BIBLE STUDY LESSON 20

SERIES S --- THE SON OF YHVH

THE GREATEST COMMAND

THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION

From Matthew 22:23-46; Mark 12:18-37; Luke 20:27-44

While Yeshua was in the temple, some Sadducees approached Him with a question. They hoped to trick Him, so that He might accidentally say something to support their view that there was no resurrection after death. [Teacher, the Law of Moses says that when a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow so that the children would inherit the dead man’s property. There were once seven brothers. The first married a woman, then died without children. The second married his brother’s widow, but he died without children. The widow married each of the remaining brothers, as each died and left her to the next. At last, she died. In the resurrection, whose wife would she be, for she was married to each of them?] [Your question is wrong,] said Yeshua. [That is because you don’t know the Scriptures or the Power of YHVH. People marry in this world, but not when they are resurrected into the next life. Your real problem is that you don’t believe in the resurrection! People who rise from the dead rise to die no more, and they become like the angels of YHVH. Don’t you remember what Moses said at the burning bush? He called Adonai the YHVH of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so they were still living when Moses spoke, resurrected from the dead. The people who heard Yeshua’ answer was amazed at it. Even the scribes standing nearby said, [Teacher, You have given a good answer.] After that, the Sadducees asked Him no more questions. But the Pharisees had another question for Yeshua. One of them, a scribe, asked, [Which is the most important Commandment in the Law of Moses?] Yeshua answered, [You shall love Adonai your YHVH with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second most important one is that you shall love your neighbour as yourself. No other Commandments are greater than these.] [You are right, Teacher,] the scribe replied. [You have said correctly that Adonai is one, and that there is no one greater, and to love Him with heart, understanding and strength, and to love one’s neighbour as himself is even more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.] [You are close to the Kingdom of YHVH,] Yeshua told this man. But while the Pharisees were gathered around Him, Yeshua asked them a question. [What do you say about the Moshiach? Whose son, is He?] [David’s son.] they answered. [Then why did David, guided by Ruach HaKodesh, say, ‘Adonai said to my Adonai, sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies under Your feet?’ If David called the Moshiach Adonai, how then could He be David’s son?] No one could answer that question. And after that time, no one dared to question Yeshua publicly again.

COMMENTARY

JERUSALEM’S WATER SYSTEM -- TEMPLE CISTERNS

The temple ceremonies required many gallons of water every day. Each morning the large brass laver that stood in the Priest’s Court was emptied and filled with fresh Water. The underground bathhouse beneath the temple platform also demanded a continuous water supply. Because the nearest spring was far below in the Kidron Valley, another source of water was needed to supply the temple. A complicated system of underground tanks to store water was dug out of the rock beneath the temple platform. These cisterns or reservoirs were fed by the winter rains as well as the water piped in from Solomon’s Pools. When all the cisterns were full, they could hold over twelve million gallons, enough to provide the temple with water throughout the year. Some of the temple cisterns were larger than others. The largest was called the Great Sea because it formed a large underground lake. It was so big that it could hold more than two million gallons of water. It was connected with the other cisterns by a network of underground tunnels that crisscrossed under the temple courts. Together they formed a complicated water-supply system in the dark regions below the ground, hidden from the eyes of temple visitors.