‘But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”‘ (Matthew 22:29 ESV).
Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for not knowing God’s Word, nor God’s power. Who were the Sadducees? They were a Jewish religious sect that existed during the first century and consisted of a wealthy ruling class of priests that were often seen as allies of the Romans. They claimed to be Torah only followers, rejecting the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. They denied the after-life, the resurrection, the existence of angels, and a final judgment. They mostly saw the Scriptures as a basis for morality and no more.
The way I was taught to remember the Sadducees in Sunday School was that since they didn’t believe in the resurrection, they were “sad-you-see.” I think we have a lot of “sad-you-sees” in our world today.
Christ’s correction of the Sadducees is an apt warning for today. For we are a generation of biblically illiterate and spiritually impotent people. Let us repent of our self-inflicted ignorance and dependence on weak and worldly things. For we have God’s Word and we have been given the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore be diligent to study God’s Word and to continually rely on the filling of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to grow as students of Your Word. Transform and renew our minds as Your Spirit applies the Scriptures to our thinking. We would think with the mind of Christ on all things. Empower us to live for You today. In Jesus’ name, amen.