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October 28, 2020 4:00 am
At first it sounded like a question about a widow's marital status in the afterlife, but behind this inquiry. The Sadducees were trying to get Jesus to contradict his own claims about the resurrection today on Truth for Life. Alastair beg takes us to Mark chapter 12 beginning in verse 18. The Sadducees had put Jesus on the defense.
Here's how the story unfolds. The Sadducees had posed the question about the resurrection, despite the fact that they didn't even believe in the resurrection, and it is a cynicism about the way in which they come to Jesus. Their motivation is absolutely clear they want to expose if they can be absurdity of the resurrection itself, and although previous attempts to trap Jesus have ended in failure by means of this particular approach. These individuals were hoping to discredit him and as you read the opening part of this little paragraph you have the sense that they feel that perhaps on this occasion, they've done a very good job.
But in verse 25 Jesus begins to answer them in the first density gives in his relationship to the specific question that they had raised. Although it is a serious question.
Nevertheless, I Jesus addresses it. The whole question was in relationship to the demands of the law of God, which you can find in Deuteronomy 25, which made provision for the lineage of a man if he had died childless, and these Sadducees are using this levirate law pushed to the level of absurdity to somehow or another, at least in their minds bolster up their conviction that the idea of the resurrection is entirely untenable because what they're saying is the chaos that would ensue in the afterlife is such that God would never ever have had any part in making such a thing happen if as a result of divorce or as a result of the death of a spouse that has been in an individual's life.
More than one marriage then that introduces the prospect of in the afterlife meeting up with more than one spouse and what you going to do. Going to live with. Are you going to spend your time, and so on.
And if you've ever thought these things out and I'm sure many of you have, you've wondered really just exactly how was going to spend for you.
What Jesus says in verse 25 is essentially you're not really going to have to worry about it at all. Don't lose any sleep over it. He says because there will actually be no need for procreation in the afterlife and therefore no need for marriage and it is in this respect, he says that you will be like the angels is important. You notice he doesn't say that you're going to become angels but that you will be like the angels I don't how this strikes you, but I would include this as one of the hard sayings of Jesus a hard saying of Jesus in this respect that. For those of us who have or are enjoying married life.
The companionship that it provides the joys of every aspect of marriage, the concept of a heaven that removes us from this realm is not. I would suggest to you something that is immediately attractive. I don't think that we are to feel bad about this in the first instance because after all, one of the great gifts that God has given to us as children of men is the gift of family life is the gift of marriage, the relationships that he has established from the very beginning of creation. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and that you will become one flesh.
This is been instituted by God himself. But when we think in terms of what eternity will be. We discover that it isn't going to include which is tough for us if our view of heaven is essentially the Irving Berlin view of heaven and what is that, well, it goes like this heaven I'm in heaven and my heartbeat so that I can hardly speak and I seem to find the happiness I seek.
When we are out together dancing cheek to cheek for the Christian says that is for me, at least in measure wrapped up somehow in my anticipation of life as it might ultimately be and so essentially what we do is we project the best that we have now we can supersize it and assume then that is going to be heaven, and the way in which we think about these things and I can put it in the first person the way in which I think about these things clarifies for me just how earthly minded. So many of my heavenly thoughts proved to be and when it comes to this issue of heaven itself.
In the afterlife. I realize when I read an answer like verse 25. Just how daunting it really is, is not good to be so honest I don't know whether you have marriage and reproduction belong to the earthly sphere which is temporary, but the heavenly life is eternal so immediately. The carpet is pulled out from underneath these characters that come with this elaborate attempt at undermining the whole concept of the resurrection and Jesus as well.
First of all, in terms of the specifics that your mentioning that really is is it is a moot point because actually when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are likely angels all well you said yourself he's only referring to the process so you get it when you get there you don't get married and you're not given in marriage, but that's okay because I'm already married, so I don't have to worry about the process so I'll go up there as I am is only for those that somehow or another want to get married I want to get married and married but only mitigates it in part doesn't when you think it through. But for those of Verizon married life who enjoy one another's company and who have already made secret plans to meet each other whatever the program is where we will wear me down where it is behind behind the school sheds. I think just for old time sake.
But I verse 25 is a hard saying of Jesus it raises. Of course all the other correlative questions about being known and knowing in heaven and whether the familial ties of error will hold true, into eternity whether they will immediately be so transcended that they will be irrelevant to us or whether they will be if you like enhanced in a way that we can hardly imagine again, this is my own personal hope, but not necessarily conviction that is that the things that are precious to is in this life. In terms of relationships will not be eradicated in the afterlife, but will actually be enhanced. The afterlife is not simply going to be a form of resuscitation. It is going to be a complete transformation.
But even in that transformative die mention we have reason I think, to anticipate the meaningfulness of these ties which have bound us together in an earthly way.
These are not the main things in plain things. These are questions of conjecture.
But let me give to you a quote which I found is the best quote invite you are going to love this quote so much that I'm going to tell you now that we will posted on the Internet manual from phoning up an annoying my assistant tomorrow morning. This this is a quote from an Irish Presbyterian minister who's a friend of mine and it goes under the heading relationships in heaven, so just sit back and listen to this and see if you find this helpful and encouraging. What about those who are nearest to us on air.
That's the question he poses, will I still have a special relationship with my wife in heaven, will you still treat your parents as father and mother will are close friends here we are close friends there. It's all very well to look forward to meeting tens of thousands, but are we not created in such a way as to still want an inner circle. Such questions are natural, but not easy to answer.
We will certainly know one another in heaven. King David.
Look forward to being reunited with his dead son there. I shall go to him. He said Paul urges bereaved Christians not to quote sorrow as others who have no hope for God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. The reason for not grieving like unbelievers is that there parting is not permanent, they will meet again. We cannot know less in heaven than we did on earth.
And so we will recognize their those known to us here that is surely comforting. We are also told that many aspects of marriage will no longer be appropriate in glory where to quote from Mark here.
They neither marry nor are given in marriage, there will be no reproduction. The husband will not need a helper nor the wife someone to cherish her protectively.
Children will not require parental care. The relationship between Christ and his church will be so every obvious as to render unnecessary human illustration. Does this mean then that your husband or my best friend will be no more to others than anyone else among the multitudes of the redeemed. I don't think so. For every good thing will be better in heaven than on earth. If God is giving you a Christian husband or wife, parent or child, brother, or friend, you can be sure that whatever the parameters of your future relationship with them may be the friendship will be closer there than it is now you will know them more intimately.
Love them more intensely delight in them more fully.
It is impossible that we should lose anything good in that place where good abounds.
We can look at Christians whom we love, especially in praise God that we will continue to love them more and more for ever and ever. Like" so imagine you tell your grandchildren to. Could you love them any more than you love the idea that I could love them more and more, and for ever and ever all the silly Sadducees of health is our heavenly by posing this question I'm giving is the opportunity to consider.
Then Jesus changes down into third gear and in verse 26 he says now let me come to the real question that you're asking the underlying question what you've asked about marriage. You have been using is a ploy I recognize that I've addressed it as best I can but I realize that what you're really calling in question is the notion of the resurrection itself. That's the real issue and so he says, is for the dead being raised. Have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the Bushehr God spoke to him saying I'm 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. You are quite wrong. I read this a lot this week and you've read it a few times already today and you may agree with me that the response of Jesus here does not strike one as immediately obvious.
Maybe you but it didn't strike me as immediately obvious. He takes as we noted this morning, a passage from the Scriptures which is contained in the Pentateuch and it was the Pentateuch. The first five books of the Bible. The law of Moses that these Sadducees regarded as exclusively inspired Scripture so he doesn't go outside of that, he doesn't go to the sounds he doesn't go to Psalm 1611, where the psalmist says now don't show me the path of life in your presence there is fullness of joy, and your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. He doesn't go to passages enjoy all that anticipate the resurrection. I said let's just stay right here in the section that you were mentioning earlier and fight.
He says to them, since they would be walking around with big scrolls immediate good you couldn't say in those days if you just take your Bible and look on page 848 they would be wandering around with the scrolls of the Pentateuch with an and that's why they would refer to certain incidents in in in the way in which this is reference to see that it says and as for the dead being raised. Have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the birch in the passage about the bush so they would immediately say all yes I know you're referencing their Moses and the burning bush, which is in Exodus chapter 3. This is the passage which Jesus then uses to point out to the Sadducees from the Pentateuch. The fact of the resurrection which then raises the question in what sentence does this section concerning Moses and the burning bush and the statement made by God to Moses. In what sense is this conveying the fact that God is the God of the living and not the dead, because as the punchline is in verse 27 says let me remind you of the bush. You know the story of the boost on your he says.
And this is what God said and here's the deal.
God is the God of living of the living. He's not the God of the day. What is he saying well think about it. Think how many years have passed by the time this incident took place in relationship to Moses from a human perspective from an earthly perspective, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were long gone man been around for ages.
Literally. But when he addresses Moses he speaks in the presentations in relationship to the patriarchs and the point that he is making is surely this that he is the ongoing God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are themselves ongoing. They have been gathered into the presence of God awaiting that glorious resurrection day when with all the myriad hosts upon horse. They will be gathered into the grand finale when all of this comes down from heaven like a bride adorned for her husband and the dwelling of God is with men in a new heaven and an annular what good would it be if he called Abram where they are the qualities and made all these promises and then Abraham died and it was over that he establishes his purposes for Isaac and Isaac dies and it's the grand finale so that's the point that Jesus is making these Sadducees were clever enough to understand exactly what he was doing and to be clear concerning what he said if the Sadducees had actually knowing God's power in the way that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had known God's power. Then they would have recognized what they failed to see that hope in God is not simply for time alone. Hope in God is not simply for the immediate enjoyment and discoveries of his grace, all of which are wonderful necessary and meaningful. But if these guys these smart Alec Sadducees had actually paid attention to the Bible.
They were reading and if they had known the power of God revealed in the Bible. They were reading. Then they would not have come to Jesus with their cynical, smart Alec questions the problem for them.
Lay just as Jesus pointed out, isn't your problem.
He says you don't actually know the Scriptures nor do you know the power of God for he is the God of the living is not the God of the day as I was sitting late this afternoon I think along these lines. One of my songs from Sunday school I came to mind that you have heard of little Moses in the bulrush you have hair to fearless David and his sling.
You have heard the story told of dreaming.
Joseph and of Jonah and the whale, I often say there are many, many others in the Bible. I should like to meet them all. I do declare and by-and-by the Lord will surely lead is meet at that meeting in the air for there's going to be a meeting in the air in the sweet, sweet, by-and-by I'm going to meet you meet you over there in a home beyond the sky, said singing. You will hear, never heard by mortal year it will be glorious.
I do declare in God's own son will be there leading one at that meeting in the air there. The doubters will be missing altogether all the skeptics will be absent on that day there will be no grumblings present to disturbance and the Aikins will be busy far away. Remember bearing stuff there. The saints will have his seal upon therefore heads dressed in Ramen none but ransom ones can wear all who have the wedding garments will be present at the meeting in the air because there's going to be a meeting in the and God's own son will be the leading one at that meeting in the city are different. This is from Islam from the vague hopes of Zen Buddhism from the forlorn notions in the darkness of Hinduism for the chance of a go around to come back again this something a little better and hopefully not a little worse than I am now, my dear friends, let us make sure that in no respect, we will ever be like these Sadducees letters resolve to know the Scriptures and the power of God, so that when we are asked the reason for the hope we have. We can then tell this fantastic story.
The religious leaders known as the Sadducees were thwarted in their attempt to sabotage Jesus. Another reminder for us that no one can steal God's glory your listing to Truth for Life and a message from Alastair big titled the Sadducees question in this study of Jesus life and ministry were seeing how he emerges from every encounter with his detractors as the Lord of all, no one not even his most devoted critics could rob him of his glory. As Christians we are given modern-day models support complete devotion to God, looks like, and perhaps no one has exemplified this more faithfully than the Puritans today were pleased to offer you a brand-new documentary that tells their wonderful story called Puritan all of life, to the glory of God. Ask for a copy of the DVD when you give a donation today to Truth for Life.org/donate or click the image you see on your mobile app you can also call us right now for the DVD. Call 888-588-7884 and the DVD comes along with instructions on how you can scream the documentary if you prefer to do that. Bob Lapine on Thursdays program. Alastair tells the story of a man whose spiritual struggle might be a reflection of your own sure to join us again tomorrow is our study. In Mark 12 continues the Bible teaching of Alastair big is furnished by Truth for Life with the Learning is for Living