Matthew 22:23-33 Mark 12:18-27 Luke 20:27-40
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23 On
that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection)
came to Jesus and questioned Him, 24 asking,
“Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS
NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.’ 25 “Now
there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having
no children left his wife to his brother; 26 so
also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 “Last
of all, the woman died. 28 “In the resurrection, therefore,
whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
29 But
Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the
Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 “For
in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are
like angels in heaven. 31 “But regarding the resurrection
of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘I AM
THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND
THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the
living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they
were astonished at His teaching.
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18 Some Sadducees
(who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning
Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us
that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES and leaves behind a wife AND LEAVES NO
CHILD, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO
HIS BROTHER. 20 “There were seven brothers; and
the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. 21 “The
second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third
likewise; 22 and so all
seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. 23 “In
the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all
seven had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not
the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the
power of God? 25 “For when they rise from the
dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in
heaven. 26 “But regarding the fact that the
dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the
burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD
OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of
Jacob’? 27 “He is not the God of the dead,
but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
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27 Now
there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no
resurrection), 28 and they questioned Him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES, having a
wife, AND HE IS CHILDLESS, HIS BROTHER SHOULDMARRY THE WIFE AND
RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. 29 “Now
there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died
childless; 30 and the second 31 and
the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no
children. 32 “Finally the woman died
also. 33 “In the resurrection therefore,
which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 34 Jesus
said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but
those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection
from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for
they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of
God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 “But
that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the
burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND
THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. 38 “Now
He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.” 39 Some
of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 For
they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.
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It seems that it is now the Sadducees turn to try to trap Jesus
with a question. The Pharisees had not
done very well, but that did not discourage these determined leaders. The key difference between these two groups
is that the Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection from the dead. It is hard to understand how any religion
would function apart from an eternal hope.
Clearly, they were looking to have power on earth through their religion
and were not concerned with the eternal.
Unfortunately, many people continue to live like this today. Many think this life is all there is. Many who do believe in resurrection seem to
live as if there were none. Jesus makes
it very clear that there is a resurrection and that it should be the center of
our hope.
A CONFRONTATION ABOUT RESURRECTION: The big question the Sadducees
wanted to have answered was connected to the Law of Moses that required a
brother to marry his sister-in-law if his brother died. They dreamed up a scenario worthy of a
Hollywood plot. Maybe the film could be
called “One Bride for Seven Brothers.” Perhaps it should have been a horror film with
a title like “Widow Assassin.” However
these brothers died was not of concern to the Sadducees. They were wondering whose wife she would end
up being in the resurrection. In their
mind it would be very awkward for these brothers to all have the same wife for
eternity. It seems like a strange
question to base a disbelief in resurrection upon. I think the most important lesson we can learn
from this line of questioning is that when our religion turns into a quest for
power; we are prone to the ridiculous.
Lust for power will often lead us down the path of stupidity because power
can be blinding. We must constantly
check our hearts for pride and make sure that we don’t allow religious influence
to blind our hearts to the importance of the eternal.
A CLARIFICATION ABOUT RESURRECTION: Jesus quickly discounts
their rational. He simply informs them
that their understanding about how we will be in our resurrection bodies is far
different than they imagine. We have a
hard time imagining an existence that is different from our current
reality. Marriage and family are such central
parts of our lives on earth that we have a hard time imagining an eternity
without marriage. Today, marriage is
such a central part of our lives. When
we are single, we dream of getting married.
Once we are married, we have a hard time imagining life without
marriage. Our greatest emotional, social
and physical sources of intimacy and joy are experience in marriage. We may find ourselves questioning how we
could ever enjoy an eternity apart from marriage? These questions and feelings are positive indicators
of a healthy marriage. However, they
should alert us to a flawed understanding about heaven. I don’t pretend to understand a lot about
heaven. The subject fascinates me, and I
have read much about it. What I will say
is that since there is no marriage in heaven, the joys and intimacies of heaven
must far exceed anything we currently experience. Our love and joy in marriage today should be
seen as a mere appetizer for the glorious eternity God has planned for us. The Sadducees lack of understanding about
eternity left them confused and hopeless.
A correct understanding of the resurrection should leave us homesick for
heaven and more excited the a six-year-old on Christmas morning. The joys of heaven will far outshine the joys
of marriage.
A CONFIRMATION ABOUT RESURRECTION: Having corrected the
Sadducees misconceptions about marriage in heaven, Jesus confirms the truth of
the resurrection. He does so my quoting God’s
statement to Moses at the burning bush. When
God tells Moses: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” The present tense in this verse indicates
that in the days of Moses, these three men are still alive even though they all
died many years ago. God is God of the
living not the dead. As beings created
in God’s image, we are eternal in the sense that we will neve cease to exist. Our bodies die but they will be
resurrected. Even during the time
between our death and resurrection, believers are alive in the presence of God. The truth of the resurrection should fill the
life of every believer with hope and joy.
The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, this is why they were sad-you-see. Jesus corrected wrong doctrine with Scripture.
APPLICATION: Don’t allow what God intended to be an intimate
relationship with Him become a quest for power that makes us blind to or
ignorant of the truth. Enjoy our
marriages today as they help us to understand more of the intimacy of our
eternal relationships we will experience in heaven. Look forward to the glories of heaven in a
way that warms your soul and fills your heart with hope. Believe whole heartedly in the resurrection
as it is our source of unconditional joy in the midst of a chaotic and often
painful world.
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