God of the Living (Matthew 22:23-33)

How important is the resurrection? If you stop to think about it, resurrection is the single most important teaching that we are given in this life. Saying that there is a resurrection means that we are not just living for the here and now, and it opens up a realm full of possibilities for our futures.

The Sadducees' Question

This week, we will continue our study of Jesus' last week. He has been condemning Jerusalem and all of the religious leaders for not giving God glory. Up until this point, we have seen the scribes and Pharisees repeatedly work against Jesus, but now we will be looking at the religious group known as the Sadducees. These men are known for being well-educated, upper-class Jews who are part of the priesthood. They were typically very political and very wealthy. They are also known for resistance to all things supernatural. They did not believe in anything in the spiritual realm except for God. Look at Luke's description in Acts 23:8.

Acts 23:8 (ESV) --- 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

This group is totally opposite to the Pharisees. They tend to view the Bible differently. They hold up the Pentateuch (the first five books written by Moses) as the literal revelation from God. All other books are just commenting on those books. As a result, they don't believe the prophets who foretell the resurrection of the dead.

This leads these men to be very self-focused and earthly. They are living for all that this world has to offer. As long as they do what is good and in keeping with God's law, they believe that he will bless them. But their focus is on being blessed, so they make all kinds of unethical decisions to make their lives better. They don't really keep the law, but they would be very slippery and hard to pin down for their sin if you asked them about it. These are the religious liberals of Jesus' day. As I said, they are the opposite of the Pharisees, who were very strict and more middle class.

What Do They Want?

Matthew 22:23--28 (ESV) --- 23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

Why would they want to challenge Jesus? The Pharisees hate him, so why not make him their ally? Consider the work of Jesus in Jerusalem. He has come into the temple area and overturned tables. Cleaning out the temple costs them a lot of money! Not to mention the fact that they too would have feared a revolt led by Jesus. If the Romans come in and discipline the Jews, the Sadducees would have much to lose. So they want Jesus taken care of before that happens.

But their question points to a pet doctrine that the Sadducees hold. Jesus teaches that there will be eternal life for those who believe in him. Many are claiming that he has just resurrected Lazarus from the dead. He has also told his disciples that he will rise from the dead on the third day. This is a doctrine that they have based their whole lives on. If there is a resurrection from the dead, they must shift their whole way of thinking about the supernatural.

The Question

Their question is based on the law of God in Deuteronoy 25:5-10. This text tells the Israelites to marry the widow of their brothers if that widow doesn't have any children. This was a law created to pass on the inheritance of the first man to children in the same family. It was also created as a way to care for the widows in the land. Widows who have not borne any children were not sought after in those days. So the law would help widows to be taken care of.

The Sadducees use that law to say that resurrection is an absurd idea. This is their go-to reasoning to argue against the resurrection. It is called a wedge question. If a woman is with seven men even in a lawful way, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? She can't be all of their wives. (Men can have multiple wives, but women can't have multiple husbands.) This is a wedge question that is based entirely on their logic. It's a wedge question because if he agrees with them on how ridiculous that situation sounds, Jesus will lose his conservative followers. If he tells them that the first husband is the husband or the last, he will lose more liberal followers.

Jesus Responds

Matthew 22:29--30 (ESV) --- 29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither 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.

Jesus responds to them with a straightforward and stern statement. He says, "You are wrong." Jesus tells them like it is. He cuts to the chase. Then he says, "You know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God." These men are the priests. How do they not know the Scriptures? They are taught to memorize the scriptures, and they are leaders over the people. They are leading people to believe that there is no resurrection. Do we see how this could be detrimental teaching? They are convincing everyone to live for this world. It's the result of the Sadducees refusing to believe all of the Old Testament. This happens when we follow the pattern handed to us by our forefathers without open minds. This happens when we read scriptures and use logic to prove our views instead of letting scriptures challenge our views. We are wrong, but we are fully convinced that we are right. Why? Because we use scriptures the way we want to. They don't know the scriptures. They know how to use scriptures to justify their beliefs. This is something we must be cautious about.

Next, Jesus says that they do not know the power of God. God has demonstrated his power in many ways throughout history, but they don't believe in it because they haven't seen it. God has even raised the dead in the past through Elijah and Elisha. The prophets talk about resurrection many times (Daniel 12, Ezekiel 37, etc.). Earlier in the week, Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. They don't care. To them, resurrection is a dumb idea. God can't do that. Once we die, we die.

Jesus Explains

The words that follow these condemning words are fascinating. Jesus answers their question by giving us insight into what life will be like after this life. He says, "For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are they given in marriage, but are like angels." Jesus tells them that they don't know what they don't know. They are so proud of their ability to interpret and think logically, but they have no clue what they are talking about. Jesus tells us something that no one on earth knew. He tells us that there is no longer a need for marriage in the resurrection.

What? No marriage? What if I love my spouse and want to be with her for eternity? Would God take her away from me? People who respond in this way fail to see what marriage is. Marriage is the joining of two people into one flesh for life on earth. God created it to meet men's emotional and physical needs initially. Now, it is how God wants us to learn his connection to us. God uses the marriage relationship multiple times in the Old Testament to demonstrate his love and faithfulness to Israel. So marriage is a taste of the relationship that we will share with God after this life is over. Paul even says at one point that it is better not to marry so we can go ahead and begin being totally devoted to the Lord (1 Cor 7:35).

After this body wears out, we will be given a new eternal body that does not procreate. This new body is totally different.

1 Corinthians 15:40--44 (ESV) --- 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

It's not that we lose something when we transition into the immortal body. We gain a tremendous relationship with God and a love like nothing we have ever experienced. We need to be careful not to love our spouse more than we love our God. That doesn't mean that we use God as an excuse to shirk our responsibilities toward our spouse. It just means that we have to love our spouse because we love God. I'm confident that we will see each other, know each other, and have relationships that are deeper than ever in the resurrection. But our covenant is only until death. The only eternal covenant is with the Lord. He is the one we love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He is the one who loves us faithfully for eternity and promises to fulfill our deepest needs in a way we have never imagined.

Have You Not Read?

Once again, in verse 32, Jesus points out the fact that they don't know the scriptures. But what he says shows us how easy it is to read the word and fail to look deep enough. Jesus points to Exodus, a text they would recognize, and he reminds them of God's words to Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then he says, "He is not God of the dead, but of the living. " What does this mean? When God spoke these words to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried in a tomb in Canaan. But God is speaking about them as though they are still alive. He does not say, "I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." If God loves you and he is your God, he will not let you die and go away from his presence. Can you imagine having a relationship with your spouse and having the ability to keep her with you forever? One sermon I listened to this week made a great point. He said that the most painful thing we can say is, "I had a wife," or "I had a child." We know when we talk in that way that something has happened, and we no longer have them. God doesn't talk about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as though they are gone. He talks about them as though they are currently alive with God. The guy in the sermon also said," If God loves us more than we could love one another, and he has the power to keep us alive, why wouldn't he?" Of course, he would!

What's The Message?

From a larger perspective, this text shows us that Jesus will not join a camp. He will not be labeled or side with anyone in their proud misunderstandings of scripture. It's not that he was offensive to be offensive or that he was just trying to be different. His goal is to speak what is true and to hold on to the truth at all costs. What a tremendous example that is for us.

The Sadducees reject the scriptures because they are arrogant in their wisdom and knowledge. They care more about winning arguments than seeking what is true. After Jesus answers their questions, they go away astonished. It doesn't say they repented and followed Jesus. Wouldn't it be better to admit to being a fool and change your point of view? They remind me of our political leaders and the whole political system of our day. It's an us against them mentality. You are like us, or you are like them. Jesus wasn't like either the Pharisees or the Sadducees. He wasn't like them or trying to walk some middle ground between them. He doesn't let their feelings or opinions influence his beliefs because he cares more about what is true. Of course, they crucify him for doing that.

We also learn from this text that there will definitely be a resurrection. Those who have died before us with faith in Jesus are not dead. They live with God and Christ. There are so many other texts that back this up. But this text shows us that God is the God of the living. He does not have a relationship with dead people.

What About Us?

When we fit this into the context, we learn a few valuable lessons about giving God glory.

No Divisive Behavior

First of all, we learn that we don't give God glory when we value our opinion and logic to the point of being divisive. We need humility, patience, and love when we speak about complicated topics that seem unclear. I might be fully convinced, but that doesn't mean it's right to cause division if other people aren't on the same page. Love doesn't operate like that.

1 Corinthians 13:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

It's one thing to say we have love, and another thing to show love toward other people. Listen to what love does.

1 Corinthians 13:4--8 (ESV) --- 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Our goal is not to divide but to unite. We may hold an opinion as staunchly as these Sadducees, and it may be that we are wrong as they were. Let us never say, "If you don't have the same interpretation on a complicated issue, you are my enemy, or a false teacher." There is no love in that. That is the attitude of the proud, not the humble. The Pharisees and the Sadducees spent countless hours studying and arguing, but they were often wrong. They were too proud of their superior wisdom to see it.

Believe In The Scriptures and Power Of God

Finally, we see that our tendency may be to stop studying or to doubt God's ability. We have to be people who look deeper and deeper into God's word to know the truth. We have to refine our beliefs, and in the process, we should come to a deeper level of faith that the supernatural realm exists. Not the supernatural that our world wants us to believe exists, but the spiritual realm God shows us. The realm where our spirits are given an eternal body that is like angels. In 1 John, John tells us our body will be like Jesus' body (1 John 3:2-3). There is a supernatural realm where we get to be with God for eternity and enjoy a relationship unlike anything we have ever experienced in life on earth.

We should be people who rejoice in the truth of the resurrection. We should be people who mold our lives around that belief. We don't live for here and now. We live for the eternal life to come. Jesus promises us that it exists, and he promises to make it ours if we submit to Him and be transformed in our thinking. We must learn to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. We must learn to love our neighbor as God has loved us.

1 Corinthians 13:1--8 (ESV) --- 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.