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
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