Message
November 10, 2013
All In
A man opens his eyes and realizes he’s in front of St. Peter at the pearly gates. Immediately St. Peter said, “It’s not so easy getting into heaven. There are some criteria to be met before entering. “For example,” Peter said, “were you religious? Did you attend church? Were you generous; give money to the poor? What about charities? Do you do any of these things?”
The man sheepishly said, “No.”
“Oh, that’s bad,” Peter mumbled.
“Well, did you do any good deeds? …help your neighbor? Anything?”
The man only shook his head.
“Look,” Peter said, “everybody does something nice sometime. Work with me! I’m trying to help. Now think!
The man’s face took on a smile then he said. “There was this old lady. See, I came out of the store and found her surrounded by a dozen mean bikers. They had her purse and were shoving her, taunting and abusing her. So, I threw down my bags and fought through the crowd, got her purse back and helped her to her feet. Then I went up to the biggest biker and told him how despicable, cowardly and mean he was then spat in his face.”
“Wow,” Peter said, “that’s impressive. When did this happen?”
The man replied, “Oh, about 10-minutes ago.”
The Master must have felt like Sadducees mirrored the bikers by constantly going against Him, yet the Sadducees were coming at Jesus in our focus scripture of Luke 20:27 through 38, with their disbelief in the resurrection of the soul.
Luke is loaded with accounts of arguments, since this is the Book where so many disagreements are documented, from Messiah at age 12, when He stayed behind in the Temple to argue. Like the other events recorded in Luke, this one is also about what the Torah teaches. The writer of Luke makes it clear that Yeshua observes the Law in the Torah and knows about tradition of the Jewish ancestors. Once educated in tradition, Sadducees became fixed in their ways and thinking, so they were among the best at right fighting.
Today we would likely call Sadducees “nit-pickers” since they were determined to get others to see their way, using minor issues. Some of the things they believed included; there is no such thing as fate, the soul is not immortal and there is no afterlife, and there are no rewards or penalties after death. They did believe that man has the choice of being good or evil. Obviously, this line of thinking has not gone away.
This sect of Jews was active in Judea for about 300-years, and according to Josephus, was considered in the upper social and economic echelon of society. Sadducees were involved in religion, social and political affairs, including maintaining the Temple. After destruction of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem in 70AD, they virtually disappeared from everyday life. Perhaps the stage from which they demonstrated their pride had gone away.
In Luke 20, the Master is confronted by some of the Sadducees who were most animate about no afterlife. To prove their point by using teachings from the Torah, they asked Jesus a hypothetical question through a description. They wanted to know which man could claim a woman as his wife, after going to heaven, if she had legitimately been a widow six times after marrying seven brothers? Remember, they didn’t believe in the resurrection but used their interpretation in an attempt to defeat the Teacher’s credibility.
It is legitimate to ask; why would the Sadducees believe so differently while they were a part of the Temple structure? The answer is that they believed in what they believed were the inspired books of the Torah. The Pentateuch was the only part of the Bible accepted by their sect, while Pharisees added and followed the Prophets and Psalms as scripture. Pharisees accepted the idea of the afterlife and resurrection of the dead, but not the Sadducees.
It certainly sounds like denominational thinking today, doesn’t it? Theological differences causing arguments that drive Christians apart, replace activities that God needs us to accomplish. Yet, like the Sadducees, we confront other believers, pushing them into defensive positions for our own satisfaction rather than promote unity for the purpose of saving a lost world. Like fussing siblings, we just can’t help ourselves. It appears that being right is more important than being happy and loving one another. Can’t you see God, with His mighty fists on His hips, bellowing at the top of His thunderous voice, “Stop it!”
Maxwell Perkins, the famous book editor, once wrote, "One of my deepest convictions is that the terrible harms that are done in this world are not done by deliberately evil people, who are not numerous and are soon found out. They are done by the good--by those who are so sure that God is with them. Nothing can stop them, for they are certain that they are right.” Perkins’ comment is so parallel with Luke 20. While we often demonize Sadducees, they were no worse than the Samaritans, who also believed in still a different Torah, and would have nothing to do with people who disagreed with them. Both were wanting to be correct to garner God’s approval, still the evil in such disagreements is the time arguments take away from service to God’s people, and removal of love for one another.
My father, a pastor, made the statement from the pulpit after the English translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls reached the shores of our Nation, that the Scrolls were satanic. See, there’s another case of how as Christians, we demonize what we are not familiar with. Of course my father would never think of reading the Scrolls or consider what the Essenes thought at the time, yet scholars suggest that the Essenes began as a renegade group of Sadducees, referred to in the Nag Hammadi Library as Manasseh.
History relayed in these Scrolls discovered in 1947, indicate an on-going and fierce theological battle with the words in the Nahum, and I quote, “They [the Sadducees] are the wicked ones—whose reign over Israel will be brought down—his wives, his children and his infant will go into captivity. His warriors and his honored ones will perish by the sword.” Oh, how violent were their wishes!
No, the Essenes were not innocent either. Essenes challenged the authenticity of the rule of the Sadducees, blaming the downfall of ancient Israel and the siege of Jerusalem on their impiety. Sadducees were also accused of breaking their covenant with God, making them targets of God’s wrath.
With this information, do you get the intensity of the argument between Messiah and the Sadducees when they met that day?
A beautiful part of this Scripture, and all of them in Luke where disagreements were relayed, is when we are allowed insight into the attitude and demeanor of the Christ in His answer. How we should learn from this example! This is a time when accusatory names are not hurled back at the so-called “knowledgeable ones.” No words such as “hypocrite” were used, and nothing like, “you are absolutely wrong.” Instead, this passage in Luke 20 is a matter-of-fact, soft-spoken, rational response. Should we go and do likewise?
Messiah’s reaction, as recorded begins with verse 34, which reads, “Jesus said to them, the sons of this world marry women, and women are given to men in marriage, but those who are worthy of the other world and the resurrection from the dead, neither take women in marriage nor are women given in marriage to them. For they cannot die again, because they are like angels; and they are sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection.” Being resurrected then means a promotion to becoming a being similar to angels, but even higher, as the passage reads, “they are sons of God.” Remember that God did not send His Son to earth to atone for angels, only mankind.
There is a reason for people being born male or female on earth, and that reason is procreation plus companionship. It’s on earth that people are born into families, ideally, but that process is not continued in heaven. So, what difference does it make that the woman married seven times would have a husband there? The Sadducees were translating the roles of husbands and wives in family-making to duties after the resurrection, thinking the question was a trick and would surely enlist a gotcha moment. Jesus told them that heaven is a different world. Babies are born only on earth. Could this be one reason Immanuel came to us as a baby when He was sent to us by God? If He had appeared as a full-grown being, He would have been born somewhere else and thus, an alien to us. We always understand how a person comes to us, through birth.
Still, the answer to the Sadducees argument was not complete. Verse 37 picks up the discussion. It reads, “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, even Moses pointed it out (for he referred to it at the bush) saying, The Lord 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; for all live to Him.” Verse 39; “And some of the men of the scribes answered, saying to him, ‘Teacher, you have well said.’”
Jesus had been confronted with levirate rules of marriage meant to protect women from the perils of widowhood in a patriarchal society that would leave widows destitute. The Sadducees were convinced they were right because they conformed to the Law, yet couldn’t understand that the Law did not apply in Heaven, if there was such a place, since they did not believe in the resurrection of souls after the permanency of death. And, had there been no question about this issue for the ages to come, recording this incident in Luke would not have been necessary. Yet, God knows man will come up with rules and ideas, born from our lack of faith in His Word, which could contradict His truth. These confrontations were important then, and records of them are important now.
While the Sadducees were attempting to trick Messiah into agreeing with their belief that there is no life after death, the answer included three names with meanings that we overlook as just names of Biblical characters, but we generally don’t fully understand what Yeshua meant without knowing what codes or meanings come with these names. The three names again are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus said that the God of these named people indicated were alive all these years after their physical deaths—alive in God. But why would Yeshua invoke these names in His answer?
The meanings are; Abraham, is the personification of faith. Isaac, represents joy and laughter, and Jacob, means to “persevere with God.” Remember that Isaac (meaning joy) married Rebecca (meaning beauty) and birthed son Jacob (meaning persistence with God). Another way of saying it is this; with faith as our foundation, adding joy and beauty in our lives produces personal stability with God. This meaning was not lost on the Sadducees because they studied their version of the Torah that included all three names.
Did the explanation satisfy the Sadducees and change their minds? Not likely, because right fighters rarely accept another view, but the Master was complimented on His answer with the words, “Teacher, you have well said.”
What was Yeshua doing talking with the Sadducees when He knew they were hard-headed and stubborn in their thinking? He was giving us an example of what we should be doing; answering critics with reason, patience and wisdom. Our Anointed One was giving these stubborn right fighters the seed of truth that there is more when they finish their journey on earth. Too, he was attempting to open their minds just a little with a powerful beam of truth. And, as you heard, they did compliment his answer, meaning their argument was over. Jesus was giving service to humanity, even to those with rock-hard attitudes.
What do we learn from the Teacher from this encounter with the Sadducees? First, we learn that eternal life is real, and living forever is the most amazing gift of God we can relay to humanity. Second, we should take time to bring those who forfeit their eternal life for misguided belief or stubbornness, to an understanding of God. Third, we should never allow disputes among us to kill our witness of love. Discipleship without love is fake. And fourth, real service to humanity is introducing the love of God, through truth to all. Three of these four requires action by believers and followers—action through direct witness and deeds of love.
It is easy to understand how Messiah reasoned with Sadducees, and quite another issue to trust our ability to engage religious leaders in wisdom, or even talk to unbelievers. The question is then; do we have faith in our abilities to serve and witness? Do we dare go all in with our faith in life after life and trust God’s promises and the Master’s explanation? Are we willing to do what’s necessary, including hands-on service, to reach across the great divides of right-fighting and dogma to teach the world what love truly is? Can we come to a point of demonstrating His love as we are commanded?
The Sadducees limited their understanding by limiting their exposure to portions of the Torah they felt, in their judgment, were necessary, much like the Samaritans. They were not willing to go all in. Jesus was acknowledged as a miracle worker and teacher by the Sadducees, but they couldn’t be all in, because if they were, they would admit to a change of heart. Still, the time with these Temple officers was important enough for Jesus to be there and explain the most important result our souls could ever experience.
Where do we limit ourselves? Like the promoter, do we advance our claim to have faith then question the process when it comes down to commitment? The ease of worship without commitment has swept our nation and cost so many souls. And the cost to our churches is the demonstration that we are not effective in our mission, so government takes over because the job must be done.
Last week you heard the introduction of the Christian Service Fellowship concept. If you know in your heart that you need to be more involved in the work and service of our God, contact me for a copy of the plan then implement it in your community. Christian Service Fellowship is one way we can show God’s love to the hurting, and reach the modern-day Sadducees with love they are secretly seeking for themselves.
London’s Sunday Express contained a line that could have come from the Sadducees. It reads; Most people wish to serve God -- but in an advisory capacity only. What happens to service from such negative position? Nothing at all, and the definition of evil is “nothingness.” Be like the man who took on the bikers for the old lady; be all in. Join our God in faith to have joy, then be confident that you will preserver now and eternally.
His mercy endures forever. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen.
