You Are Mistaken

In one paragraph

Before Ray got into the message, the service took an unplanned turn when Diane from the church office brought the staff forward so the congregation could pray over the pastors. The sermon itself walked through Tuesday of Holy Week, following Jesus as he fielded challenges from the Sadducees and Pharisees in the temple courts and then turned the questions back on the crowds. Ray explained that the...

Read together

1. 2 Corinthians 4:6 opening verse about God making light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God seen in the face of Jesus
2. Luke 12:32 Jesus telling his disciples not to be afraid, little flock, for it gives the Father great happiness to give them the kingdom
3. Psalm 150:1-2 quoted before the offering song: praise God in the sanctuary, praise him in his mighty heavens, for his acts of power and surpassing greatness
4. Matthew 22:23 Sadducees who say there is no resurrection came to Jesus and questioned him about levirate marriage and the resurrection
5. Mark 12:18 Mark's parallel account of the Sadducees questioning Jesus about the resurrection
6. Luke 20:27 Luke's parallel account of those who maintain there is no resurrection questioning Jesus
7. Exodus 3:6 Jesus quotes God saying I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob to argue God is God of the living not the dead
8. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 the Shema, quoted by Jesus as the foremost commandment: hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
9. Psalm 110:1 Jesus quotes David in the Holy Spirit saying the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet, to question how Messiah can be both David's son and David's Lord
10. James 3:1 let not many of you be teachers because you will receive a harsher judgment, connected to the warning about scribes receiving greater condemnation
11. 1 Peter 3:15 closing: revere Christ as Lord and always be prepared to give a reason for the hope you have, but do this with gentleness and respect

Talk about it

1. Ray pointed out that the Sadducees were not genuinely seeking truth but were trying to trap Jesus with a straw man argument. When have you caught yourself arguing a position you had already locked in, and how did it affect the conversation?
2. Jesus told the Sadducees they were mistaken because they understood neither the scriptures nor the power of God. What does it look like in practice to hold those two things together, knowing what scripture says and trusting God's power to do what it says?
3. The scribe who repeated back the two great commandments was told by Jesus that he was not far from the kingdom of God. What do you think the distance was between knowing the right answer and actually being in the kingdom?
4. Ray described the scribes and Pharisees as devouring widows' houses while offering long prayers, and then Jesus sat down and watched the widow drop her last two coins into the treasury. What does that pairing say about how religious structures can harm the very people they are meant to serve?
5. Ray closed with the idea that fundamental attribution error shapes how we judge ourselves versus others, and that hypocrisy always harms while humility always helps. Where in your own relationships do you see that pattern playing out right now?