Mark 12:18-27

Be Still:
Lord, help me to be still before you. Help me to listen. Help me to receive. I ask you to transform my heart and my mind as I choose to spend this time with you today. Amen.

Read: Mark 12:18-27
 

Jesus replied, ‘Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?’ (v24)

Encounter:
The Sadducees didn’t even believe in resurrection, but they tried to trap Jesus with a complicated scenario. Jesus’ response cuts straight to the heart. Their error came from the fact they didn’t really know the Scriptures and or the power of God.

This is a quite a sobering reminder. We can be religious, clever, and well-versed in debates, and still miss the truth if we don’t know God’s Word and trust his power. The Sadducees limited God to what made sense to them. They couldn’t imagine life beyond what they saw, so they dismissed resurrection altogether.

Jesus calls us higher. God’s Word reveals reality beyond what our eyes see. His power is greater than our categories. To truly know God means to trust both his Word and his power, that what he promises, he is able to accomplish.

How often do we fall into the same trap? We limit God to what seems possible, reasonable, or explainable. Sometimes we live as if his Word isn’t alive, and his power isn’t active. But Jesus reminds us that doubting any promise of God, is to underestimate both Scripture and the God who spoke it.

Apply:
Ask yourself today: am I limiting God because I don’t understand how he will fulfil his Word? Where am I living as though his power is small or distant? Pray for a renewed trust in both the truth of Scripture and the greatness of God’s power.

Devote:
Lord, forgive me for the times I have limited you to what makes sense in my own understanding. Teach me to know your Word deeply and to trust your power fully. Thank you that you are the God of the living, and nothing is impossible for you. Strengthen my faith today to believe your promises.