Luke 20:27-40 – “Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”
34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore.” NKJV
How many times have you heard or even participated in foolish speculative questions about matters spiritual? I have been in college classrooms and Church Bible Studies when people would embark on the quest of foolishness attempting to appear “deep thinkers”. Sometimes, I am able to remain silent and listen and at other times, I am unable to listen to the “vain jangling” and follow the path of the Lord Jesus in dealing with such foolishness.
Consider the question, which on the surface might seem a reasonable question were it not designed to trip Jesus up and somehow expose Him as a fraud by the religious sectarians of His day. I have no doubt this is a question they asked among themselves regularly to help cement their conviction and beliefs. They were a group within Judaism that could be called conservative in their approach to Scripture and believed in the literal interpretation of the written law and were completely unbendable and they were in constant conflict with the Pharisees who expanded beyond the written law and adopted oral interpretation. They also denied the doctrine of the resurrection and, therefore, the heart of their question.
Rejecting the possibility of resurrection they posed this question, logical to the human mind and challenged Jesus. Jesus took first the natural aspect and addressed the fact that humans marry as a norm. He then moved to the supernatural or spiritual and addressed something that is powerful and worthy of careful note. He said that those who die and experience the resurrection, “neither marry nor are given in marriage and cannot die anymore.” Jesus focused on the truth that God is the God of the living and that IN HIM all are ALIVE.
I am convinced that heaven will be wonderful and while we will know as we are known there will not be the conflict of having had multiple spouses or where we will live or what our roles will be. I do not take this particular question as the whole of the message but use it, as an illustration, to show how we can allow foolish questions to dominate our thinking and miss the truth and power of God through His word. We have a mission to “go into all the world” beginning with our Jerusalem and then branch out as the opportunity presents itself. Our message is HOPE and LIFE not “what will it be like there and what will we do if…” Reject things that do not edify and embrace that which develops the soul.
God bless you as you journey through this day in Christ!
