Silencing the Sadducees

Silencing the Sadducees

By Heather Collver

Have you ever tried to prove your point by opening yourself up for complete criticism? Have you ever used your position to push your views on others? How about thinking that your conclusion is more important than someone elses because you are more powerful or in a higher position than they? Okay, putting it that way would make all of us say no way, but really, I think in a way we all do this, even just a little bit.

I remember a time when my child was in first grade. She had written a paper and it was beautifully written in cursive, it took her quite a while. Anyways, she came home one day and showed me her paper with a big red circle in the middle. She was crying and said that the teacher had told her it was spelled wrong and that she had to write her paper over again. She used the word twice in her paper. I looked up the spelling of the word and found that it was indeed spelled right and that the teacher had made a mistake. I took the paper in the next day and was shocked at what the teacher suggested to me.

In order to preserve her status or position, she asked that I have my child spell the word incorrectly (as the teacher had suggested it be spelled) and that she re-write the paper. If not, then she would grade her according to the mistakes. I was appalled. She said that the student needed to respect her authority and that she needed to do as she was told. Yikes!!!!! I said, I am her mother and I have authority over her teachers and that my child was not re-writing the paper and if she wanted the words spelled incorrectly she could re-write the paper. I immediately took the paper with me to the principals office. I think she may have forgotten that there was a higher power than she. Or she was too busy thinking that she was big and strong over a small child.

How often to people in our society get pushed around because of someone who is status hungry?
What about those who say things that just don't make sense?

One scenario with the sadducees was written in Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, and 20:27-40. It must have been quite the event if all three of the synoptic gospels recorded it.
Read all three here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022:23-33,%20Mark%2012:18-27,%20Luke%2020:27-40&version=NIV

The Sadducees approached Jesus with a "what if" question.

Jesus replied with a two part answer stating that they were wrong to suggest that there will be earthly relationships after the resurrection. Next he stated that they were wrong to deny that resurrection exists because God told Moses that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These three men had died before the time of Moses. He is a living God and they were living, with him.

This conversation ended with an astonished multitude (Matt.22:33) and the Sadducees were silenced (Matt 22:34).

Dear God, thank you for reminding me what happens when we argue with our Lord. May we always be open to the Word of God and look for the answers to our questions. Father, help us to be a people who are willing to learn, not to argue. Teach us Lord all that we need to know, answer the questions we have and help us to glorify you by holding our tongues if we are not clear on an issue.

Please pray for all those who are ill right now, for those who argue with God.