Know the Word of God, experience the power of God.

Mark 12:18–27

vv. 18–23—The Sadducees challenge Jesus with an absurd question in hopes of shaming Him in front of the watching audience.

—Not much is known about the Sadducees besides what Scripture teaches us and the recordings from a Jewish historian named Josephus. The Sadducees only viewed the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) as Scripture. They did not believe in an afterlife, therefore they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Luke also tells us in Acts that this group does not believe in angels. However, this could mean a hierarchy of angels since there are angels in the Torah.

—Deuteronomy 25:5 talks of the Levirate marriage practice. When one brother dies without an heir, another brother is to take his wife and produce an offspring. This practice continues the brother’s line and also provides for the brother’s widow.

—The punchline of the ridiculous story is found in v.23. All the brothers married the one wife, so when the resurrection happens, who will be her husband?

vv. 24–27—Jesus does not respond with a pithy statement but goes straight to the point with these cynics.

v. 24a (a)—These men have a mistaken judgment/self-deceived

v. 24b (b)—They do not know the Scriptures.

v. 24c (c)—Therefore, they do not know the power of God. To know also means to experience.

v. 25 (c’)—Things will not resume as usual when the resurrection happens. Everything will change.

It is important to note that Jesus says humanity will be like angels, not that they will be angels. After the resurrection, mankind will be like angels in that they will be eternal, immortal, and imperishable.

v. 26 (b’)—Concerning the raising of the dead, the Lord spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:6 and described Himself as the God of the living, not the dead.

V. 27 (a’)—The Sadducees are not just deceived but greatly deceived.