Jesus said to them, ‘Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.’ (Mark 12: 24-27)

In this study of Mark I sometimes worry about giving too much attention to very small matters of language. But if I understand correctly, Jesus is arguing in favor of resurrection on the basis of which tense God uses in speaking to Moses. Rather than "I was the God of Abraham...," Jesus reminds us the present or unfinished tense was used.

Like the Sadducess I do not know scripture well enough to understand why it is so clear that the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Jesus is, nonetheless, certainly clear. No parables nor erudite redirection here.

But in my opinion the translator in choosing the English wrong and quite wrong may have altered the tone of Jesus. The Greek is planao which is to stray, wander, or roam. Greek has stronger words, for example adikeo and atopos, that are similar to "quite wrong." This suggests the Sadducees are not the source for, but the victims of error.

This can be an intricate listening game. Jesus spoke in Aramaic. A generation later - sometimes two - what was remembered is written down in a very simple form of Greek. More than 1000 years later it is translated into English.

Across these treacherous boundaries the voice of Jesus maintains a remarkable consistency. He is careful with his words. He avoids over-simplification. Jesus builds on, and depends on us recognizing, a rich scriptural heritage. He adeptly constructs vivid narrative illustrations. Jesus also requires careful listening.