photo #9470018

THE BIBLE STUDY – November 4, 2026 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto -- A Confessional Lutheran Church This Wednesday’s readings from the daily lectionary are Jeremiah 5:1-19 and Matthew 22:23-46. Jeremiah is sent throughout Jerusalem to look for a righteous man, someone who seeks truth and justice. He finds none. From the poor to the great, all have broken the Lord’s covenant. The prophet’s words leave no room for self-justification. God’s people had received His Word, His patience, and His mercy, yet they persisted in unbelief. The result would be judgment and tragedy. The Law still searches us today in our secular world. How often and how far do our hearts wander from faith in the true, Triune God? Our society fears, loves, and trusts many things above the Lord. Like Jerusalem of old, we stand guilty before the Almighty who sees all. The Sadducees in Matthew Chapter 22 reveal another form of unbelief. They come to Jesus not to learn, but to trap Him. Denying the resurrection, they reduce God's promises to what can be explained by human reason. Jesus exposes the root problem: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). What a piercing diagnosis. Unbelief always underestimates both God's Word and power. Yet here the Gospel shines brightly. Jesus declares that the patriarchs still live before God: “He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Matt. 22:32). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had long since died, yet God remained their Lord because His covenant promises endure beyond the grave. As Martin Luther observed, the living are those who have received the Gospel. The Lord's faithfulness is stronger than death itself. The reading concludes with Jesus asking whose Son the Christ is. David calls Him “Lord.” The answer is clear: the promised Messiah is both David’s Son and David’s Lord; He is both true God and true man. Only such a Saviour can rescue sinners from judgment and destroy death itself. Therefore, when the Law exposes our sin and the brokenness of our fallen world, trust in Christ and the sweetness of the Gospel. The God who judged Jerusalem also raised His Son. In Him, the guilty are forgiven, the dead are made alive, and the promise of resurrection and eternal life for believers is sure. Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, David’s Son and David’s Lord, forgive our unbelief and strengthen us by Your Word. In a broken, sinful world, keep us steadfast in the hope of the resurrection, trusting that because You live, we also shall live. Amen. Our Hymn of the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 461, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRjeN5-pf-U&list=RDyRjeN5-pf-U&start_radio=1