LESSON VI.—SABBATH, NOVEMBER 11, 1899
THE QUESTIONS OF THE SADDUCEES, THE LAWYERS, AND THE PHARISEES.
In the Temple at Jerusalem, A.D. 31. 23 "On that day there came to Him Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection; and they asked Him, saying, 24 Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his 25 brother. Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first married and deceased, and having no seed left his wife 26 unto his brother; in like manner the second also, and the third, 27 unto the seventh. And after them all the woman died. 28 In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the 29 seven? for they all had her. But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the 30 power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, 31 nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read 32 that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 33 God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at His teaching. 34 "But the Pharisees, when they heard that He had put the 35 Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 And He said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 38 mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a 39 second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 40 thyself. On these two commandments hangeth the whole law, and the prophets. 41 "Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus 42 asked them a question, saying, What think ye of the Christ? whose Son is He? They say unto Him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying, 44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, Till I put Thine enemies underneath Thy feet? 45 If David then calleth Him Lord, how is He his Son? 46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions." 36 "For neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further. 1. After the repulse of the Herodians, who came to Jesus? What was their view of the resurrection? Matt. 22:23. 2. What was the import of their question? Verses 24-28. (Deut. 25:5.) 3. Even tho these Sadducees quoted scripture to establish a proposition, with what lack did the Saviour charge them? Verse 29. Note 1. (John 20:9.) 4. How did He prove His charge against them? Verse 30. 7. How did the multitude regard these words of Christ? Verse 33. 8. When the Pharisees heard that the Sadducees had been silenced, what did they do? Verse 34. 9. With what question did one of them, who was an expounder of the law, attempt to entangle Jesus? Verses 35, 36. 10. What did Christ say was the first great commandment? Verses 37, 38. 13. What depends on these two great principles? Verse 40. Note 3. 14. What vital question did Christ ask the Pharisees who gathered together? How was it answered? Verses 41, 42. 15. What question did Jesus then ask, which silenced the haughty Pharisees? Verses 43-45. (Ps. 110:1; Rev. 22:16.) 16. What was the result of this interview? Verse 46. Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," chapter 66; "Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 3, chapter 3. 1. Ye do err.—It will be seen that the scripture quoted by the Sadducees had nothing to do with the conclusion they drew, so that theirs was a hasty and ill-advised deduction. They probably supposed that such conclusion naturally followed the command which they quoted from the Pentateuch, but it was not so; hence the Saviour's rebuke of their lack of knowledge, both of Scripture and the power of God. 2. Have ye not read.—Christ might easily have proved the resurrection from Job, Isaiah, David, and other prophets, but He chose to meet this question with the words of Moses, the only inspired writer that the Sadducees believed in. It was useless to cite authorities for them in which they had no faith—a lesson worth remembering in our day. 3. On these two.—As these two principles are eternal, so the whole law, hanging on them, or being drawn out from them, must be just as eternal as that on which it hangs, or depends, for support.