Scolded

[From 3-16-09]

"Jesus said to them, 'Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?'"

(Mark 12:24)

The religious authorities were constantly challenging Jesus, looking for ways to discredit him and trap him. (They must have felt threatened by him, in a big way!) In Mark 12, some Sadducees tried to get him to bite on a question of marriage laws and the afterlife. (The only problem is the Sadducees don't believe in an afterlife, so this clearly is an attempt to make Jesus look foolish.) Jesus refuses to play their game, admonishing them instead for their lack of knowledge of scripture (ouch!) and their inability to comprehend the power of God.

There's a difference between knowing about the scriptures (ie. having a "Trivial Pursuit" kind of knowledge of the Bible) and understanding the scriptures (living out the truths and big ideas of the Bible). Head knowledge vs. heart knowledge. I don't think God is very impressed with the former. He wants our hearts to fully embrace the power of God found through the Scriptures. I imagine God feels that He could do so much in/through us, if only we knew the power He has! But we, by and large, don't. We get caught up on what's humanly possible or likely to happen. Too bad. Too bad.

PRAYER: Lord, give me a deeper understanding of Your Holy Words... and the courage to believe in Your amazing power! AMEN.