Daily Writing

Saturday, 12 September 2026

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Matthew 22:34

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“The ‘also Pharisees’, having heard that He muzzled the Sadducees, they gathered upon the same.” (CG)

In the previous verse, it was noted that when the multitudes heard Jesus’ response to the Sadducees, they were astonished at His teaching. It next says, “The ‘also Pharisees’, having heard.”

It is not said how they heard about Jesus’ response to the Sadducees. One of them may have been standing right there, interested in the conversation, or they may have heard about it because of the astonishing logic Jesus used, which caused the people to start talking about it. That could even be the reason the reaction to the crowds was just mentioned. However the word got to them, it was concerning the idea “that He muzzled the Sadducees.”

A new word is seen here, phimoó, to muzzle. It is derived from phimos, a muzzle. Ellicott says, “The primary meaning of the Greek verb is to stop a man’s power of speaking with a gag, and even in its wider use it retains the sense of putting men to a coerced and unwilling silence.”

In Mark 4:39, it is used by Jesus when He muzzled the winds that were swamping Him and the disciples while on the Sea of Galilee. It is used concerning the muzzling of a demon in Luke 4:35.

In this account in Matthew, the word is almost comically employed by referring to the Sadducees’ embarrassing reaction to Jesus’ logic. They simply had nothing left to say and departed as if muzzled like oxen. Of these Pharisees, it says, “they gathered upon the same.”

It is debated exactly what this means. Did they gather upon the same spot, meaning locally? Did they gather upon the same concept of trapping Jesus in His words? Did they gather upon Jesus, meaning the same person who had just shut down the Sadducees? The last seems likely.

Jesus had muzzled the Sadducees. Now the Pharisees have decided to reengage Him, having already been shut down by Him in verse 22. If so, the wording is as if the Pharisees have come together, surrounding Jesus, ready to pounce on Him.

Life application: Many people seem to revel in making others look foolish. Maybe it gives them a sense of superiority when they see others put to shame in whatever matter is in question. This seems to be the case with these attacks on Jesus. His words were well received by the people, and the leaders of Israel couldn’t stomach the competition.

Therefore, they intended to discredit Him to reelevate themselves to the position they were being dethroned from. In other words, instead of receiving Jesus’ words and complementing them for being insightful and worthy of consideration, they redirected their attention to tearing Him down.

It was too much for them to share their leadership position with any supposed competition. It was evident from Jesus’ words that what He said was well thought out and correct in its presentation. As such, their attempts to trap Him came from evil hearts.

This is not the same as calling out bad doctrine. There is nothing wrong with identifying what is false, speaking against it, thus bringing soundness in doctrine to the ears of others who will certainly be harmed by the incorrect teachings. Paul rightfully did this to Peter in Galatians 2.

Later, having learned his lesson from Paul, Peter wrote, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15). There, Peter uses the same word phimoó, to muzzle, found in Matthew 22:24.

There is a time when it is right and appropriate to speak against false teachings, calling out those who teach them. Doctrine matters. Jesus never allowed bad doctrine to continue unchecked, and He expects us to follow in that same manner. Real harm comes to people when it remains uncontested.

This does not mean the person who challenges the bad doctrine is reveling in the correction. As noted, the leaders of Israel could have accepted Jesus’ words, complementing them. Instead, they jealously guarded their own incorrect doctrines. Jesus stood to confront them. Real lives are at stake when false doctrines are allowed to continue. So be ready to defend the truth when falsities arise.

Lord God, help us to carefully weigh our words. May we be ready to challenge what is wrong, while exalting what is right. If someone has valid insights that we lack, may we be willing to complement them, demonstrating appreciation for their contemplations and efforts. Help us in such matters so that we will be good examples to others of how to conduct our affairs in Your presence. Amen.

Friday, 11 September 2026

And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. Matthew 22:33

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having heard, the crowds, they were outstruck upon the ‘teaching, His’.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus explained to the Sadducees that God is the God of the living, not the dead. Matthew next records, “And having heard, the crowds.”

Rather than focus on the reaction of the Sadducees, Matthew notes the reaction of the crowds. The Sadducees would have little to say about Jesus’ words until they had time to process them. It is certain that they eventually rationalized away what He said because they remained in their beliefs, as indicated in Acts 23:8, where it notes that they say there is no resurrection. As for the crowds in general, “they were outstruck upon the ‘teaching, His’.”

The crowds who were willing to listen to religious teachers had their ears filled with all the legalist additions to the law cast on them by their religious leaders. The things they heard would be brought up in debates where one side would score a point in the eyes of those who agreed with them. Then, the other side would state its case, scoring its own point in the eyes of their adherents.

This is no different than what happens in such conversations today. Minds are not normally changed. Rather, there will be a doubling down by each side on what they think is correct. In evaluating a question like that proposed to Jesus by the Sadducees, such debates would end without any changes of mind because the sides are normally arguing apples and oranges.

In the case of the Pharisees and Sadducees, one side held to the books of Moses while the other side held to Moses and also the prophets and historical writings. Without debating from the same reference point, nothing could be resolved. Jesus, knowing what the Sadducees believed, went to a particular passage that appeared to have nothing to do with what was being discussed and drew a masterful conclusion from it.

But more, it was from a source that everybody would have agreed was suitable for such a debate, being directly from Moses. Thus, the debate was on an apples-and-apples level. This is more certain when considering the additional words found in Luke 20 –

“Then some of the scribes answered and said, ‘Teacher, You have spoken well.’ ⁴⁰ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.” Luke 20:39, 40

These scribes probably held to a belief in the resurrection. Having never considered the logic of what Jesus presented from Exodus 3, they felt vindicated in their stand from a source that could not be ignored.

Life application: One of a jillion areas of debate within Christianity concerns exactly what is required for salvation. It’s not a point of doctrine that should have any debate at all. Paul explains the gospel and what it means when it is believed in 1 Corinthians 15 –

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

That is it. The gospel is defined in verses 3 & 4. It is what is received (through belief), and it is that by which a person is saved. Nothing else is necessary to be saved. And yet, there is an endless line of arguments set forth as to why certain things must accompany the good news. Why is this?

The reason can be summed up in a single word: context. Anything that is argued over concerning salvation that goes beyond the gospel is, by default, out of the context of how to be saved. Paul has stated the gospel. He has stated what the effect of believing the gospel is (meaning being saved). And yet, it is not enough for most teachers.

But there must be a reason why other verses, taken out of the salvation context, are used in such debates. What would that reason be? The answer is a lack of trust in grace. Humanity in general, and Christians in particular (when in relation to the gospel), feel that we must do something to merit our salvation.

However, the Bible says otherwise. God has done everything necessary to bring us to a state of salvation. That is what grace is. It is unmerited favor. If we have to do or stop doing something to be saved, it was never of grace through faith.

We cannot let go of ourselves. Our selfish human nature finds the thought repugnant. And so, even if we are saved, we spend the rest of our lives wondering if we may have lost our salvation over some issue or another. If we don’t wonder such things, it means we are so convinced of our own goodness that God would never think of unsaving us.

Either way, it is a trap that we allow into our lives because we cannot trust God’s grace. Don’t be like that. You never merited salvation, and you have no merit in your continued salvation. But God has accepted you because of your faith in Jesus. When you let go of yourself and trust solely in the merits of Christ, you have come to the pinnacle of a relationship with God. Don’t mar that.

Lord God, thank You that we can rest comfortably in Your salvation, knowing that we didn’t earn it and that we still don’t merit it. Rather, You have graciously accepted our faith, weak as it may be, that what Jesus did is sufficient for our reconciliation with You. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thursday, 10 September 2026

‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Matthew 22:32

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“‘I, I am the ‘God, Abraham’, and the ‘God, Isaac’, and the ‘God, Jacob’.’ Not, He is, the God – ‘God, dead’, but living.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus continued His words to the Sadducees, bringing up the subject of the resurrection and preparing to quote Scripture to support His words. He now cites words from Exodus 3:6 and 3:15, which say –

“And He said, ‘I myself ‘God, your father’, ‘God, Abraham’, ‘God, Isaac’, and ‘God, Jacob’.’ And he caused to hide, Moses, his faces. For he feared from ‘causing to scan’ unto the God.” Exodus 3:6 (CG)

“And He said, yet, God unto Moses, ‘Thus you will say unto ‘sons, Israel’, “Yehovah, ‘God, your fathers’, ‘God, Abraham’, ‘God, Isaac’, and ‘God, Jacob’, He sent me unto you. ‘This, My name to vanishment, and this my memorial to generation, generation.’”’” Exodus 3:15 (CG)

Jesus cites the portion of these verses that He deems relevant to His line of reasoning, beginning with, “I, I am the ‘God, Abraham’, and the ‘God, Isaac’, and the ‘God, Jacob’.”

As can be seen, in the Greek, there is an article before God when connected to the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the Hebrew, that same closeness is summed up in Exodus 3:6 by calling Him “the God” at the end of the verse.

In Hebrew, the use of the article before “God” is expressive. It signifies those who are in a right relationship with Him or to contrast those who are not. There is an intimate union even at the time of Moses that existed between “the God” and Moses’ ancestors.

The emphatic “I, I” in the Greek is reflected in the Hebrew word anokhi, translated as I myself. The Lord God emphatically declared to Moses that He is the God of these men. He doesn’t say He was their God but that He is, speaking of the three of them conjointly and by omitting any verb in the Hebrew. In the Greek, Jesus cites it with a present-tense verb in the active voice. With this stated, Jesus continues, saying, “Not, He is, the God – ‘God, dead’, but living.”

Jesus’ point is that because of this intimate union, reflected in the proclamation made by God, they must still be alive to God. As Cambridge says, “God is a God of the living only, but He is the God of Abraham. Therefore, Abraham is living.”

The matter of the resurrection is not proven by this formula. However, it is to be inferred from it. If these men are alive to God, but are physically dead, there must be a place where they are alive to God. That place in the Old Testament is called Sheol. In the New Testament, it is called Hades.

If these men are there, that disproves the Sadducees’ argument that at the time of physical death, there is nothing further. As there is a state of existence after death, it implies that they are awaiting a resurrection.

Life application: It would be a sad excuse for a life if the Sadducees’ idea of living were true and yet they spent their time worrying about what God thought. If God created man with no intention of restoring him to Himself, it would be equivalent to the atheists’ belief that there is no God as far as judgment is concerned.

If there is nothing awaiting man after this life, what would be the point of being moral, saving for the future, or even considering God in one’s daily life? There would be none. And this is just the attitude that communists and atheists have. They say that religion is a trap to keep the masses under control and to subjugate them.

But this is just what atheism leading to communism does. Because they claim there is no God, there is no need to treat humanity with care. Subjugating the masses without any thought of accountability for their actions is their main idea in life.

It is an ideology that has led to hundreds of millions of human lives being exterminated. Religious wars have indeed taken place over the millennia, something communists cite to demonstrate how bad religion is for humanity, but the losses experienced in such wars are negligible in comparison to the losses experienced at the hands of communist ideology.

Further, if there is a true religious expression from God, it by default means that the other religious expressions are false. Therefore, it should be obvious that there will be strife between religions. Wars are an attempt to elevate ideologies to a place of supremacy.

Islam’s very existence is established on submission, forced or not, upon others. In this regard, it has a similar goal to atheism. Thus, a bond has developed in the US between atheist ideology and Islam. If their goal of eradicating Christianity is realized, the next step in their evolutionary model will be to turn on one another, exterminating those who refuse to submit to whichever ideology prevails.

True adherents to Christianity do not need to follow this path. If the truth of God is found in what they believe, there is no need to force it on others. The gospel itself frees humanity from such things. We do not need to elevate the true God through force and subjugation. If He is God, His outcome is assured. Our job is to share the gospel with those who so desperately need to hear it.

Lord God, help us to be shining examples of faithful service, telling others about what You have done in the giving of Jesus. It is a message that frees humanity from the bonds of sin, hopelessness, and misery. Give us hearts willing to share it with the world. Amen.

Wednesday, 9 September 2026

But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, Matthew 22:31

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Concerning, also, the ‘resurrection, the dead’, not you read the ‘having been uttered to you by the God’, saying…” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus began the substance of His answer to the Sadducees’ question, telling them that in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Rather, they are like the angels of God in heaven. Jesus next schools them on the resurrection itself, beginning with, “Concerning, also, the ‘resurrection, the dead’.”

They did not specifically ask about the resurrection, just what would happen to the woman who married the seven brothers. However, being Sadducees, He knew that they didn’t believe in a resurrection. Their question was just an attempt to demonstrate that the doctrine is confused and not based on reality.

Because of that, Jesus will provide insights into the nature of God and man’s relationship to Him to help them understand what they had previously missed. He continues, saying, “not you read the ‘having been uttered to you by the God’, saying…”

Jesus takes the word of God as an utterance of God, even if it is transmitted through human beings. That will become more evident as He continues, but it is a truth that permeates Scripture.

Life application: In Luke, the words of this account add, “But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised…” In Matthew, Jesus says, “uttered to you by the God,” but in Luke it says, “even Moses showed.”

One can see the synergistic way that Scripture is brought to us. God didn’t just send the Bible down in book form from heaven. Instead, He used human instruments to convey His word to us. In 2 Peter, it says –

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21

God has spoken through humans, books have been recorded, and then they were compiled into a single unit. It is often questioned how we can know if the word we received is reliable, missing books, has the wrong books, etc.

If God spoke through men to give books to His people, then He is obviously capable of ensuring that the books He provided us will be properly protected to form a whole. That brings in several other issues, though.

For example, some sects or cults have books not accepted in the standard canon of Scripture. How can we know if they actually belong in the Bible or not? There is no quick and simple answer to this. But it is generally understood that the books of the Bible will properly weave together with each other to form a united whole, each book complementing the others.

It can also be expected that God’s “fingerprints” will be on the result. And this is certainly the case with the standard and accepted sixty-six books of the Bible. There are patterns that run richly through the whole, demonstrating a wisdom and intelligence behind them that spans them all, even though they were penned in various locations, by many people, and over an extended period of time.

This cohesion is lost when the apocrypha is added, as has been done by the Roman Catholic Church. Others add in the book of Enoch or the book of Mormon. Such additions do not reflect the same divine stamp which permeates what is accepted as the standard Bible.

Further, within the Bible are certain stories, the typology of which confirms the structure of the Bible, such as there being two testaments, not one or three. There is a seemingly unlimited amount of information that confirms we possess exactly what God intends for us to possess when we have the standard sixty-six books of the Bible in our hands.

It is a self-validating book that displays immense wisdom that could not have come about randomly, or even in a human-planned manner. This is because after 3500 years, new insights, patterns, and typological representations are routinely discovered in its pages.

Don’t fret that God has somehow failed to get us a sure and understandable word. If He can set the stars and planets in place and keep them in proper motion, He can give us a sure and reliable word. Be confident of this as you explore the wonderful content of His glorious word.

Lord God, thank You for the Bible. It has the power to turn the lost sinner into a found and grounded believer. It can change a drunkard into an evangelist. It can touch hearts, minds, and lives. Through it, relationships are healed, and life finds a purpose. Above all, in it we find our Savior. Thank You for the word that tells us of JESUS! Amen.

Tuesday, 8 September 2026

For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. Matthew 22:30

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“In, indeed, the resurrection, neither they marry, nor they are espoused, but like ‘messengers, the God, in heaven’, they are.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus replied to the Sadducees’ question, telling them they didn’t know Scripture or the power of God. In direct response to the question, Jesus answers, saying, “In, indeed, the resurrection, neither they marry, nor they are espoused.”

A new word is seen here, gamisko, to espouse. It is the verb form of gamos, first seen in Matthew 22:2. Jesus says that this will not occur with those who are raised in the resurrection. The context needs to be maintained to understand what Jesus is referring to. Jesus is speaking to the Sadducees, people of Israel who are under the Law of Moses. He is not speaking about the church. As such, He is not speaking about the rapture of the church.

What Jesus says may apply to the church as a truth, but that is not the context. He is speaking about the resurrection of those saints who died before the completion of Christ’s work. His words, however, also include those who die during the tribulation, as recorded in Revelation 20:4-6. This is known as the first resurrection. In Daniel 12, it says –

“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
³ Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:1-3

These words are spoken to Daniel, a prophet under the Mosaic Covenant. There is a time when the Old Testament saints will be raised. This is also referred to in Isaiah 26:19. This event will happen at the end of the tribulation period. As noted above, at this same resurrection, those who die in Christ in the tribulation will also be raised –

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

Of those raised at this time, Jesus says, “but like ‘messengers, the God, in heaven’, they are.”

This is certainly speaking of angels, spirits of the heavenly realm. Jesus clearly and unambiguously states that the angels of God in heaven neither marry nor are given in marriage. This is logical, because spirits have no potential to do so.

This, however, does not mean that those who are resurrected will be spirit beings. It is simply a truth that those who are raised will not marry or be given in marriage. They will have overcome this fallen, corruptible body. God has something new planned for those who are to be raised.

Life application: God is working through dispensations. Each dispensation has its own inner workings. To mix what is said will occur in one dispensation with that of another dispensation will give a faulty reading of what is going on in God’s redemptive plans.

In Matthew 22, Jesus is not speaking about a resurrection of those in the church age. Paul gives the information concerning that in his epistles, most especially in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 5.

This is certain because Paul calls what he teaches in 1 Corinthians 15 a mystery. That is a truth that was previously unknown that is being revealed by the one providing the information. Paul wrote about this mystery about thirty years after the coming of Christ.

What he says does not match what is said in the Old Testament, in the words of Jesus, nor in the words of Revelation 20. Those passages provide details of a different event than what Paul refers to. As long as we keep the dispensations straight, our doctrine will work properly. If not, our understanding of what the Bible says will be defective.

This is why people believe there will be a mid- or post-tribulation rapture. They have mixed dispensations and come to erroneous conclusions. Don’t come to erroneous conclusions. Stick carefully to the dispensational model.

Lord God, thank You for the way Your word is laid out. Once we understand how You have structured it, the details within it make so much sense. We can know the outline of the future as it pertains to us. We are just waiting for the details that You have reserved to Yourself to be unfolded in our lives. Hallelujah and Amen.