The Worst Way to Be Wrong

Matthew 22: The King and His Law (3)

Pray Psalm 19.12-14.
Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Sing Psalm 19.12-14.
St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Who, LORD, can know his errors? O keep sin far from me! 
Let evil rule not in my soul that I may blameless be. 
O let my thoughts, let all my words, before Your glorious sight 
be pleasing to You, gracious LORD, acceptable and right!

Read Matthew 22.1-29; meditate on verses 23-29.
What should we do when we are “mistaken”?

Prepare.
1. What challenge did the Sadducees put to Jesus?

2. How did Jesus begin to respond?

Meditate.
This passage is high on my list of favorite Scriptures. It is loaded with irony, humor, sound reason, and unsoftened rebuke. It’s Jesus at His best, when dealing with His adversaries.

The Sadducees, who had a pick-and-choose approach to Scripture (v. 23), came to Jesus to trip Him up on a Scriptural question. They were convinced that, in trying to answer their little mind game, Jesus would end up looking foolish. But foolish is as foolish does, and the Sadducees showed the folly of their views by displaying their ignorance of God’s Word.

The Sadducees posed their challenge as a matter of interpretation. Given Moses’ teaching in Deuteronomy 25.5, and considering the situation they outlined here, how does that work out in heaven? Whose wife of the seven brothers will she be?  Here’s their point: The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, and they were trying to use the Bible to show that the idea is absurd, since, if there was really a heaven, then the brothers and their wife would have to break the Law, and, well, so much for the idea of heaven. Jesus will set them straight, however, as we shall see tomorrow.

For now, He was simply blunt. He told them two things, which we need to take to heart: “You’re wrong” (NKJV “mistaken” doesn’t quite get it) and “You don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.” From this it follows that the worst way to be wrong about a great many things, and to end up looking like a fool in the Presence of God, is to be ignorant of the Scriptures. Don’t let that be true of you.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
One wonders: Did the Sadducees think that the Pharisees, their disciples, and the Hellenistic Herodians had worn Jesus down? That now, they could enter Stage Left, and deal the final blow? 
Did they not only not believe in the resurrection, but in common sense as well? Self-preservation? 
Did they not have any personal pride? Good grief. What were they thinking?

“The same day the Sadducees…came to Him and asked Him…” (Matt. 22.23).
Not the sharpest knives in the drawer, me thinks.

Anyway, they posed a far-fetched and ridiculous story-question.
(Who knows, maybe one of them liked word problems in math class.) 
One also wonders: how long had they pondered upon this formulaic query?

Jesus’ response to Pilate during His trial would fit in here as well:
“Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” (Jn. 18.34)
Did you all come up with this question all by yourselves?  Or, Did someone force you to ask Me this?

Maybe Jesus was trying to give them a little leeway because He knew who ruled their hearts.
And that ruler, quite frankly, makes you stupid.

“Why do you not understand My speech?
Because you are not able to listen to My word.
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. 
He was a murderer from the beginning, 
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. 
When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, 
for he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn. 8.43, 44).

“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (Prov. 12.1).

“You are mistaken/wrong, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22.29).

That is the worst way to be wrong. 
And you will always be wrong, if you do not know the Scriptures or know the power of God. 
Because if you did know the power of God, you would never not know the Scriptures. 
For you would be studying them daily (2 Tim. 2.15), to find out exactly what pleases and displeases God.

The best you can say for these addled Sadducees comes straight from the mouth of slant-speaking- Southerners— “Well, bless your heart.” And it might not be meant kindly.

Reflect.
1. The Sadducees were wrong because they didn’t know the Scriptures. How can we avoid making that mistake?

2. They were also wrong because they didn’t know the power of God. How do you know that power?

3. Should we be shy about telling people they’re wrong about what they believe? How can we speak that truth in love?

On account of these things, they erred since they did not know the Scriptures. Because they were ignorant of the Scriptures, they denied the power of God, that is, Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Jerome (347-420), Commentary on Matthew 3.22.29

Pray Psalm 19.1-11.
Thank God for His Word and for His revelation in creation. Commit yourself to Him, to follow His leading throughout the day.

Sing Psalm 19.1-11.
St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
The heav’ns declare God’s glory, the skies His work proclaim! 
From day to day and night by night they shout His glorious Name! 
No speech, no words, no voice is heard, yet all across the earth 
the lines of His all-present Word make known His holy worth. 

Behold, the sun arises, a bridegroom strong and bright, 
rejoicing as he runs his course from morning unto night. 
From east to west across the skies his circuit he completes, 
and none can hide his sinful eyes or shelter from his heat. 

The Law of God is perfect, His testimony sure; 
the simple man God’s wisdom learns, the soul receives its cure. 
God’s Word is right, and His command is pure, and truth imparts; 
He makes our eyes to understand; with joy He fills our hearts. 

The fear of God is cleansing, forever shall it last. 
His judgments all are true and just, by righteousness held fast. 
O seek them more than gold most fine, than honey find them sweet; 
be warned by every word and line; be blessed with joy complete.

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column is focusing on how we can improve our powers of reasoning. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.