Bible Study: Mark 12:18-37

➡️ Who Gets the Wife in the Resurrection? (18-27)

The Sadducees, who didn't believe in resurrection, tried to trap Jesus with a scenario about a woman who married seven brothers consecutively. 

They asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection. 

Jesus responds by explaining they misunderstand both Scripture and God's power. 

In the resurrection, people "neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels." 

Jesus then quotes from Exodus, reminding them God is "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" - not of the dead but of the living. 

This reveals that those who have died continue to exist, contradicting the Sadducees' belief that death is final.

➡️ What Commandment Is the Most Important? (28-34)

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus quotes the Shema: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one," and commands to love God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

He adds the second command to "love your neighbor as yourself." 

The scribe agrees and adds that these commands are "much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 

Jesus tells him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." 

Unlike previous confrontational exchanges, this conversation shows someone genuinely seeking understanding.

➡️ How is Jesus David’s God and Son?

Jesus poses a question about the Messiah: How can the Christ be David's son when David himself calls him Lord? 

Quoting Psalm 110, Jesus demonstrates the divine nature of the Messiah. 

This teaching reveals that Christ is both human (descended from David) and divine (David's Lord). 

Interestingly, after these teachings, "the great throng heard him gladly," showing how Jesus gradually won over the crowd with his teaching despite earlier hostility.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology.

Contributor Eli Lietzau is the pastor at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO. 

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