Scripture
Realising how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Observation
Hearing how well Jesus had answered the question from the Sadducees, a teacher of religious law asks Jesus which is the most important commandment.

Jesus replies by saying the most important commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus adds a second equally important law to love your neighbour as you love yourself.

The leader replies that he understands that loving God and loving your neighbour are more important than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Jesus sees the man’s heart and says that he is not far from the kingdom of God.

Application
Many rabbis tried to condense the entirety of the law to just a few key commandments. Jesus says there are just two – to love God with all your heart and your strength and to love your neighbour as you love yourself.

Faith is not about following rules and regulations, sacrifices and offerings. No, it is about our love for God. If we love God, we must also love people, who carry the image of God.

The teacher of the law saw this. He saw that the law of Moses was meant to show us how the love of God plays out in the life of the nation. Jesus said that because of this, he was not far from the kingdom.

Listen
Lord, what do you want to say to me about this passage?

Keith, it is my love that makes it possible for people to carry out these commandments. When a person receives and knows my love, then they know how to love me back and how to love others.

The reason why some people fall down in this area of love is that they never receive my love in the first place.

Be baptised in my love. Submerge, immerse and absorb my love. Let my love transform your heart and mind.

Scripture
“So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.”

Observation
The Sadducees now try to trap Jesus in a theological error. They pose a question based on the law of Moses.

In their hypothetical, the Sadducees tell a story of the oldest of seven brothers who marries but dies without children. Under the law of Moses, the widow is passed down to the next brother with the idea of providing descendants for the first brother. However, the same thing happens again and so on down through all of the brothers.

The Sadducees then ask whose wife she will be in the resurrection. Jesus says that they are wrong to think that there will be marriage in the next life.

Jesus also says that God has described Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is the God of the living not the dead. So therefore their disbelief in the resurrection is incorrect.

Application.
The Sadducees were the pragmatists of Jesus’ day. They controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin. They controlled both the civic and religious power in Jerusalem and they were concerned to keep on good terms with the Romans. They only accepted the five books of the law as being inspired Scripture. They did not believe in eternal life.

Jesus showed them that their objections to the resurrection were false on two counts. Firstly, they had a wrong concept of the nature of life after death. Secondly, their objections were wrong because the doctrine was implied in the law by God’s self-description of “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Since God is a God of the living, these men must still be alive.

Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for the assurance that I will live forever with you. Amen.