What did the scribe mean by the “great” commandment in Mat 22:36? See Mar 12:28 and the NAS text note there. By “great” or “foremost” or “first” are we to understand that some commandments are less binding than others? Cf. Jam 2:10. In what sense then may one commandment be greater than another? See Mat…
Recall that it is Tuesday of Passion week and Jesus has returned to Jerusalem from spending the night outside of the city (Mar 11:19). Upon entering the temple He was confronted by a delegation from the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews. This council of the elders of Israel was composed mostly of Pharisees…
Recall that Jesus is addressing the Sadducees’ mistaken belief that there is no resurrection, and has dispelled their argument that the resurrection makes no sense in light of the Levirate marriage commanded in the law of Moses. They were mistaken in this regard, indeed greatly deceived in their understanding, for it isn’t the case that…
Recall that in answering the Sadducees Jesus taught that in the resurrection men cannot die because they are equal to angels and are sons of God being sons of the resurrection (Luk 20:36). For in that age the tree of life shall be restored to man. Why was it that God prevented man from eating…
Recall that in answering the Sadducees Jesus noted that in the resurrection men shall neither marry nor be given in marriage for they can no longer die anymore because they are equal to angels and are sons of God being sons of the resurrection (Luk 20:36); what in particular that was lost in Eden and…
Recall that in answering the Sadducees Jesus noted that in the resurrection men shall neither marry nor be given in marriage for they can no longer die anymore because they are equal to angels and are sons of God being sons of the resurrection (Luk 20:36); was man as he was created in his original…
Recall that Jesus is correcting the false notions of the Sadducees who had confronted Him in regard to their belief that there was no resurrection. Since marriage in heaven didn’t make sense to them they mistakenly supposed there must be no resurrection, which better suited their privileged status and love for this world than supposing…
Recall that the Sadducees rejected the resurrection because in their faulty understanding they supposed that if there was a resurrection it would be to a similar state of being. What examples of people being raised from the dead may have led them to this conclusion? See 1Ki 17:17-23, 2Ki 4:32-36; cf. Mat 27:51-53, Luk 7:11-15,…
For what reason did Jesus say that the Sadducees were so greatly deceived in regard to their misperceptions about the resurrection? See Mat 22:29, Mar 12:24. Was it the case that these religious elites of priestly descent were not very well educated either in what Moses taught that they held as most authoritative, or in…
What question in light of the practice of levirate marriage did the Sadducees pose to Jesus that seemed to them to be a conundrum? See Mat 22:28. What conclusion had they drawn since it made no sense to them? See Mat 22:23. Consider that at the heart of the argument of these very liberal, temporal…