Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Mark: Chapter 12].
12:24 {Is it not for this cause that ye err?} (\Ou dia touto
plan•sthe;\). Mark puts it as a question with \ou\ expecting the
affirmative answer. Matthew puts it as a positive assertion: "Ye
are." \Planaomai\ is to wander astray (cf. our word _planet_,
wandering stars, \asteres plan•tai\, Jude 1:13) like the Latin
_errare_ (our _error_, err). {That ye know not the scriptures}
(\m• eidotes tas graphas\). The Sadducees posed as men of
superior intelligence and knowledge in opposition to the
traditionalists among the Pharisees with their oral law. And yet
on this very point they were ignorant of the Scriptures. How much
error today is due to this same ignorance among the educated!
{Nor the power of God} (\m•de t•n dunamin tou theou\). The two
kinds of ignorance generally go together (cf. 1Co 15:34).
12:25 {When they shall rise from the dead} (\hotan ek nekr•n
anast•sin\). Second aorist active subjunctive with \hotan\
(\hote\ plus \an\). Mt 22:30 has it "in the resurrection," Lu
20:35 "to attain to the resurrection." The Pharisees regarded
the future resurrection body as performing marriage functions, as
Mohammedans do today. The Pharisees were in error on this point.
The Sadducees made this one of their objections to belief in the
resurrection body, revealing thus their own ignorance of the true
resurrection body and the future life where marriage functions do
not exist. {As angels in heaven} (\h•s aggeloi en t•i ouran•i\).
So Mt 22:30. Lu 20:36 has "equal unto the angels"
(\isaggeloi\). "Their equality with angels consists in their
deliverance from mortality and its consequences" (Swete). The
angels are directly created, not procreated.
12:26 {In the place concerning the Bush} (\epi tou batou\). This
technical use of \epi\ is good Greek, in the matter of, in the
passage about, the Bush. \Batos\ is masculine here, feminine in
Lu 20:37. The reference is to Ex 3:3-6 (in the book of Moses,
\en t•i bibl•i\).
12:27 {Ye do greatly err} (\polu plan•sthe\). Only in Mark.
Solemn, severe, impressive, but kindly close (Bruce).
12:28 {Heard them questioning together} (\akousas aut•n
sunz•tount•n\). The victory of Christ over the Sadducees pleased
the Pharisees who now had come back with mixed emotions over the
new turn of things (Mt 22:34). Lu 20:39 represents one of the
scribes as commending Jesus for his skilful reply to the
Sadducees. Mark here puts this scribe in a favourable light,
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MR12.RWP.html (4 of 8) [28/08/2004 09:04:37 a.m.]