READING: Matthew 22:15-23:39; Mark 12:13-44; Luke 20:20-21:4, 13:31-35
“And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.”
Matthew 22:33
I begin today’s devotion with two questions:
- Do we really know the Word of God?
- Do we really experience His power?
The Sadducees in today’s reading denied the possibility of resurrection, but they nevertheless tried to set Jesus up by their question about marriage in the afterlife. “If a woman’s been married to seven different brothers after each one dies successively, whose wife would she be in resurrection?” they asked. Jesus’ response was clear: “Jesus told them, ‘Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God?’” (Matt. 22:24).
They didn’t know the Scriptures well enough to know the Bible teaches the reality of resurrection, and they didn’t understand the power of God enough to know that He could give eternal life quite different from our earthly existence. Nor did they know the power of God in their own lives. They were religious leaders who knew neither God’s Word nor His power.
I can only wonder if we ever live the same way. We say we believe the Word, but we don’t know it well enough to answer the questions of critics. We talk about the power of God, but we struggle with believing that God really is capable of doing all things. I wonder what the early church would think about our powerless, faithless churches that so often mark our communities.
Sometimes, we, too, are religious leaders who don’t know God’s Word or His power. God forgive us.*
ACTION STEPS:
- Stay faithful in your Bible reading. It’s important to know the Word.
- Evaluate whether you truly live in God’s power.
PRAYER: “God, make me one who loves you fully, lives for you completely, and follows You without questioning.
TOMORROW’S READING: Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21:5-38
*portion first posted in 2015
