Last time we noted that the disciples thought that the temple would be destroyed at the end of the world. Jesus did not explicitly correct them. In His answer He wove together the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. He included enough detail so that we could figure it out along the way.

First, Jesus gives the airplane view. First, there will be false Christs, wars, famines, pestilences (epidemics and, perhaps, pandemics), and earthquakes all around the world, all throughout history until the end of the world. These all happened in the days of the apostles and continue to happen today. That was just the beginning of problems. Then there would be persecution and false prophets. Sin will increase, and the people’s love will grow cold. These have now also happened. Finally, the gospel will be preached in all the world. This is happening. Thus, the end could come at any time now.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the fulfillments of the airplane view.
1. False Christs. Several of these appeared in the days leading up to the destruction of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem. Barabbas, who was released instead of Jesus, was thought by some to be the Messiah. Simon Bar Kochba, who thought to be the Messiah, led the revolt that resulted in the total destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 135. There were many others in between. Modern false Christs include David Koresh and Moon Sun-Myung. There have been many others.
2. Wars. To start with, there were the Jewish revolts against Roman occupation. There were also wars and assassinations among the Roman leaders. Today there are around 30 wars going on around the world at any given time. You can hardly pick up a newspaper without reading both war and threatened war.
3. Famine. Jerusalem was racked by famine in the siege leading up to the destruction of the temple. Nowadays, every several seconds a child dies of starvation.
4. Pestilences. AIDS, cancer, threat of bird flu, etc.
5. Earthquakes. There are many every year. Recent large earthquakes include the tsunami in Southeast Asia in December 2004 followed by the earthquake in Pakistan.
6. Persecution. This happened under both pagan and papal Rome. For example, pagan Rome persecuted Christians under Diocletian. Then for several hundred years papal Rome persecuted anyone who would preach the Bible.
7. False prophets. Paul contended with false prophets. (2 Corinthians 11:13.) There have always been false prophets. Many pastors and seminary teachers today do not believe the Bible, but rather teach their own philosophies.
8. Increase of sin. This is happening not only in the world in general, but also in the church. Just recently, a man who was to be married by a minister of Christ was killed by police while leaving a strip-tease bar the morning of his wedding. The man’s bishop and another prominent preacher have been quoted in news reports condemning the police for killing the man. (I’ll leave whether the police were justified in killing the man to other blogs.) However, neither pastor seems to have mentioned that the man spent the night before his wedding committing adultery! (See Matthew 5:27-28. Why else would he be at a “strip” bar?) The prominent preacher called for “moral outrage” against the police for killing the man. But where is the moral outrage about the man attending a strip bar, possibly getting drunk, and attempting to run over another man?
9. Cold love. Just read the newspaper. (No, don’t! It’s not good reading.)
10. The Gospel. The Bible is available in hundreds of languages all over the world. There are churches in pretty much every country. (In some counties, the churches are underground.) Missionaries have reached nearly every people group. Books, magazines, radio, television, internet, and other media are full of preachers. This work is nearly complete. But as long as my neighbor does not know Christ, or there is a people group yet to be reached, there is work for me to do to help spread the gospel message.

After the airplane view, Jesus gives a timeline. Here are the events.
1. The destruction of the temple. When there is an abomination of desolation in the holy place, it is time to flee Judea. When the Christians saw the Roman army outside Jerusalem in the part of the “holy city” outside the walls, they knew it was time to leave. Not a single Christian was killed in the siege of Jerusalem. Note that Jesus cites the 70 week prophecy of Daniel when describing the sign of the destruction of the temple. (See Daniel 9:27.) The destruction happened after the 70-week (490-year) probation for the Jews was ended. If the Jewish leaders had accepted Jesus, they may well have averted the destruction of the temple. (See Jeremiah 18:7-8.)
2. The Great Tribulation. The next great event is the great tribulation which Jesus said would be cut short. We noted above that Jesus referred to Daniel in reference to the destruction of the temple. Daniel also predicted a time when a power emanating from Rome would “… wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of a time.” (Daniel 7:25.) This time period is three and one-half years. Taking 360 days to a year (approximate Jewish lunar calendar), that makes 1260 days. Using the prophetic principle of a day stands for a year (Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34—This is the same principle that makes the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 refer to 490 literal years.), that makes 1260 years. This time period started in A.D. 538 when the last of the Arian powers that challenged the supremacy of the bishop of Rome was removed. It ended in 1798 when the Pope was taken captive by the French army. What is commonly called the Dark Ages occurred during this time of the supremacy of papal Rome. Many Christian doctrines were changed by the papal system, including the gospel, the Ten Commandments, and the church calendar. Possession of the Bible by the common people was banned by the papal Roman Catholic Church. And priests were instructed in church dogma rather than the Scriptures. Those who possessed or preached from the Bible were killed or persecuted. Such persecuted people included the Waldenses, John Huss, Jerome, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe, and millions of others. Jesus said the time of tribulation would be cut short to preserve the elect. And so the prominence of the papal church was cut several hundred years before 1798 by the Protestant Reformation.
3. False Christs and false prophets. Jesus said that after the tribulation there would be more false Christs and false prophets. Some would even do great miracles. We are not to be deceived by miracles. Satan can do miracles, and so can his prophets. Sometimes the miracles of the false prophets look exactly like miracles of God. (See, for example, Exodus 7:10-12, 20-22; 8:5-7.) Just because a person does miracles (healing, moving mountains, bringing down fire from heaven, etc.) does not mean the person is from God. HOW TO KNOW IT IS JESUS: Jesus says that when He comes again, it will not be secret. His coming will be as visible as the lightning, and after He comes, birds of prey will be eating dead bodies. The dead bodies would be those who opposed Jesus and were destroyed at His coming. (Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and Revelation 19:11-21, especially verses 17-18.)
4. Signs in the sky. Right after the tribulation, there were signs in the sky. On May 19, 1780, the sun disappeared at noon. The earth because black as night. The moon did not shine until after midnight, and when it did finally shine, it was blood red. The day is known as The Dark Day. This happened after the tribulation had been “cut short” by the Protestant Reformation. The next sign was the falling of the stars. This occurred during the remarkable meteorite shower of November 13, 1833. All over North America the sky was lit up for hours by a dazzling display of meteorites.
5. The powers of heaven shaken. We are still waiting for this to happen. This is the last sign to occur before Jesus comes back. Revelation describes this event as “the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together….” (Revelation 6:14.)
6. The second coming of Jesus. When the heaven is rolled back as a scroll, then Jesus will come through. He will be seen by the whole earth. (There is nothing secret here!) He will come “with great power and glory.” It will be as bright as the lightning. There will be a trumpet sounding. He will be ‘in the clouds of heaven.” The angels will gather the elect from the whole earth. Paul says the elect will be gathered to “the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” That is, the elect will be raptured to the clouds. Nothing here says that Jesus will even touch the ground. Instead, He will take us to His Father’s house in heaven to be with Him forever. (See John 14:1-3.) The unsaved mourn and call for the rocks to fall on them. (Compare Revelation 6:12-17.) As mentioned in #3 above, the unsaved die and are eaten by the birds of prey.

Note that the timing given by Jesus does not agree with the “Left Behind” series that has been so popular recently. Nor does it agree with the notes in the Scofield Study Bible. (The notes in a study Bible are not necessarily inspired by God. Only the main text of the Bible is.) Scofield and the Left Behind series say that the tribulation will occur after the rapture of the saints (elect). Jesus says the tribulation will occur BEFORE the rapture.

Note also that the rapture is not secret. When the elect are raptured, Jesus is sitting in the clouds in great glory that can be seen all over the earth, and there is a trumpet sounding. The angels are carrying the elect up to the clouds. The unsaved are mourning and dying. This is a very public event. There is no place where the Bible ever mentions a secret rapture. The doctrine of the secret rapture is a deception originally made popular by the Scofield Study Bible and recently repeated in the “Left Behind” series.

Jesus’ very first words in the passage were, “Take head that no man deceive you.” Jesus gave us the basic information in this passage. He gave us even more information in Revelation. We need to know what Jesus says, and not be deceived by the false teachings circulating so freely in the Christian churches.

Finally, only two conditions from this passage remain to be fulfilled before Jesus comes again. (1) The gospel preached to the whole world. (2) The shaking of the powers of heaven.

The point for me today: (1) Jesus has given me good information about how to recognize Him when he comes. He has also warned me against false prophets (preachers). I must study His words so that I will be ready for Him and will not be deceived. (2) I must do my part in spreading the gospel to prepare the way for Jesus to come back.

Jesus had just pronounced the temple desolate. The architecture and materials used in the temple were gorgeous. Herod had invested a lot of time and money in beautifying the temple. While the temple was not as beautiful as the temple built by Solomon, it was impressive.

Imagine what might have been going through the minds of the people who had heard Jesus pronounce the temple desolate. Has God left the temple? If so, what will happen to it? Is it still OK to worship here? What will happen to the temple? Will it be destroyed? I’m sure some of these thoughts went through the minds of the priests. I’m sure some of these thoughts went through the minds of the disciples.

If I had been there with Jesus, I would have wanted a bit more information about the meaning and consequences of a desolate temple. Was there any possibility to restore the presence of God? This may have been what the disciples were thinking when they drew Jesus attention to the temple buildings and their beauty.

Jesus saw the beauty of the temple. But he also saw the consequences of the Jewish leaders’ rejection of true worship. If you reject God, then you are by definition on the side of Satan. The basic principle of Satan’s government is selfishness, and the outworking of this principle is usually violence. Violent selfishness would lead to fighting that would result in the destruction of the temple. Jesus predicted that not one stone would be left upon another. The only thing left of the temple today is a section of retaining wall.

The disciples could apparently not comprehend another destruction of the temple. If the temple were to be destroyed, surely that would be the end of the world. So when Jesus’ disciples ask about the sign of the destruction of the temple, they also ask for the sign of Jesus second coming.

Jesus knew that His disciples were not ready to comprehend the distinction between the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. So He did not make a distinction in His answer. Nowadays, we can make the distinction in hindsight. The disciples recognized the distinction as the events unfolded. Next time we will examine Jesus’ answer and its meaning for us today.

The point for me today: The wise teacher introduces new concepts only as his students are ready to learn. I do not need to unload all doctrinal teachings on my students all at once. I should introduce new doctrines little by little, building on what they already know. Jesus does this for me, and I should give others the opportunity to learn over time.

These are the last words of Jesus as a teacher in the temple. He may have been brought to the temple at some point during His trial, but He said almost nothing at that time. Seeing how these are the last words of Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees, we should pay careful attention to what He had to say.

1. They shut up the kingdom of heaven so that nobody can enter. This is because of their false religion that they created. As I mentioned yesterday, the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees have been preserved in the Talmud and Mishnah. There are a lot of good teachings in these books. But there are also a lot of false and fanciful teachings. These books will not point you to Jesus, the only means of salvation.
2. They devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. This was their “get rich off of religion while appearing very pious” scheme. They would tell widows that it would be virtuous for them to devote their property to religion. Then the scribes and Pharisees would reap the financial benefits of the donation. They also had a system somewhat similar to the Catholic system of indulgences. Meanwhile, they would recite long prayers in public to cover up their lack of inward piety. To be sure, there are some beautiful prayers written by the scribes and Pharisees. But rote recitation of these prayers just to look pious will not lead a person to heaven.
3. They are very careful to indoctrinate their converts. Since their doctrines do not lead to the Savior, they lead to hell. The system of religion they created has some beautiful aspects to it. But the have perverted the Scriptures and do not point their converts to the Messiah, Jesus. Therefore, they are children of hell, even though they may appear more righteous than other men.
4. They allowed people to break their oaths. They said that if you swear by temple or by the altar, you don’t really have to tell the truth or keep your oath. You can lie or change your mind. But if you swear by the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar, then you are bound to tell the truth and keep your oath. Basically, they were looking for loopholes. They were looking for ways to make promises and break them with impunity. But there are no loopholes! “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalm 24:3-5.) You cannot swear deceitfully and be innocent before God.
5. They are very particular about giving tithe of their garden herbs and removing the smallest bugs from their food and water. But they are not just or merciful, and they do not have faith in the Son of God. They will strain a real gnat out of their drinking water, but they swallow the proverbial camel of cruel injustice. For example, they took widows houses. (See #2 above.) “Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.” “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Take care of these big issues, and the little things will sort themselves out in time.
6. They go so far as to baptize cups and platters so that they will not be defiled by using impure or unholy dishes. Yet their own hearts are full of extortion. They blackmailed people using religion to get their money. I have not seen my Orthodox Jewish friends doing this. (Maybe I just don’t know enough.) But I understand it was common in the time of Jesus. God is not concerned about baptizing (ceremonially submerging) cups and platters. He is concerned about pure hearts! (Compare Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Romans 2:28-29.)
7. They try to look good and righteous, while their hearts are full of evil desires. They indulge these evil desires when they think nobody is looking.
8. They say that if they had been alive during the time of the prophets, they would have listened to the prophets rather than persecuting them. But they don’t listen to the prophets, even now. Even to this day, when they go to study prophecy, they look at what their own commentaries say, rather than accepting what the prophets themselves said. The fathers spurned the prophets in favor of idolatry and false worship of the true God. The scribes and Pharisees spurned Jesus in favor of their own system of religion. Jesus predicted that it would continue to be this way. And it was—they killed Jesus, Stephen, James, and others. NOTE: We also must not be too quick to say they we would not kill the prophets. We should not trust God, and not trust ourselves. We often don’t know what is in our own heart until God reveals it to us.

At the conclusion of the woes, Jesus declares that their cup of iniquity is nearly so full as to cause their rejection as a nation. Jesus wanted to save them. He wanted to protect them from their enemies. But they rejected Him because they did not like His terms.

Up to this point, Jesus had referred to the temple as “My Father’s house.” But the temple in old Jerusalem was about to lose all significance. It was not glorified with the Shekinah glory in the Most Holy Place like Solomon’s temple. Instead, it was privileged to a greater glory—the presence of God Himself teaching in the temple courts. But the Son of God is about to leave the temple for the last time. God’s presence would never again be manifested in that temple. Thus Jesus pronounces, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

It occurred to me as I was going through the list of woes that this passage applies to the Catholic Church. Dear reader, if you are Catholic, think carefully about this. I do not aim to offend, but merely to point out the truth. This truth can be difficult to comprehend for someone who is accustomed to thinking of the Catholic Church as the “Mother Church,” who thinks of the Pope as sitting on the seat of Peter. But if you will compare the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church with those of Jesus and the Bible, you will come to some startling conclusions. It may be enough to prompt you to consider looking for a church that truly follows Jesus.

1. The Catholic Church teaches that some of the commandments of God have been changed. For example, they teach that Sunday has replaced Sabbath and that it is alright to bow in front of statues. But Jesus taught that the law would not be changes. (Compare Exodus 20 and Matthew 5:17-19 with Catholic doctrine.) The Church also teaches that you are saved by the grace of God through the sacraments and the merits of the church and the saints. But the Bible says we are saved by the grace of God through faith, not works. (Ephesians 2:8-9.) The merits that save us are the merits of Christ, not the Church or the saints. (2 Corinthians 5:21.) It also teaches people to pray to Mary, the other saints, and other dead people. But the Bible also says we are not to try to contact dead people. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12.) The apostles and prophets never prayed to anyone but God. Jesus taught us to pray to “our Father who art in heaven.” Thus, the teachers in the Catholic Church are shutting up the way to heaven rather than teaching the true way to heaven.
2. Often the Catholic Church has taught that spiritual benefits can be bought with money. Though it is not emphasized like it was a few hundred years ago, the Catholic Church still offers indulgences. Nowhere does the Scripture say that forgiveness can be bought by money. In fact, the Scriptures say the gifts of God cannot be bought. (See Acts 8:18-20.) Can a widow’s gift to the church result in her husband be immediately transferred from purgatory to heaven? The Bible says “no.”
3. The Catholic Church is careful to indoctrinate its converts. You must attend catechism class before you can be confirmed as a member of the Catholic Church. Indoctrination is a good thing. But the Catholic doctrine contains many falsehoods and puts a person on the path to hell rather than to heaven. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9.)
4. The Catholic Church presumes to annul marriages, thus making the marriage vow of none effect. (John Kerry is one prominent person who had his marriage annulled.) But once the marriage is consummated, it is a marriage and cannot be annulled. God says that at marriage “they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24.) Jesus says that once the one flesh experience has occurred, man has no right to separate the couple and annul the marriage. (Matthew 19:6.)
5. The Catholic Church has committed great injustices in the name of God. In the past, popes and prelates have used any means to preserve their power. Just read history.
6. The Catholic Church teaches that so long as you observe the sacraments, including the requirement to come to church at least at Easter and Christmas, you will go to heaven. All you have to do is be baptized, be confirmed, attend mass twice a year, go to confessional from time to time, and have last rights, and you will go to heaven. It does not really matter what kind of a life you live. If you live a bad life, you might spend longer in purgatory, they say, but you will eventually go to heaven.
7. The Catholic Church has beautiful churches and cathedrals. They have impressive worship services with beautiful music. But as pointed out in #1 above, they do not preach a religion that truly sanctifies the heart.
8. The Catholic Church has at times banned the writings of the prophets—the Bible. A Catholic friend of mine told me that his priest told him not to read the Bible. The Catholic Church persecuted and killed some of the prophets who tried to lead them back to the religion of Jesus and the Bible. Examples are John Huss, Jerome, Martin Luther, Wycliffe, and Tyndale.

Dear Catholic reader, I mean you no harm is writing this. I write it only because the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees bears a striking resemblance to the behavior of the Catholic Church. If Jesus warned them about these teachings and behaviors, then His warnings also apply to any other religious system with the same problems. By writing this I hope to benefit you by pointing you to the true doctrine of salvation. Martin Luther had to abandon the Catholic Church because she would not yield to the doctrine he found in Scripture. You will have to do the same, if you want to enter heaven.

The Jews were rejected by God when they refused to believe John the Baptist and Jesus. How do you think God feels about the Catholic Church having rejected the scriptural teachings of the reformers?

Dear Protestant reader, Do not take too much comfort in the fact that you are a Protestant. Many of these same woes apply to many of the Protestant churches. Take good stock of your situation and see whether your church is truly following the example and teaching of Christ. If they are not, then you may need to find another church.

We must also take stock of ourselves individually. Is my religion, personally, a religion of the heart, following God from my heart? Have I allowed God to “circumcise” all the evil from my heart? Do I major in justice, mercy and faith? It is this true religion that will lead one into a knowledge of God and entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

The point for me today: I must put my faith in Jesus, not myself. God will cleanse me from the inside out. I cannot change my own heart, but God can. Once the heart has been changed, good actions will follow. Then I will be prepared to live in the presence of God in heaven and the new earth.

Jesus had defeated the Jewish leaders in all their attempts to discredit Him. He had shown them to be unwilling to believe the Scriptures. Now He pulls back the curtain to expose what motivates them. Before leaving the temple for the last time, He reveals to the multitude and His disciples what keeps the Jewish leader from accepting Him as the Messiah.

His first words have perplexed me. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do.” I have wondered whether He was serious or being facetious. I cannot imagine Jesus being facetious—it was not His style. But I have recently found out that Jesus was basically stating what was commonly believed. These teachers were considered to be just as inspired as Moses, and whatever they said was law. The teachings of these rabbis were later recorded in books such as the Talmud and Mishnah. A rabbi friend of mine recently told me that when an Orthodox Jew wants to understand prophecy, he first goes to the commentaries. They study the Scriptures only after they have first imbibed what the commentaries have to say.

To be sure, the rabbis have some good teachings. Many of the interpretations handed down in the “oral law” and recorded in the Talmud and Mishnah are valid interpretations of Scripture. But other teachings are confusing and contradictory. And it is virtually impossible to do everything they command. Because of this, they have left many loopholes in the law. They combine onerous restrictions with “loopholes” that contradict God’s law. (Compare Matthew 15:3-9.)

Jesus’ words show that He does not really believe that a person can do everything the scribes and Pharisees say. “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” We should obey the teachings that agree with Scripture, and reject what contradicts Scripture. (Isaiah 8:20.)

Jesus then enunciates the principle behind their teachings and actions: “Appear to be pious, without actually being pious.” To be fair, there are many Pharisees who actually desire to be pious. But the leaders who oppose Jesus are more concerned with appearances than with actual piety.

The Pharisees wore boxes containing portions of the law on their forehead. (See Deuteronomy 6:8.) But God was not really interested in them wearing boxes strapped to their foreheads and wrists. He wanted His law written in frontal lobe of their mind (the conscience) and affecting everything they do. (Compare Deuteronomy 6:6 with Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:25-27.) They had the law of God in boxes on their foreheads and their hands, but with their mind they decided to kill the Son of God, and with their hands they did it.

The second principle they lived by is “Get all the honor you can.” Jesus says, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

Jesus taught that we should not seek the honor of men. We should not accept titles such as Father or Master. (Here He is not talking about the relationship between father and child in the family.) Many supposedly Christian churches regularly violate this teaching. The Catholic Church calls it leaders Father or Holy Father. Meanwhile, many Protestants call their leaders Reverend. These titles belong to God, not men.

The most qualified leaders are not those who seek the good titles and places of honor. The most qualified leaders are those who seek to emulate the humility and meekness of Jesus. Jesus slept on the ground. Jesus had no permanent home. Jesus did not put forward His title. In the end, Jesus taught in the temple unopposed not because He asked to be in charge, but because it was obvious to all that He had a message from God. The Jewish leaders were opposed to Him not because His teachings were wrong, but because they feared His way would remove them from their position of honor. They should have sought only the honor that comes from doing the will of God.

The point for me today: 1. I must carefully weigh what religious teachers say to determine whether it makes sense when compared with the Scriptures. 2. If I go about the work the God has given me to do, I need not worry about title. I can be happy taking the lowest title or position. God will exalt me when it suits His purposes.

The Pharisees and Sadducees are desperate to discredit Jesus. They need some pretense to arrest and execute Jesus without inciting a riot. The Pharisees hatch a plan that they think will work.

The Pharisees did not question Jesus directly, but coached some students to put the question to Him. They hoped that Jesus would not recognize the students, and therefore would not suspect a trap. The strategy was to flatter Jesus, then put Him in a trap between the Jews and the Romans (a.k.a. Herodians). If He sided with the Jews, the Herodians would be witness against him to the Roman authorities. If He sided with the Romans, He would be discredited in front of all the Jews at the temple.

Before asking their question, these students were coached to flatter Him. “We know that you are honest and teach the way of God in truth, and you are not prejudiced against anyone.” These words were actually true. But their insincerity made them flattery. If only they had actually believed what they were saying about Jesus!

Jesus showed that He know who they were and what they were doing. His first words were in essence, “Why are you trying to trap me?” You cannot hide from the Son of God. He knows who you are and what you are up to.

Jesus then totally sidestepped the controversy. He said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Jesus taught people to respect and obey the authorities insofar as it does not conflict with one’s obligations to God. Paying taxes is not immoral. However, if the Jews had been properly giving God the things that belonged to God, they would not have been under Roman rule. They were a people in subjection to heathen power because they had corrupted the worship of God.

Next, the Sadducees tried to discredit Jesus. As I remarked a few days ago, the Sadducees professed to believe the Bible, but privately they were skeptics. In particular, they did not believe in the resurrection, even though both Job and Daniel taught about it. (Job 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2.) They knew that Jesus believed in the resurrection, and they intended to make Him look ridiculous. In their question, the Sadducees tried to showcase their biblical mastery by expounding on the biblical doctrines of the duty of a brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-6) and the biblical doctrine of the resurrection. In their question, they speak of a righteous woman who married each of seven righteous brothers.

Jesus cuts to the chase of their skepticism. First, the power of God: An omnipotent God is able to sort the family relationships and come to a good solution. Finally, their voluntary ignorance of the scriptural teaching on the resurrection: When God says He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He is saying that He does not intend to leave them in the grave. God has not forgotten the dead. (See Revelation 6:9-11.) He will resurrect them at the appointed time.

Jesus’ answer about the state of man in the resurrection has perplexed me. He said, “You do not know the Scriptures. In the resurrection they do not marry but are like the angels of God.” I looked for some place in the Old Testament that talks about this, but so far I have not found anything. Am I missing something? At this point, I am concluding that the part about “You do not know the Scriptures” is talking about their unbelief in the resurrection. I also conclude that Jesus answered their question be revealing something that had not been previously revealed—there will be no marriage after the resurrection. Both Paul and John say that we will be different after the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:35-54; 1 John 3:2.) But only Jesus explains that there will be no marriage. I’m not sure what family relationships will be like in heaven and the new earth. But I trust that God has something that is at least as good as the marriage relationship, if not better.

Both the Pharisees and Sadducees have now been totally thwarted in there attempts to trap or discredit Jesus. The Pharisees are pretty smart, and they think there has to be a way to trip Him up. One of them, a lawyer comes up with a question. Jesus had criticized the Sadducees for not knowing the Scriptures, and this Pharisaic lawyer is going to see if Jesus really knows His stuff. He asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the law. Now the Pharisees hold that there are 613 commandments in the Torah (the law). To answer this question correctly, Jesus would have to know all 613 laws and decide which is the greatest, or He would have to be lucky.

Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter—love. Love God and love your neighbor. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18.) This is not some wishy-washy or mushy-mushy kind of love. It is love “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” The whole Bible is summed up in one word—love.

Some have taught that Jesus said that these two commandments replace the law. But that is not what He said. Jesus said He would not replace the law. (See Matthew 5:17-19.) He said that the rest of the law and prophets (the whole Bible) hang on these two commandments.

Here is what I see in the Scriptures regarding the law:
1. Love is the basic principle. Love God and your neighbor.
2. The Ten Commandments give practical instruction as to what behaviors and attitudes will be manifested when you love God and your neighbor. In particular, the first four address love to God, and the latter six love to man. (See Romans 13:9.) But they all have something to with loving God.
3. The remainder of laws concerning behavior (moral and health laws) is a further explanation of the Ten Commandments. In other words, they are a more detailed explanation of what love looks like. For example, Numbers 35:9-34 gives a detailed explanation of how to apply the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”
4. The ceremonial laws tell how to find forgiveness and atonement. The Old Testament ceremonial laws tend to point forward to the cross of Christ, the atoning sacrifice for sin. The basic OT ceremonial law is the sacrifice of animals. The New Testament ceremonial laws tend to point backward to the cross of Christ. The basic NT ceremonial laws are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In both the OT and NT, the sinner finds salvation through faith in Christ. (Romans 4 makes it clear that Abraham was saved the same was as NT believers.) The end of the ceremonial laws is to live a life without sin. (1 John 2:1-3.)

Matthew does not record the lawyer’s reaction to Jesus’ answer, but Mark does. (Mark 12:28-34.) The lawyer is not defeated or confused by Jesus’ answer. He is impressed. Jesus really does know His stuff. The lawyer understands that love is more important than sacrifice. Jesus told him he was not far from the kingdom of God. All the lawyer needed was to acknowledge his need of a Savior to apply these laws to his heart.

Jesus has now demonstrated beyond a doubt His mastery of the Scriptures. He now gives the Pharisees a chance to redeem themselves. It is time to either acknowledge the true biblical teaching, or be silent. Jesus asks them a paradoxical question. The Messiah is the Son of David, but David says that the Messiah is David’s Lord. How can the Son be the Lord of His father? There can be only one answer: The Messiah is God born into the family of David. As a descendant of David, Messiah is his Son; as God, Messiah is David’s Lord. The Pharisees of Jesus time could neither believe it nor disprove it. The Pharisees of today (the Orthodox Jews) are in the same boat. They refuse to believe that the Messiah is God, even though the Old Testament predicts it in several places. (Psalms 110; Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:2.)

The last sentence of this chapter is a very sad commentary. “From that day on nobody dared to ask Him any questions.” (My paraphrase.) He had totally defeated their challenges. They should have responded by submission and asking Him to transform their lives into the true image of God.

There was a large crowd in the temple preparing for Passover. The masses were witness to the obstinacy of the chief priests and Pharisees and their total humiliation by Jesus. The high priest in his richly ornate robes and the scribes toting about scrolls of the Bible had been impressive to the people. But their opposition to the humbly dressed carpenter from Nazareth was shown to be base jealousy. Many of the people who had been held back from believing in Jesus because of the teaching of the religious leaders were now freed to accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

The point for me today: 1. You cannot trick God. 2. It is important to know what the Scripture actually say. Religious teachers can sometimes trick you. 3. Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. 4. True religion means loving from the heart. God gives new hearts. (Ezekiel 36:26-27.)