Jesus has the answer for all our prejudices, weaknesses, and fears
By Dean Collins
It was a drop the mic moment. He delivered a zinger. The Sadducees had no words, and the Pharisees, I think, snickered. Trying to win themselves an edge or prove their brilliance, the Sadducees had woven a what-if sort of tale for Jesus. Jesus told them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Ouch.
When we hear a line like that in a debate or courtroom drama we tend to catch our breath in amusement. I think that’s what the Pharisees did. They had their differences with the Sadducees but they also shared equal concern about Jesus, his popularity, and his threat to their power and role in society. But for the moment they enjoyed Jesus knocking the Sadducees down a notch.
But it appears that after the Sadducees were silenced, the Pharisees also tried to win an argument, or at least catch Jesus off guard and expose a flaw in his teaching. They chose not to propose a hypothetical question as the Sadducees had done. They just tried to put Jesus on the spot by asking a direct question: Which commandment was the greatest? Seems like trying to prove who or what is greatest is not a particularly modern thing.
When Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ question, he silenced them too, at least for a few chapters in Matthew’s narrative. Jesus said loving God and loving our neighbors basically summed up all the Law and prophets. This is great news for those who memorize Scripture!
Convicting words
More than 2,000 years later, these words are still incredibly convicting. If we are honest I think we might find ourselves silenced before God as we read them.
Many times I have realized that, like the Sadducees, I am wrong. I don’t know the Scriptures as well as I think I do, and I fall short of truly knowing and trusting the power of God. Even as I fully believe in the resurrection of Jesus and in our future resurrection, I can easily forget or ignore this power as I face a moment of stress or fear.
The disciples experienced moments when they lacked faith in the power of God. You remember the father who brought his son to Jesus after the disciples had failed to cast out the demon that tormented his son. The father came to Jesus at wit’s end, tired and sick of his son’s oppression, and he said to Jesus, ”If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus replied, “‘If you can.’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Stopped silent
My silence comes when I realize how much I am like this desperate father when I either forget to approach Jesus or come to him with an if-you-can faith. It’s in these moments that I find myself sadly like the Sadducees, knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
And then I consider how we are like the Pharisees some days when we either focus on compliance (just check all the right boxes beside what we think the Bible commands) or when we try to manipulate the Scriptures to align with our opinions and yes, even our politics, instead of simply trying to love our neighbors completely and always.
As we follow Jesus, I suspect we will have moments when our connection with Jesus feels strong. In such times we should find ourselves loving fully, walking humbly, and living justly. But there will also be moments when we realize our prejudices and our fears and lack of faith to embrace the power of God over our weaknesses. May we in these moments find our voices and pray, “I believe Jesus. Help my unbelief.”
God will meet us there every time and meet all our needs with his love and grace.
Your time with God’s Word
Matthew 22:29, 34-40; Mark 9:23-24 ESV
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
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