Prepare to be amazed

"Prepare to be amazed!"  I heard the card player at the next table proclaim.  He had won the bid and was off to win the hand. If I labeled sections in the Bible I might given Mark12: 13-17 the subtitle of "Jesus prepares the Establishment to be amazed."

Some Pharisees and Herodians came to question Jesus on taxation.  They asked Him if it was right to pay taxes to Rome.   The Romans had conquered the Jews so I would imagine they were not popular.  There must have been some rebels, some who protested the Roman government by refusing to subsidize it with their hard earned money.  It was a political question.  Who is the true government?

Jesus knew they were hypocrites.  They complimented His integrity and those He associated with but their true motive was to trick Him so He would violate the Roman law.

He answered to give the government what was due and to give to God what is God's.  Round 1 goes to Jesus!  They were amazed!

Then the Sadducees, who didn't believe in a bodily resurrection, came with a complicated question about marriage.  If a man dies before he has children then the Law says his brother must marry the dead brother's wife and have children for the dead man.  The Sadducees added that 7 brothers married the same woman and died and left no children. So at the resurrection to which brother will this woman be  married?

What a ridiculous question?  Would this really happen?  The poor woman would really go through 7 husbands?  The Sadducees didn't even believe in the resurrection so why were they worried about this rare circumstance?

Jesus pointed out their lack of scriptural basis.  When the dead rise, there will be no marriage.  The Sadducees had missed the power of God to resurrect the dead as demonstrated several times in the Old Testament.  It was a scriptural question.  How powerful is God?  Round 2 also goes to Jesus.

To be amazed by God we have to let loose of our preconceived notions of Heaven and God's power.  I rarely imagine Heaven because I expect it to be beyond my comprehension.  I don't want to limit how great Heaven will be!

God is the absolute power. We can't limit His work with our laws and rules.  He can and will do anything.  Why would I want to limit Him?

I choose to be amazed!