Jesus In Conflict
Pastor Leslie Chua
“But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”
What is your image of Jesus
Most people often imagine Jesus to be a nice and peaceable person. He was mostly agreeable and He avoided conflicts at all costs. He overlooked differences in beliefs and practices because He understood all sides and their different perspectives.
This is the traditional view of Jesus taught from most pulpits and described in books and articles. Only the ‘nice’ aspects of Christ are highlighted and discussed.
People with this image of Jesus as the ultimate peacemaker are sorely mistaken. Read the Gospels and this misconception will be quickly dispelled.
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In the Gospels, you notice that much of Jesus’ public speech is in the form of debates with the religious leaders. These disagreements are mostly over doctrinal issues. Jesus had no choice. To stand for God’s truths and to correct misconceptions, Jesus had to debate these religious leaders and He had to be robust in His defence of God’s Word.
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This popular image of Jesus does not reflect reality. While Jesus was gentle and meek, He was also feisty. He disagreed with many people. He debated vigorously. He was uncompromising on certain issues. Jesus did not hold back when exposing error and denouncing sin, especially hypocrisy. You see Jesus bared His gloves with the Pharisees and scribes and He had no qualms castigating them publicly.
In the Gospels, you notice that much of Jesus’ public speech is in the form of debates with the religious leaders. These disagreements are mostly over doctrinal issues. Jesus had no choice. To stand for God’s truths and to correct misconceptions, Jesus had to debate these religious leaders and He had to be robust in His defence of God’s Word.
While modern Christians have a sanitised version of Jesus, He was a controversial figure in first-century Israel. He was considered a young upstart who upset the traditional understanding of Scripture and the traditional practice of the Jewish faith.
A Controversial Moment
Let us consider one of the many controversial moments in the Gospels. This is a conversation between Jesus and the Sadducees.
On the surface, the Sadducees appeared to be genuine in seeking Jesus’ opinion regarding the issue of resurrection. But Jesus knew their evil intention. They wanted to put Jesus on a spot and embarrass Him publicly.
They asked Jesus a hypothetical question - “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her” (Matthew 22-24-28).
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On the surface, the Sadducees appeared to be genuine in seeking Jesus’ opinion regarding the issue of resurrection. But Jesus knew their evil intention. They wanted to put Jesus on a spot and embarrass Him publicly.
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Here is a brief background of the Sadducees. Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees saw Jesus as an enemy. But unlike the Pharisees, they disliked Jesus for a different reason. They considered the self-proclaimed Son of Man to be a threat to the fragile peace between the Jews and their Roman overlords, and hence, a political liability. So, they sought an opportunity to discredit Jesus and take Him down.
The Sadducees were theologically conservative. They believed in the law of Moses but rejected the traditions of the elders, which were the mainstay of the Pharisees. In this sense, they were the modernists. They were well-educated and intellectually accomplished. Though doctrinally conservative, they rejected the supernatural, including the resurrection of the dead.
After the Pharisees had failed miserably to trap Jesus with the question of whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, some Sadducees approached Jesus with the question regarding resurrection.
They thought that they were very smart in the way they had framed the question. Surely, they would outwit Jesus by proving the absurdity of the doctrine of resurrection. They intended to ridicule and discredit Jesus.
What was the poor woman going to do in heaven? Would she be the wife of all the 7 brothers or just one of them? Which brother would have the right to claim her? Would she even have a choice?
The Sadducees were confident that Jesus would be stumped. There was no way that Jesus could give a good and coherent answer to their question.
Jesus’ Blunt Response
Jesus replied, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:29-30)
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Observe how Jesus responded to the Sadducees. While it was not rude, it was straightforward. Jesus did not attempt to be diplomatic. He stated His point rather bluntly – “You are wrong.”
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Observe 2 things about Jesus’ response.
First, the “what” of Jesus’ response. What happens after the resurrection in heaven?
Jesus gave a simple and straightforward answer that cut through the complexity of the hypothetical question. That is, resurrected saints do not marry in heaven. Conjugal relationships do not exist in heaven. The saints will live a different kind of life like that of the angels. Angels do not marry and they do not procreate. That renders the Sadducees’ hypothetical question irrelevant.
Second, observe how Jesus responded to the Sadducees. While it was not rude, it was straightforward. Jesus did not attempt to be diplomatic. He stated His point rather bluntly – “You are wrong.”
Then, Jesus gave the reason for their error – “because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
Ouch! That was painful! It was a huge insult to the Sadducees’ intelligence. It was like a slap in their faces. To make matters worse, this correction took place in public. As we have read elsewhere in the Gospels, the onlookers relished the wit of Jesus at the expense of the religious leaders.
How did the Sadducees get their theology on resurrection so wrong? Again, Jesus did not mince His words. He said in no uncertain terms that they did not know the Scripture and the power of God.
It was a double blow to the Sadducees’ credibility as the leaders of the Jewish people. The Sadducees occupied prestigious positions in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, including the high priesthood.
Jesus’ Typical Way of Handling the Religious Leaders
Know that this is not one of those rare occasions when Jesus speaks in this manner. Rather, it is Jesus’ typical way of handling the obnoxious religious leaders.
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Jesus took doctrinal issues very seriously. Wrong beliefs have consequences… Given that, Jesus would not let any wrong teaching go unaddressed. Instead, He always rebutted false teachings and corrected misconceptions robustly.
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Jesus took doctrinal issues very seriously. Wrong beliefs have consequences. Besides, these Sadducees, like the Pharisees and scribes, are the authority for religious matters. They have a substantial influence on the ordinary Jews.
Given that, Jesus would not let any wrong teaching go unaddressed. Instead, He always rebutted false teachings and corrected misconceptions robustly.
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Jesus was necessarily feisty in protecting the sanctity of the Scripture. The Word of God is sacred. It is of ultimate importance. Like Jesus, believers must see it as their duty to vigorously defend it against all manners of distortion and violation.
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Jesus also detested the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They said one thing but did the opposite. On numerous occasions, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy publicly and used uncharacteristically pungent words to denounce them.
Here is an example - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28).
Some Christians might be uncomfortable with Jesus painted in this way. But this is the reality of Christ as recorded in the Gospels. Jesus was necessarily feisty in protecting the sanctity of the Scripture. The Word of God is sacred. It is of ultimate importance. Like Jesus, believers must see it as their duty to vigorously defend it against all manners of distortion and violation.