“But Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.’” (Matthew 22:29 ESV).
Matthew wrote to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah and authoritative teacher of God’s truth. In this passage, he recorded a confrontation between Jesus and the Sadducees, a Jewish religious sect that was closely tied to political power and temple leadership. They accepted only the five books of Moses and rejected the Prophets, the Writings, and the doctrine of the resurrection. Their question about marriage in the afterlife was not sincere; it was meant to trap Jesus. Yet He did not merely answer their hypothetical scenario. He exposed the deeper problem. He told them they were in error because they did not truly know the Scriptures or the power of God. Though they claimed loyalty to Moses, even the Torah pointed to resurrection life. Their limited, selective reading led to false conclusions. Worse, they underestimated God’s power, assuming resurrection life must fit within earthly categories. Jesus declared that God’s power is greater than human assumptions and fully able to raise the dead to life.
We must admit that this warning is for us, too. We live in a time when the Bible has never been more available, yet widespread biblical illiteracy and spiritual weakness are the mark of most people today. Many hold confident opinions about God while rarely opening His Word. We may limit God to what seems reasonable in our experience. Jesus’ rebuke calls us to repent. We must become people who know the Scriptures deeply and trust the power of God fully. Let us study God’s Word diligently, depend on the Spirit daily, and refuse shallow, selective belief. We want to be people who truly know the Word and power of God.
PRAYER: Dear Father, forgive us for neglecting Your Word and doubting Your power. Give us hunger for Scripture and faith that You can do abundantly more than we can imagine. Fill us with Your Spirit and shape our thinking by Your truth. Make us a people who truly know Your Word and Your power. In Jesus’ name, amen.