Matthew 22:30-33
"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching."
The Sadducees were the materialists of that age, a religiopolitcal aristocratic class of temple associates. They tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions such as chief priests and held important positions on the Sanhedrin as well. Not all priests were Sadducees, but many of them were. From a theological perspective they were somewhat ambivalent toward God's, day to day involvement in human affairs. They denied the resurrection of the dead, the afterlife and the spiritual world. You could say they were effectively atheists. It seems odd that these Priests would be so secular in their philosophy. They were basically a political party rather than a religious sect. At the end of the day this "religious" movement died out when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Apparently, they only existed to preserve their power-hungry station and arrogance, so when their culture collapsed, so too did their "religion".
The resurrection is an important theme in the Bible.
Is this life all there is?
Is there life after death?
Should we be concerned about acquiring that life?
Apparently, the Sadducees weren't concerned. I find it hard to imagine being a priest by profession and not a believer by confession. But I know it can happen, and I have known some who were in that situation, they weren't really spiritual at all even though they served the church. In today's scripture focus we see another test being arranged for Jesus. The Sadducees approach Jesus and figure they've puzzled up a quizzically intriguing story about the complexities of marriage and the resurrection. And of course, we know these questions are disingenuous because the Sadducees had no respect for supernatural beliefs. So, their questions are given in bad faith, and therefore they are liars and hypocrites. They are devils devising wicked schemes. Not at all unlike most atheists who by default have no moral compass to guide them in matters of truth. And so that’s the problem with these kinds of bad faith questions. The questioner is not sincere. They do what they do to be seen by others for having done it. They pray like publicans. They fast like Pharisees. Their religion is external and purposed to impress people with their self-righteousness. From that perspective they gain power and influence and that's the reason for their religious systems.
So, let’s get to the quiz. It is a test about marriage and the resurrection. They came up with a complex scenario that's designed to expose the ridiculousness and absurdity of the resurrection. They basically turned it into a meme and then trolled Jesus with their bold questions and tests.
The Meme
“Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” (Matthew 22:24-28)
These devils probably loved asking this question. Likely they've used it before among their religious counterparts, like the Pharisees. Probably none of them have passed the test.
So, here's some context:
The setting:
This is the law about brothers and widows – Deuteronomy 25:5-6 (see also Genesis 38:8-10; Ruth 1:12-13)
The Old Testament was concerned about family lines in Israel, and so it was very important to establish a family lineage. So much of the culture was based upon upholding this tradition and sustaining the family unit.
The scenario:
Seven brothers, one wife (Matthew 22:25-26)
Not that this couldn't have happened, but it does seem somewhat unlikely. At any rate they created this convoluted story, I suppose, so they could highlight the absurdity of the afterlife belief systems. They could have just asked a simple question about the very common occurrence of a woman who had remarried after her first husband had died. But I suppose they wanted to make it impossible for Jesus to wiggle out of the equation by simply saying she was obviously just the wife of the first in heaven.
The set-up:
“At the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” (Matthew 22:27-28)
I'm trying to imagine these men asking this question. And what I imagine is they're making air quotes as they say the word "resurrection" because remember they have no belief whatsoever in that spiritual concept. And these men are smug, their elitism drips out from every pore of their bodies. And they think they've got Jesus' number. She can’t be married to them all, right? Maybe the first? Maybe the last? Somewhere in-between?
This question is so loaded with BS, and they no doubt have another at the ready in the next chamber to shoot at Jesus as soon as he picks an answer. It’s a ridiculous question which they think proves the ridiculousness of the resurrection.
Jesus’ answer: (Matthew 22:29-33)
Immediately Jesus tells them they're in error.
"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God in heaven."
Right away he's disabled their whole parody, but worse than that he's establishing new information. Information about the heavenly realms that no one knew up till that point. And to make matters worse he accuses them of being ignorant.
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."
Now here's the thing:
You need to know something else about the Sadducees. They only accepted the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) as any sort of scriptural authority. They saw the prophets and other scriptures as unworthy of their respect. So Jesus is exposing their ignorance and their error in this belief of theirs. And at the end of the day this is what this whole troll was really all about. The Sadducees didn't care about the woman or her seven husband's eternal fate.
They don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power – Job 19:25-27; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2 and therefore they miss all the afterlife and resurrection teachings found there. Of course, none of these passages are from the Pentateuch. They don't come from the words of Moses. And that's their problem. They reject the prophets. And since they reject the prophets as mere "commentary", they miss the Messiah as well.
They didn’t care to know that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching and correction. And for some reason they can't understand the power of God who worked many miraculous things even in the Pentateuch.
So, Jesus disarms them and enlightens them with the news that there is no marriage in heaven. And this concept is backed up by the Holy Spirit inspired scriptures passed on to us by the Apostle Paul:
Romans 7:2
"For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him."
1 Corinthians 7:39-40
"A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God."
The Bible says marriage is a lifetime commitment, but the Bible teaches us also that marriage is for this life only. Jesus tells the Sadducees, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” And of course, the Sadducees don't believe in angels. And Jesus doesn't just drop this truth bomb and pause the answer, immediately he disables their quiz by exposing their motives.
Jesus exposes their true motives:(Matthew 22:31-33)
“But about the resurrection of the dead – have you not read what God said to you..."
Their real question was not about marriage, but the resurrection of the dead.
And Jesus points out that their favorite biblical figure, Moses, understood and believed in the resurrection.
Luke 20:37
"But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
God is not the God of the dead but of the living:
“Therefore, God is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32)
In other words, he is their God right now and always has been! He was before Moses as God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, and present with Moses in the burning bush. He is God. When he says "I Am" he's saying he "is". God is. It's not that God exists, as if he's subject to the existence he created. God is. And always has been. He is the ground of all being. And all being exists in him.
Death is no boundary for God. Resurrection is not beyond God for all being is alive in Him. Beyond even the atomic level and limits. God is. And therefore, if he is their God right now, they must be living, not dead.
If they didn’t exist anymore, you wouldn’t say you "are" their God. You would say you "were" their God.
But God says, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Jesus said so...I believe it, and that settles it.
Jesus said in John 11:25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
He is the God of the living.
All people are born dead in their sin. It's like a fruit that falls from a tree. As soon as it falls it begins decaying, it's on its way to corruption, even though it looks good and flavorful, its cellular structure is breaking down. Like a cut Christmas tree, it's dead even though for a time it is still got green needles adorning its branches.
If your faith is not in Christ this morning, you are still spiritually dead in your sins. And if you are still dead in your sins, then God is not your God because he's the God of the living.
When you put your faith in Christ, you pass from death into life, and God becomes your God.
Will you put your faith in Christ today?
#JesusIsKing #Resurrection #Life #InChrist