The resurrection power of God sits at the center of this confrontation. From the opening challenge, Jesus exposes not just faulty theology but a limited view of God Himself. Consequently, He redirects attention from human logic to divine authority.
The Audience Mark Is Writing To
Mark writes to believers surrounded by competing philosophies and skepticism about life after death. Therefore, this encounter reassures readers that the hope of resurrection rests on God’s power, not human reasoning.
Key Focus of the Passage and Jesus’ Character
The focus is resurrection and divine authority. Jesus reveals Himself as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture, firmly grounding eternal truth in the living God.
📖 Scripture: Mark 12:18–27 (NASB)
Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
The People Jesus Interacted With
Jesus confronts the Sadducees, a religious group that rejected resurrection and limited Scripture to the Torah. Their question aims to discredit eternal life.
What Happened in the Scene
The Sadducees present a hypothetical scenario to ridicule the belief in resurrection. Jesus dismantles their argument by correcting their assumptions about eternity and grounding the truth of resurrection directly in Scripture and in God’s living nature.
Mood and Tone
The tone is corrective, authoritative, and clarifying. Jesus exposes error without hesitation, while restoring proper understanding.
What Jesus Said
“You do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God.”
“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Jesus links the hope of resurrection directly to knowing who God truly is.
The Response of the Others
- The Sadducees are silenced, their argument dismantled.
- The crowd recognizes the authority of Jesus’ teaching.
- Resurrection faith is reaffirmed.
The Lesson for Us in 2026
- Resurrection Depends on God’s Power – Eternity is sustained by who God is, not human logic.
- Knowing Scripture Matters – Misunderstanding Scripture leads to distorted belief.
- God Is Actively Living – Our hope rests in a God who is present, not past.
Resurrection hope stands firm because God is alive, faithful, and powerful beyond human limits.
