“Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29
The background to the text is this: The Sadducees came to Jesus with a question about resurrection. They did not believe in resurrection, so the question was not genuine. They were trying to make resurrection look foolish. The question was a trap wearing the clothes of a sincere inquiry. Whose wife will she be when she gets to heaven, haven remarried seven times.
Christ had never hesitated to tell the Sadducees who they were, but on this occasion, Jesus does not say their error is because they want to deceive. In fact, he focuses on their ignorance, not their intent.
Jesus said they do not understand the scriptures. Not necessarily that they have never read them, but that they have not rightly grasped what the scripture actually teaches about God, resurrection, and life beyond death. The second prognosis of Jesus is because they do not understand the power of God.
The fact here is that it is possible to be sincere and still be wrong, not because the heart is evil, but because the mind has not been shaped by both the scriptures and the reality of God’s power together.
Jesus did not attack their character; he diagnosed their deficiency. The response here is not rejection but correction “ye do err.” There is still an invitation to truth. I think Christ’s answers were for the benefit of those who were following the Sadducees’ ignorance. What do you think?
Author
kay.alli@legalview.co.uk