Exodus 3
Read Exodus 3
Helpful Background Information:
In Mark 12:18-27, the Sadducees try to trap Jesus theologically on the topic of the final resurrection, where at the end of all things, all men will be raised and enter either eternal life or eternal damnation. Here, some historical background will provide clarity on why the Sadducees posed the challenge and how Jesus responded.
The Sadducees were one of the two principal religious authorities in Israel, alongside the Pharisees. However, this group was very much heretical and differed significantly from the Pharisees. As Mark notes, the Sadducees denied the resurrection and any notion of the afterlife; they also denied the existence of angels and demons. Furthermore, the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament as Scripture, the Torah, while denying the writings and the Prophets.
Understanding this, we see why Jesus intelligently answered in the manner he did. Pushing back on their false view of the resurrection, Jesus goes to the Scriptures they accepted to prove the resurrection and eternal life. Jesus quotes the Father from Exodus 3, saying to Moses that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - three men who were long physically dead when Moses stepped onto the scene. Jesus’s point was that God was their God even after they were physically dead because they were indeed alive and awaiting the final resurrection. Jesus could’ve gone to more obvious Old Testament references to the resurrection, such as Daniel 12:2 or Isaiah 26:19, yet he chose this Exodus chapter because it would be more effective for his audience, as the Sadducees would’ve denied these Scriptures.
Reflection Questions:
How might the Sadducees’ denial of the resurrection and the supernatural be similar to the views held by atheists, modern worldviews, or even Progressive Christians today? How does Jesus’s response challenge us to engage these views with both truth and wisdom?
What does God’s statement, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” reveal about God’s relationship with His people - even after physical death? How does this speak into your life right now?
Jesus chose to quote Exodus 3 when responding to the Sadducees rather than a more explicit resurrection passage. What does this teach us about meeting people where they’re at in conversations about faith?