 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-4 “The Approach”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 22:23

 

            Message of the verse:  “23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,”

 

            Before the Monday that Jesus came into Jerusalem, the Sadducees had little interest in Jesus, even though He was very popular with the people.  I suppose what He did to the Temple captivated their interest in Him as they had a lot to do with the Temple “worship.” 

 

            Another thing that peaked their interest was the fact that Jesus was called the Son of David when He rode into Jerusalem earlier in the week.  It was because the Sadducees were pro-Roman this caused a problem for them for they knew since He claimed to be King this would cause a problem with the Romans.  I really does not matter what they thought about Jesus He was going to do what He came to earth to do and that was die for the sins of the world and they could do nothing about it, but I suppose that once that happened they would be happy about it, however after His resurrection from the dead more trouble would be coming for them and the Pharisees. 

 

            There was a meeting among the leaders of the Jews a few days earlier “the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are we doing?  For this man is performing many signs.  If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’  But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should perish’” (John 11:47-50; cf. Mark 14:1-2).  John then noted “From that day on they planned together to kill Him” (v.53).

 

            It is common knowledge that the Church  began on the day of Pentecost and since the Lord was back in heaven the Jews began to take out their wrath on His followers because He was not there.  “1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand (Acts 4:1-4).”

 

            MacArthur concludes this section by writing “After the Pharisees had failed through their disciples to trick Jesus into making a traitorous statement against Rome, the Sadducees attempted to make Him discredit Himself in the eyes of the Jewish people. By asking Him what they thought was an unanswerable question, they planned to make Him look the fool, as they perhaps had succeeded, on occasions, in doing with the Pharisees.”

 

            Lord willing in our next SD we will begin to look at 22:24-28 which is entitled “The Absurdity.”

 

8/25/2023 9:13 AM

PT-3 "The Approach" (Matt. 22:23)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/24/2023 9:55 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-3 “The Approach”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 22:23

 

            Message of the verse:  “23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,”

 

            I want to continue to write more about the Sadducees, and one of the things that they did in their “religious” study was to mostly look at the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, almost to the exclusion of the rest of Scripture.  They thought that the rest of the Old Testament was actually a kind of commentary on the first five books of Moses.  Not it is therefore because Moses taught nothing directly about the resurrection that the Sadducees denied its reality.  I know that what I am about to say has been heard by many people who have studied the Bible but there is a truth in it.  It was because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection that they were sad u see.

 

            John MacArthur writes “But a person who does not believe in a life after this present life has little motive for living other than he pleases.  After death he expects neither penalty nor reward, because he considers the end of this life to be the end of everything.  And in spite of many clear teachings in the Pentateuch about godly living, the Sadducees were perfectly comfortable in their proud and selfish worldliness.”

 

            There is a story in the 23^rd chapter of Acts that has to do with the Apostle Paul when he was on trial, and how he used the fact that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were at odds about the resurrection.  I will now quote from Acts 23:6-9 “6 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!" 7 As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, "We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?’”

 

            It was when challenged by the Sadducees to prove that the resurrection was taught by Moses, the Pharisees apparently could only muster up only two or three obscure references.  The first one was found in Numbers 18:28 and I will look at that verse now “‘So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the LORD’S offering to Aaron the priest.”  The Pharisees said that this implied resurrection, in that it spoke of giving “the LORD’S offering to Aaron the priest,” the present tense indicating that Aaron was still alive.  Two more verses that the Pharisees said spoke of the resurrection, and the second came from Deuteronomy 31:16, which speaks of the people arising, but their arising was not to a future life but to harlotry. (They seem to be stretching the meaning of the Word of God.)  Thirdly was from Deuteronomy 32:39 in which the Lord says, “It is I who put to death and give life,” and this was a reference simply to His sovereign authority over life and death.

 

            MacArthur writes “The Pharisees and Sadducees had great social and political as well as theological animosity between them.  Socially, the Sadducees were aristocratic and the Pharisees were commoners.  Politically, the Sadducees were pro-Roman and the Pharisees anti-Roman.”

 

            I have mentioned that there was one issue that solidly united these two groups, the Pharisees and the Sadducees and that was their uncompromising opposition to Jesus, as they both wanted Him to be put to death.

 

            Looks like we will have one more SD to talk about the Sadducees and that should end our discussion from Matthew 22:23.  I find it difficult to think about a group of so-called “religious” leaders who do not believe in the resurrection, but I suppose that there are still some of those types around today in our world.

 

8/24/2023 10:28 AM

PT-2 "The Approach" (Matt. 22:23)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/23/2023 10:14 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-2 “The Approach”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 22:23

 

            Message of the verse:  “23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,”

 

            I want to continue to look at these Sadducees as I did not finish looking at who they are and what they represented in our last SD.  Now even though we are in the last week of our Lord’s life on planet earth there has been a lot of things happening such as Him coming into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey, cleansing the Temple, preaching some very judgmental messages, and now talking to different Jewish leaders.  It was because the Sadducees had power and wealth that was founded in the Temple and its offerings, sacrificial system, and commercial enterprises, that when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, the Sadducees, like the entire priesthood, ceased to exist.  Another thing was that I am very sure that they were greatly offended when Jesus cleansed the Temple, and I am also very sure that they wanted Him out of the way for good.

 

            MacArthur writes “Religiously, the Sadducees were in some ways extreme fundamentalists.  They interpreted Scripture with great literalism and consequently were even more absolutist and rigid on certain matters than the Pharisees.  Josephus reported that in rendering judgments in behalf of the people they were more vicious than any other sect (Antiquities, XX.ix.i).  They refused to acknowledge any worth, much less authority, in the oral or written interpretations of Scripture or in the rabbinical traditions.  They were fastidious in Levitical purist and prided themselves as being the preservers of the true faith.

 

            “But for some reason they gave unique primacy to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, almost to the exclusion of the rest of Scripture.  The other books were considered more or less as commentaries of the five books of Moses.  It is therefore because Moses taught nothing directly about the resurrection that the Sadducees denied its reality.”

 

            We will find out later on that there is truth about the resurrection in the book of Exodus as Jesus will quote a section of that book to them.  It is when I learn more about who these Sadducees were that I am very confused, and the reason is that if one does not believe in an afterlife then all they have is this life that they are living right here on earth. 

 

            There is a song that a woman named Petty Lee sang in 1969.  It is a secular song but as you read over the words of this song you kind of get the idea of how people think when they have no hope of an afterlife.  I will close the SD by quoting the lyrics to the song “Is That All There Is?”  My answer to that question is absolutely NO!!

 

 

 

 

I remember when I was a little girl
Our house caught on fire
I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he
Gathered me up in his arms and
Faced through the burning building out on the pavement

And I stood there
Shivering in my pajamas and
Watched the whole world go up in flames
And when it was all over

I said to myself
Is that all there is to a fire?

Is that all there is
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is my friends
Then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

 

And when I was twelve years old
My daddy took me to the circus
The greatest show on Earth
There were clowns and elephants, dancing bears
And a beautiful lady in pink
Tights flew high above our heads

And as I sat there watching
I had the feeling that something was missing
I don't know what, but
When it was over
I said to myself
Is that all there is to the circus?

Is that all there is
Is that all there is?

If that's all there is my friends
Then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

 

And then I fell in love
With the most wonderful boy in the world
We'd take long walks by the river or
Just sit for hours gazing into each other's eyes
We were so very much in love

Then one day
He went away
And I thought I'd die, but I didn't
And when I didn't
I said to myself

Is that all there is to love?

Is that all there is
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is, my friends
Then let's keep

 

I know what you must be saying to yourselves
If that's the way she feels about it
Why doesn't she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me
I'm not ready for that final disappointment

Because I know
Just as well as I'm standing here talking to you
That when that final moment comes
And I'm breathing my last breath
I'll be saying to myself

 

Is that all there is
Is that all there is?
If that's all there is my friend
Then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

 

 

            This could be the theme song of the Sadducees, but I hope it is not yours as there is a hope in the Lord Jesus Christ of the most blessed afterlife ever and it has all been paid for through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Just admit to the Lord that you are a sinner, and ask Him to come into your life to save you, and then you will learn that this song is not for you, but heaven is for you.

 

8/23/2023 10:50 AM

PT-1 "The Approach" (Matt. 22:23)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/22/2023 9:37 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  PT-1 “The Approach”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 22:23

 

            Message of the verse:  “23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,”

 

            I begin by saying that we have covered many things on this Wednesday a day after Jesus cleansed the Temple as we looked at three judgmental messages from the Lord, and then as mentioned earlier there are three groups of Jewish leaders who come to question Him on theological issues, which by the way they knew little about.  This is the second theological issue that will be addressed, and this time the Pharisees sent one of their arch rivals, the Sadducees, to Jesus, but they did have one thing in common, and that was the hatred of Jesus. 

 

            I suppose that in earlier SD’s when I wrote on the different gospels, like John or Mark that I spoke about the Sadducees.  They were a very small group, actually the smallest group of Jewish leaders at this time in history.  They were very wealthy and influential of the Jewish sects, which included the Pharisees, the Zealots, and the Essenes.  Not a lot is said about the Essenes, but this subject was also covered in, if my memory serves me correctly, from my study on Mark.  Now the Pharisees were the most numerous, the most popular, the most outwardly religious.  The Pharisees held strongly to external customs and practices and were legalistic to the core, firmly believing that their good works gained them acceptance with God.  It was for them, the rabbinical traditions had become more authoritative than Scripture, however many of the traditions were devised simply as accommodations to their sinful desires.

 

            Now we move onto the Zealots who were political and often military activists, extremely nationalistic and resentful of Roman control of Israel.

 

            The Essenes were a reclusive sect who spent much of their time copying the Old Testament.  Here is an interesting truth about them, and that is it was a group of Essenes living at Qumran, which was on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, who produced what became known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.  The Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a nomadic shepherd boy in a cave in the 1940’s and when they were found and compared with other Old Testament scrolls there was no difference in them as some dated back a very long time.

 

            Now we move onto talking about the Sadducees who were the aristocrats of Judaism, being largely in control of the Temple and the operation of the priesthood, and it was primarily through the Temple concessions of money changing and sacrifice selling which can be seen in Matthew 21:12, that they obtained their wealth.  The high priest and chief priests were almost invariably Sadducees, as were most members of the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish council.

 

            This group of Jewish leaders in spite of their great power and influence, and partly because of it, they were not respected by most Jews, especially by the Pharisees.  However at this time their common enemy was the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Sadducees were aloof from the common people and acted superior to them.  However they were also disliked for their theology, the most distinct teaching of which was that as Matthew states there is no resurrection. 

 

            As I conclude this first SD on Matthew 22:23 I want to quote something from what is called “the resurrection chapter,” which is 1 Corinthian 15, a chapter that has 58 verses in it.  Paul begins this chapter with the gospel message and then towards the end of the chapter speaks about the Rapture of the church.  Let us look and see what Paul has to say about the resurrection from parts of this wonderful chapter.

 

                “12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The resurrection for Jesus Christ is the most essential doctrine in the Word of God for as Paul says if Christ had not been raised from the dead then I am most to be pitied.

 

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the truth that Christ was raised from the dead and remember what Paul wrote to the Romans.  “1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin” (Rom. 6:1-7).

 

8/22/2023 10:15 AM