Mark 12:18-27
Jesus’s dialogue with the Sadducees in today’s Gospel highlights prudence while evangelizing. What most people don’t know about the Sadducees is that despite being Jewish, they differed strongly in theological beliefs with other sects like the Pharisees, Essenes or Zealots.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. Apart from this, the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, or what the Jews refer to as the ‘Torah’ or ‘Books of Law’. Basically, only Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy were considered inspired Scripture to them.
It is in this context that they desired to ‘trap’ Jesus by asking whose husband would a wife who has seven husbands belong to in heaven. The Sadducees’ intent was to mock the idea of a ‘life after physical death’.
Here is where it gets interesting. Jesus wisely answered NOT from the books of the prophets like Isaiah or from the historical books like Chronicles. Instead, Jesus drew upon THEIR ‘canon’ of Scripture and quoted from Exodus, stating that God is a “LIVING God, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
This is a subtle but important point to take away when it comes to sharing God’s Word. The Evangeliser has to go down to the level of the Evangelisee. If the Evangelisee is a non-believer, it would not be prudent to throw Bible verses at them. Instead, the Evangeliser should find out what the non-believer’s view of God is and reflect/point out the errors in his thinking. However, if the Evangelisee believes in Jesus and has at least Scripture as a starting point, then it becomes essential to quote Scripture with contextual history and logic.
Let us remember Jesus’s example of sharing the Truths of Christianity prudently at a level which others can relate to. Most importantly, the heart of Evangelisation is through small actions in our daily lives. If we radiate Christ through us, the world will notice and inquire automatically.
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Originally posted on Instagram.
Image: PD-US
