Scriptures and the Power of God

Matthew 22:29 - Jesus answered, and said to them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God."

"You know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." This seems like a non-sequitur. It's not even an answer! Jesus doesn't bother to give their question any credence. He has more important things to talk about than which hypothetical man gets a hypothetical woman in heaven. Instead, he diagnoses them as being ignorant of both the scriptures (writings) and the power of God. His words hint that there is a relationship between the two. How are they related?

First, knowing the scriptures entails much more than going to church, Bible study, or even seminary. The majority of people Jesus encountered were illiterate. They couldn't just look up a verse in their books - they had the words in their hearts. Ideally, anyway. The scriptures weren't meant to be read; they were meant to be LIVED.

The Sadducees, however, did not live the scriptures. Rather, they were the theologians we spoke of yesterday. They, the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the elders all weaponized the scriptures against Jesus. Instead of endorsing this misuse of scripture, Jesus flat out told the Sadducees they were wrong. They didn't have the scriptures in their hearts; they didn't humble themselves, and, thus, were not teachable. They knew the surface rules, but their hearts were stone. They closed their hearts to God's love, and, therefore God's power.

I don't blame them. It is a scary thing to come into the presence of the Living God. Isaiah spoke for all of us when he cried out in God's presence, "Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips!" It's much safer and easier to just follow a set of rules, and insist that everyone else follow those rules too. Jesus calls this attitude, "Wrong."

The scriptures - Jesus' and ours - are not a book of rules to be followed. The stories, poetry, laws, love songs, and prophets' writings record the people's encounters with YHVH. The Bible is not inerrant; it was written by people as a record of their lives, and their relationship with their God. The gospels tell the story of Jesus, including his summary of his scriptures: You shall love YHVH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The Sadducees missed this. Because they missed God's words, they missed God's love. Because they missed God's love, they also missed the power of God to transform not just their hearts, but also their minds, their lives, and their world. Or as Paul wrote, "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

That is the paradox about God - we must first be open to her love, scary as that may be. Remember the assurance God gave Moses: when you have freed my people, you will worship on this very mountain. The benefit, the assurance only comes after we follow. We can only be changed after we open our hearts to such a possibility. God isn't looking for people who are already perfect or have their life together. Our lives will never be perfect or orderly. God is looking for people who are willing to follow Jesus, and when we let him in, we will be changed; resurrected into someone new.

What's holding you back from allowing God's love to transform your life?