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    Matthew 22:23-46
    ​Lesson 45

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:  
     
    A continuation of lesson 44.
     
    The last challenge.  
    Do the Sadducees' believe in the afterlife?
    The two greatest commandments.   ​

    Study Tip:
     
    Click on the links and check out the Margin Notes.
    Who was -
        
    Isaac -
    Isaac is Hebrew for "he laughs."  Isaac was Abraham and Sarah's only son born when Abraham was one hundred years old (Genesis 21:5) and Sarah ninety (Genesis 17:17).  When Isaac was a youngster, God tested Abraham's faith by telling him to sacrifice the boy.  Abraham proved his unyielding devotion to God by preparing to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice when he was stopped by an "angel of the Lord" (Genesis 22:1-13; Hebrews 11:17; James 2:21).  Abraham's faith earned him God's promise to make his descendants (the Israelites) a great people.  God repeated the promise to Isaac (Genesis 26:24) and it was eventually passed down to his son, Jacob.  Isaac trusted God and became an example of faith (Hebrews 11:20), and it was through him and Jacob that God fulfilled His promise to make the Israelites a great and populous people.  Isaac died in Hebron at the age of one hundred and eighty years (Genesis 35:28).  You can read more about Isaac in Genesis 17:15-28:22.
     
    Jacob -
    Also called Israel.  Along with his twin brother Esau, Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the grandson of Abraham, and the father of Joseph and the twelve tribes of Israel.  Jacob, his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham are three of the most important figures in the Old Testament.  God chose Jacob over his older brother Esau to fulfill His promise to make Israel a great and populous nation (Genesis 48:1-22).  With his mother's help Jacob conned his older brother Esau out of his father's blessing and birthright (Genesis 25:27-34; Genesis 27:1-45) which included inheriting the land of Canaan promised to his father and grandfather Abraham (Genesis 28:4).  He had a vision of climbing a ladder ("Jacob's ladder") to heaven which confirmed God's promise.  Jacob was such a shining example of faith that even when near death he trusted God's promise to make Israel a great nation (Hebrews 11:21-22).  Jacob died at the age of one hundred and forty-seven (Genesis 47:28).  You can learn more about Jacob in Genesis 25:1-37:36.

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 22:23-46
    Testing Jesus

    23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

    24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

    25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

    26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

    27 And last of all the woman died also.
     
    28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

    29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

    30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

    31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

    32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

    33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

    34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

    35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

    36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

    37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

    38 This is the first and great commandment.

    39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

    40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

    41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

    42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.

    43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

    44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

    45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

    46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.     ​                        ​​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "There is no resurrection." (22:23 - Unlike the Pharisees', the Sadducee's believed that souls died with the person.  They denied such things as the resurrection of the body, and the existence of angels, demons, and
    spirits (Acts 23:8). 

    "Raise up seed unto his brother." (22:24) - Means, "have children for his brother."  

    "Having no issue." (22:25) - "Having no children."

    "Left his wife unto his brother" (22:25) - According to the old Jewish Law of levirate, if a married man died before having a son his brother was expected to marry the widow and provide for her (Deuteronomy 25:5-9).

    "Touching the resurrection of the dead." (22:31) - "Concerning the resurrection of the dead."

    "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" (22:32) - Jesus pulls his answer to the Sadducees from Exodus 3:6.  Since God said "I am" and not "I was" the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it proves that their souls still live.  See also Acts 7:31-32.  

    "They were astonished at his doctrine." (22:33) - "They were astonished at His teachings."  This is not the first time Jesus amazed people (Matthew 7:28; 22:22).

    "A lawyer." (22:35) - Usually called scribes, they were experts on the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament prophecies.  Predominantly Pharisees, they interpreted the Law and helped settle religious arguments.

    "Tempting him." (22:35) - "Testing him."

    "Which is the great commandment in the law?" (22:36) - The Pharisees had listed over six hundred commandments and often argued amongst themselves which was the most important.

    "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (22:37) - Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5, part of the Shema.

    "This is the first and the great commandment." (22:38) - This is one of the most important messages in the Bible, love God, and everything else follows (22:40).  

    "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (22:39) - Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18.

    "Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?" (22:44) - Jesus is quoting Psalms 110:1 to show that the Messiah is above King David (22:45).
     
    "Neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." (22:46) - After this encounter, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes gave up trying to catch Jesus in a verbal trap.
    See Mark 12:18-37 and Luke 20:27-40 for additional accounts of Jesus being challenged.​​

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 22:23-46          
    Discussion about Resurrection
     
    23 That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees-religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question:

    24 "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.'

    25 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow.

    26 But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them.

    27 Last of all, the woman also died.

    28 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her."
     
    29 Jesus replied, "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God.

    30 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.
     
    31 "But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead-haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said,

    32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead."
     
    33 When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.
     
    The Most Important Commandment
     
    34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again.

    35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question:

    36 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"
     
    37 Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'

    38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

    39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

    40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
     
    Whose Son Is the Messiah?
     
    41 Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question:

    ​42 "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?"
     
      They replied, "He is the son of David."
     
    43 Jesus responded, "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah 'my Lord'? For David said,
     
    44 'The Lord said to my Lord,
       Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
          until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.'
     
    45 Since David called the Messiah 'my Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?"
     
    46 No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
     1. What kind of logic did Jesus use? (22:31-33)                                                                           

    If you need a copy of a past lesson, let me know.  I'm happy to email it to you.  ​

    Answer: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. According to the Quest Study Bible (published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids Michigan; pg. 1420), it's 
    easy to think that verse 22:32 meant, "I am the God of the one who was Abraham."  But most Jews didn't reason that way.  To speak of the God of Abraham was to imply not only a past but a present relationship.  Thus, they reasoned, "If we believe there is a god, then we can also believe Abraham still is."  The logic runs that if God is not the God of the dead but of the living, than Abraham still exists.  Therefore the soul does not die with the body.  "Because the Sadducees based their doctrine (that there is no resurrection) on only the five books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy), Jesus made his case from Exodus 3:6."
    Advice from Jesus:
        
    "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (22:37) ​     ​
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lesson together.
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