You Are Greatly Mistaken

In one paragraph

This sermon is part of an ongoing chronological study of Holy Week, covering events on Tuesday before the crucifixion. Ray walked through a series of confrontations in the temple between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day, showing how Jesus answered each challenge and then turned the questions back on his questioners. The thread running through all of it was the contrast between humble...

Read together

1. Matthew 22:23-33 Sadducees question Jesus about resurrection and the woman married to seven brothers
2. Mark 12:18-27 Mark's version of the Sadducees' resurrection question, cited alongside Matthew and Luke
3. Luke 20:27-38 Luke's version of the Sadducees' resurrection question, cited alongside Matthew and Mark
4. Exodus 3:6 God declaring 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob' used by Jesus to prove resurrection
5. Matthew 22:34-40 Pharisee lawyer asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment
6. Mark 12:28-34 Scribe asks Jesus the greatest commandment and Jesus sees he answered intelligently
7. Luke 10:25-28 Same greatest commandment question appears just before the good Samaritan story
8. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 The Shema, cited as the source of the greatest commandment to love God
9. Matthew 22:41-46 Jesus asks the Pharisees whose son the Christ is and quotes Psalm 110
10. Mark 12:35-37 Mark's version of Jesus questioning how Christ can be both David's son and David's Lord
11. Luke 20:41-44 Luke's version of Jesus quoting Psalm 110 regarding David calling the Christ Lord
12. Psalm 110:1 The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, quoted as the most cited Old Testament passage in the New Testament
13. Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus warns crowds and disciples about the scribes and Pharisees who burden others and seek honor
14. Mark 12:38-40 Jesus warns against scribes who devour widows' houses and offer long prayers for appearance
15. Mark 12:41-44 The poor widow putting in two lepta coins, worth less than a quadrans, giving all she had
16. Luke 21:1-4 Luke's account of the widow's offering, cited alongside Mark
17. Luke 21:5-6 Disciples comment on the temple's beautiful stones and Jesus foretells not one stone left on another
18. Mark 13:1-2 Mark's account of Jesus foretelling the temple's destruction
19. Matthew 23:12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted
20. 1 Peter 3:15 Used as the benediction, revere Christ as Lord and be prepared to give a reason for your hope with gentleness and respect

Talk about it

1. Ray pointed out that the Sadducees were 'earthbound creatures in their mind' who judged resurrection only by what they had experienced in this life. Where in your own thinking do you find yourself limiting what God can do based only on what you have already seen or experienced?
2. When the scribe repeated back to Jesus what Jesus had just said about loving God and neighbor, Jesus told him he was 'not far from the kingdom of God.' What do you think the gap was between knowing the right answer and being fully inside the kingdom, and where do you see that gap showing up in your own life?
3. Ray drew a contrast between the Pharisees who tied up heavy burdens for others but would not lift a finger themselves, and Jesus who was literally about to lay down his life in service. Where is the line between teaching others and modeling what you teach, and how do you hold yourself to it?
4. The widow gave everything she had to live on, and Jesus called it out as more than all the large gifts combined. Ray warned against using her story to pressure people into giving, but he also said he believed her heart was right before God. What does giving 'as God leads' actually look like in practice for you?
5. Ray closed with two application points sitting side by side: 'hypocrisy always harms' and 'humility always helps.' Can you think of a specific situation, past or present, where you saw one of those play out, and what did it cost or produce?