Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 12:18-34 in our “Journey Into The Night” series. He urged us to cultivate clarity in chaos by becoming a people of love". Lector: Erin Warmbier
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 12:18-34 in our “Journey Into The Night” series. He urged us to cultivate clarity in chaos by becoming a people of love".
Lector: Erin Warmbier
We have an incredible final confrontation here between Jesus and the Elites
And we have a beautiful invitation in light of it:
Prepare for the Resurrection by becoming a people of love.
This time it's the Sadducees, shied away from supernatural stuff in the Bible.
More rigid/literal. They rejected things like a resurrection from the dead, angels.
Much for us about facing our darkness and managing conflict here.
They're confronting Jesus on two of their closest held beliefs, let's watch:
“Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
-Mark 12:19-23
There is a law in Deut. 25:5-10 that became known as levirate marriage
In that patriarchal culture, men carried the family name.
For a family to continue, a baby boy had to be born.
If a brother died without a male heir, the family was at risk.
These arrangements weren't born of love, they were born of control and safety
If he had a brother, it was the brother's duty to get his sister-in-law pregnant with a male heir so the family name could continue.
The Sadducees are trying to make Jesus' teaching about an eternal kingdom, a resurrection from the dead, seem ridiculous.
So they create this scenario where one poor lady buries 7 husbands.
Who in the world will she be married to in this so-called heaven?
Before we get into Jesus' answer, let's consider the scenario and what it teaches us about facing conflict.
The Sadducees are deliberately twisting an OT law.
It was already essentially abandoned as a practice at this point, maybe how we might think of common law marriage today, used to be a thing, not a thing anymore.
The brother's responsibility was to get his SIL pregnant, not treat her as a wife.
In other words, "levirate marriage" was not seen as the same thing as real marriage
They know this, but they're twisting the argument anyway.
That's our first clue: if someone is deliberately distorting information, be aware.
When someone leaves out key parts of the scenario, be aware.
And second, this scenario is SO ABSURD we cannot take it seriously.
What's going on with these brothers that they keep dying?
What's going on with this lady that she can't get pregnant?
How did she manage to outlive all of them and die single?
It's completely unrealistic.
Even if this were to happen, it would be so, so, so rare.
So, beware of people using outlandish examples to prove a point.
When you see these kinds of things happen, know you're actually talking about something else.
People don't distort info or create wild scenarios to have a real conversation.
These guys don't want Jesus' answer to this scenario; they want Jesus dead.
So we have to know the conversation we're having.
Know the conversation you're having
Jesus knows he's being trapped, so he gives them a brief, poignant response.
It's indirect, a bit vague, and requires imagination...this forces the trappers to reflect and reconsider. Watch:
Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God.
-Mark 12:24
Immediately sends them back on their heels...these are supposed to be the experts!
And yet Jesus implies they're novices.
They're immediately thinking about this statement, not their question.
when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.
-Mark 12:25
Notice he states as fact the resurrection of the dead and the existence of angels.
Just says it.
Next, "marry" and "given in marriage" were two very specific words in that patriarchal cultural moment.
"Marry" referred to the man's role in a marriage proposal: initiation and pursuit.
"Given in marriage" referred to the woman's role, receiving and responding.
Gendered words for a specific role, and Jesus says that thing won't happen.
He doesn't say there will be NO marriage, just not that kind.
He's saying what you think of won't be what it is...like the angels.
To which the sadduccees probably would have said "but we have no idea what angels are really like!"
To which Jesus probably would have said "EXACTLY!"
The point Jesus is making here is that what's coming is beyond what you can imagine.
What do we know about angels? Sometimes they look like humans, sometimes like living lightning bolts!
We can hardly conceive of it...this is what Jesus is trying to get into our minds.
What's coming is beyond what you can imagine.
Paul describes our resurrected bodies as immortal, tireless, painless, death-less.
Can you imagine such a thing? I can't!
I want it, it sounds incredible...but it's hard to see exactly.
And, for the most part, this leaves the Sadducees in a pickle.
Don't know what to say, don't know how to respond...like I imagine some of you might be feeling right now.
How do we prepare for, or live in light of, something we cannot imagine?
Does this mean we WILL be married in heaven?
Someone new? Current spouse? First spouse? What does this mean?
What does it mean we'll be like the angels?
In what way? Only in rhythms of marriage?
We have so many questions at this point, don't we?
Watch what happens next:
One of the teachers of religious law was standing their listening...he realized that Jesus had answered so well, so he asked...
-Mark 12:28
He listened. Do you notice? He was actually listening.
And what's more, he liked Jesus' answer.
Jesus, particularly in vv 26-27, uses a really clever and ancient Jewish way of interpreting the Bible. It's really brilliant.
They all call God the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
They call God god of the living. Which means Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive.
This teacher caught it, was impressed.
This is not the normal response from the religious elites, is it?
And this leads the man to ask. Not trap, not trick, not corner.
He asks a sincere question.
Angels and the Resurrection were two sticking point issues for the Sadducees.
And one of their favorite debates was which of the 613 OT laws was most important.
So Jesus expertly responds to the first two...so this man now asks:
Of all the commandments, which is the most important?
Mark 12:28
Be prepared for a different side of Jesus with the religious folks here.
A sincere, curious, genuine question comes.
And Jesus gives him a plain, frank, direct answer.
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
Mark 12:29
He quotes the OT. This is the most important one.
Love God with all you have.
What's curious about this is that the Sadducees probably thought they did; that's why they worked so hard on all the rules and getting it right.
But Jesus makes a follow-up statement that brings even more clarity:
The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these.
-Mark 12:31
I want us to really soak in the difference in Jesus' response to sincerity.
This is one of the LEAST complicated verses in the Bible.
There is very little room for interpretation here. It's so plain, so clear, so direct.
Here are some questions I have for Jesus:
Will it hurt when I die?
How long will I have to wait for the resurrection?
If I die when my kids are young will I be able to watch them grow somehow?
How will I remember all the pain in my life without tears like you've promised?
What will it feel like to be raised?
Who really gets in at the end? Will we be OK if Trump gets elected? If Biden?
On and on...what's with Genesis 6? What's the deal with angels and head coverings?
I could go on...don't you have so many questions?
And into the fog of all that, Jesus brings us incredible clarity: Love.
Prepare for the Resurrection by becoming a people of love.
When someone is trapping you, it's not an act of love.
It's an act of violence of some sort. It's not loving to engage in that.
So, like Jesus...don't.
What's most important in this life?
Love God and love each other.
How will the world know we are Jesus' disciples? Love.
Anyone nervous about the election?
A recent poll said more than 80% of former congressmen think violence is likely. LIKELY. After the election.
Last time, 2020, Christians were known for fighting. Meanness. Anger.
What might happen in this political season if we really learned to love the other side?
What if we prayed for the people the world tells us to hate?
What if we said the best way to show the world who Jesus is was to really love the people we're most inclined to disagree with?
What if there was a church that really knew how to love one another, even on the other aisle?
See, Jesus' responses are always ones of love. It's amazing to watch.
He's actually loving the Sadducees by not engaging in depth.
He's loving this man by giving him a clear, direct answer.
And in the same way he's loved all of us this morning.
What is coming for us at the resurrection of the dead is beyond our ability to understand, but it's coming.
And so we prepare by receiving Jesus' invitation to become a people of love.