Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 46
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“Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what
belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
22
His reply amazed them, and they went
away.
21
Discussion about Resurrection
23
That same day Jesus was approached by
some Sadducees—religious leaders who say
there is no resurrection from the dead. They
posed this question: 24 “Teacher, M
oses said,
‘If a man dies without children, his brother
should marry the widow and have a child
who will carry on the brother’s name.’*
25
Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died
without children, so his brother married the
widow. 26 But the second brother also died,
and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. 27 Last of all,
the woman also died. 28 So tell us, whose wife
will she be in the resurrection? For all seven
were married to her.”
29
Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you
don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t
know the power of God. 30 For when the dead
rise, they will neither marry nor be given in
marriage. In this respect they will be like the
angels in heaven.
31
“But now, as to whether there will be a
resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever
read about this in the Scriptures? Long after
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God
said,* 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’* So he is the
God of the living, not the dead.”
33
When the crowds heard him, they were
astounded at his teaching.
The Most Important Commandment
34
But when the Pharis ees heard that he had
silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they
met together to question him again. 35 One of
them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap
him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is
the most important commandment in the
law of Moses?”
37
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord
your God with all your heart, all your soul,
and all your mind.’* 38 This is the first and
greatest commandment. 39 A second is
equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’* 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these
two commandments.”
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
41
Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus
asked them a question: 42 “What do you think
about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They replied, “He is the son of David.”
43
Jesus responded, “Then why does Da
vid, speaking under the inspiration of the
Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David
said,
44
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my
right hand
until I humble your enemies
beneath your feet.’*
Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’
how can the Messiah be his son?”
46
No one could answer him. And after
that, no one dared to ask him any more
questions.
45
CHAPTER 23
Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The teachers of religious law and the
Pharisees are the official interpreters of the
law of Moses.* 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their
example. For they don’t practice what they
22:24 Deut 25:5-6. 22:31 Greek read about this? God said.
22:32 Exod 3:6. 22:37 Deut 6:5. 22:39 Lev 19:18.
22:44 Ps 110:1. 23:2 Greek and the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses.
22:33-40 To simplify our priorities, Jesus narrowed the six hundred–plus regulations of the law of
Moses into two foundational commandments: Love God with everything we are and have; love
our neighbors as ourselves. To do these is to obey every other law. A better two-point summary
of the Twelve Steps could not be found. When we love God with our very life, we will not want to
do anything to disgrace him or make him angry. Loving others should make us aware of the pain
others feel when we engage in our addictions. Our concern and love for them should make us
think twice before causing them to suffer.
23:1-12 The Pharisees and Jewish leaders are classic examples of people who live by a double standard. They made the standards of behavior for others impossibly difficult, but they failed to keep
these stipulations themselves. In spite of their shortcomings, they demanded to be called by titles
fit only for God. They did not realize that true greatness begins with humility and is proven by a
willingness to help others. The Pharisees’ pride kept them from seeing their true need for God.
