What Jesus Did! 'You Just Don't Know!' — Mark 12:19-24

Monday, September 2, 2024

[The Sadducees said,] "Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her."

Jesus replied, "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God."

— Mark 12:19-24 NLT

Key Thought

Isn't it refreshing to hear Jesus tell the simple truth to these manipulative schemers? "You don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God." So often today, we sit in circles and ask different folks for judgment of a passage from God's Scriptures rather than trying to learn its message for us. It's almost like we're leaving the meaning up to the faulty and error-prone judges of an Olympic boxing, skating, or gymnastics event. They hold their signs to say what score the Scripture deserves. Instead, shouldn't we be asking other questions like ... What do I need to do to apply this Scripture in my life? What do I need to do to live in obedience to God's Scriptures? How is this truth going to change my behavior? Rather than sitting in judgment over God's Scriptures, shouldn't we in humility confess that we don't know enough to critique it and we don't understand God's power fully enough to grasp how it can be fully accomplished? Even more, when someone pontificates on a subject trying to sound religious and yet espouses something counter to biblical truth, shouldn't we gently remind them of Jesus' warning? Perhaps we're a little too infatuated with our opinions and not familiar enough with God's truth. Perhaps we're all a little afraid of the dissenting opinion of the conventional wisdom and not committed to obeying God's heavenly wisdom.

Today's Prayer

O Father, forgive me when I live with an inflated view of my own understanding of your Scriptures and find ways to rationalize away the sharp edges of your truth. Gently humble me and lead me to a deeper understanding and appreciation for your will. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • 1 Timothy 6:3-5
  • 2 Timothy 3:1-5
  • Romans 16:19

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Illustration

Illustration of Mark 12:19-24 NLT — "Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.