Matthew 22:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Jesus had just been presented with a riddle by the Sadducees. Their question wasn’t genuine; it was an attempt to prove their point and discredit Him. The doctrine they doubted was the resurrection—not the resurrection of Jesus (they didn’t believe Him to be the Messiah, much less that He would die and rise again). Instead, they doubted the resurrection on the last day, when all men will rise, some to eternal joy and others to eternal damnation.
What caught my attention this morning is how Jesus reduced their issue to two simple problems: they didn’t know the Scriptures, and they didn’t know the power of God.
These two issues are the root of many people's struggles today. Some create elaborate “what if” scenarios, imagining situations so complex that they assume no answer exists—even supposing that God Himself would be stumped. More commonly, others pass through real-life hardships that feel like riddles—so tangled, painful, and seemingly random that they begin to question the goodness of the all-knowing, all-powerful God they’ve heard about.
If you find yourself in a situation so perplexing that you wonder if there’s anything God can do, rest assured—your problem is simpler than it appears. The solution lies in two areas: a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and a fuller trust in the power of God.
When life feels like a quagmire, with no way to untangle the mess, the Bible holds the answers you need. Jesus showed the Sadducees this truth by pointing them to Scripture, unraveling their convoluted question with just one statement:“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:30).
This statement isn’t a direct Old Testament quote, but it reflects truths drawn from passages such as Zechariah 3:7, which describes us being like those who “stand by” God, (Angels). Jesus demonstrated that God’s Word had a clear answer, even for their seemingly impossible scenario of a woman widowed seven times.
The same is true today. No matter how upside-down your life may seem, questions too complex for human wisdom are no match for the Word of God. The Scriptures hold the key to understanding your situation and God’s purpose in it. You might be amazed at how simply the Bible can address even the most complicated issues.
But it’s not only the Scriptures that provide answers—the power of God itself is the answer you need. The Sadducees doubted the resurrection, perhaps because they assumed the details were too complex to resolve. While such mysteries may confound human minds, nothing is too hard for God.
If death has visited your home, taking a child, a spouse, or a loved one, God’s power is sufficient to comfort you through your loss. You may feel in this moment that you’ll never smile again, but God can restore your joy. The Scriptures testify to His power to raise the dead to everlasting life, and they remind us that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). No matter how difficult or complex your situation, God has the power to reverse the effects of sin and death.
I don’t know what you’re facing this morning or what kind of challenges life has thrown at you recently, but I do know this: Jesus has given us the antidote to such struggles. The answers we seek are found in the Scriptures and in His mighty power. Don’t make the same mistake the Sadducees did—know both.
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