know the Scriptures!

"That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees--religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.  They posed this question: 'Teacher, Moses said 'if a man dies 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 his brother married the widow.  But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her.  This continued with all seven of them.  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.  For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.'"

-Matthew 22:23-30

I am reading through a Daily One Year Bible and todays New Testament passage really struck me, especially this part.  When I read the words: "your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God" I tried to imagine what that would be like to hear from the Son of God.  Can you imagine being one of the Sadducees who asked Jesus all these questions and heard a response like this.  Jesus was straight forward and direct, but honest about the situation.  

It made me think about situations I find myself in or feelings that I allow to capture my thoughts and distract me that are not of God. Recently I found myself frustrated and angry which lead to making decisions on the spot.  However, in this situation I did not look to Scripture and I was not clinging to the power of God.  While obviously the Sadducees were hesitant to believe what Jesus was saying about the resurrection, His response to them is key.  They are trying to mentally wrap their minds around things and Jesus is not afraid to tell them that it is a matter of relying and trusting the power of God above the power of our thoughts.  In the next verses Jesus addresses the issue of the resurrection from the dead and says: "haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures?".  Our first reaction when we have questions is often to try to figure them out logically, but how many things are we missing in the Scriptures that address our questions and concerns?

We often times want immediate, easy answers like the Sadducees instead of answers that take time to discover and trust to believe.  Do you know the Scriptures and the power of God?  If Jesus asked you that question, what would you be your honest answer back?