Imagine a fishing tournament where a latecomer who seems unprepared to fish takes home the prize.

            All of the big-name locals are present, and they are competing for the prize. Each person has his or her secret bait, and the most successful have modern bass boats, high-end fish finders and the best rods and reels available. By the time that the latecomer enters the competition, it looks as though he is hopelessly behind. Those who are watching the tournament shrug their shoulders as the latecomer calmly puts his canoe into the water and pushes off. Some even begin to laugh when they realize that he does not even have a fishing pole. Yet the mysterious entrant calmly rows out into the river and moves into an area unoccupied by other fishing boats. Then as the clock ticks down to the finish, he opens up a bag that he carried with him. To everyone’s surprise, he pulls out a half-stick of dynamite. He lights it and tosses it overboard. A few moments later, there is a geyser of water near the point of entry. The latecomer then rows to the spot and begins to collect the fish that have now floated to the surface because they were stunned by the detonation. After the closing bell, he paddles to shore with a load of fish that is triple that of his next closest competitor. He sets a new tournament record. There are shouts of protest, but a check of the rule book reveals that this technique is not against the rules. It is simply a game-changer.

            In the gospels, Jesus is a game-changer whose teaching continually calls his hearers to make paradigm shifts in their lives. His instructions are counterintuitive, countercultural and counter status quo. Just when we think that we have figured Jesus out, he explodes the box that we have put around him and challenges us to a deeper life. Our text for today is a case in point.

            Jesus is confronted by a group of Sadducees who attempt to trip him up with a question related to marriage and the resurrection. On the surface, Jesus’ conversation with the Sadducees may seem non-confrontational, but Luke 20 reports several challenges that Jesus receives from the religious leaders of his day. Moreover, the Sadducees as a group were well known for their denial of the resurrection. This was a point of contrast between the Sadducees and Pharisees. In ot

...approximately 1,440 words remaining. You are not logged in. Please see options at the top of this page to view complete sermon.