If you are not familiar with an Anglican Service there are four passages of Scripture that are read prior to the Message. Today's assigned readings are: Haggai 1:15 - 2:9; Psalm 14:1-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 and Luke 20:27-38.
A Church Elder came by to visit the new pastor ... one Sunday afternoon.
He was a highly respected member of this congregation for over ... 25 years.
While they were sitting on the back porch of the parsonage ... the man said, ...."Pastor, I've got something to tell you.
I've never told this to a soul, ... it's extremely difficult to tell you this now, ... my wife and I ... have argued ... or had a fight almost every day ... for the past 30 years ... of our marriage."
The pastor was taken back.
He nervously took a sip of his coffee.
He wasn't sure what to say.
After a brief pause, ... the young Pastor said, "Everyday?"
"Yes, ... just about ... every day."
"Did you fight today ... before you came to church?"
"Yes." .... "Well, how did it end up?"
"She came crawling to me on her hands and knees."
"My Goodness ... what did she say?"
"Come out from under that bed you coward ... and fight like a man!" (Pause)
Well, our Gospel lesson today ... recalls the friction ... the arguing ... and the fighting ... that was going on between the Pharisees and the Sadducees almost every day during this biblical period.
I'm sure you wondered how I was going to pull that one together.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were in a constant struggle .... over the subject of ... life after death.
Almost every time these two groups met, ... the subject of life and death ... would arise.
Each group trying to persuade any listeners in the crowd ...that their side was right.
The Sadducees, ... who were generally more wealthy and aristocratic ... than the Pharisees.
The Sadducees ... put their stock ... only in ... the first five books of the Old Testament.
If it was not clearly stated in the Pentateuch, ... then they put no belief in it.
And, as far as they were concerned, ... there was no mention of the resurrection of the dead ... anywhere in what they called ... "The Books of Moses."
If it did not state it in the Pentateuch, ... the first five books of their Scripture, ... they just did not follow it ... or ... believe it.
In fact, ... the first five books of the Old Testament were the only Scriptures ... that they followed.
The Pharisees, ... on the other hand, ... depended not only on the Pentateuch ... but also gave credence to the writings of the prophets.
They also believed in the oral tradition ... that had circulated for many years ... in regard to Moses.
And within that oral tradition ... was the belief ... in the resurrection of the dead.
Not the Sadducees.
That is the backdrop to this confrontation between the Sadducees and Jesus.
And since Jesus was the new prophet in town ... and up to this time ... was primarily skirmishing with the Pharisees and/or the scribes ... it was now the Sadducees' turn ... to take him on.
They were determined to see what this upstart Galilean is made of.
So, they have come to him ... with their clever little riddle.
However Beloved, ... this tricky riddle was not about the law ... or to whom she would be married.
You see, ... the Sadducees, ... when they ask this question of Jesus, ... are not trying to learn anything new.
They do not really have any interest in the resurrection ... or the life to come.
For ... They do not believe in it, ... and no one is going to change their minds.
They are trying to toy with Jesus, ... perhaps to get him riled up, ... and to take a stab at the Pharisees in the process.
They are attempting... to prove their theological and biblical superiority over those who disagree with them.
Well, ... the Sadducees have stuck a riddle before this Nazarene rabbi, .... and they think they have him.
It involved seven weddings ... and a funeral, ... and true to form, ... they are using their beloved Deuteronomy ... straight out of the Books of Moses ... as their proof-text.
When it came to governing the early life of Israel, ... the leading fathers tried to think of every contingency, ... any every eventuality ... that might arise.
One of the solutions they came up with was known as the levirate (Lev--e-ret) law of marriage.
In the book of Deuteronomy, a provision is made for the perpetuation of the family. (Deuteronomy 25)
And since this was a male-oriented society, ... all possibilities were covered ... from that perspective.
For example, ... what happens when a man dies, leaving a widow without a son to take care of her?
Is she left ... to her own devices?
No, ... the man's brother must marry the woman ... who had previously been ... his sister-in-law.
Then, if a son is born to them, he is considered to be the son of the deceased brother ... so, as the law puts it, ... the deceased man's ... "name may not be blotted out ... of Israel" (Deuteronomy 25:6
Here's the riddle as put forth to Jesus from the shrewd and calculating minds of the Sadducees.
BIBLE "There was a family in which there were seven brothers. All married the same woman and not one of them produced a child. Finally, the woman also died. "In the resurrection," they want to know, "whose wife will the woman be? For (all) the seven (brothers) had married her." END (Luke 20:27-38)
Ooh, that's a good one, ... isn't it?
Wonder how long it took them to come up with that?
Can't you picture them, ... putting their heads together ... in order to conjure up ... such a puzzle?
So, if Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection, ... why do they challenge Jesus ... with a riddle ... about the resurrection?
That's a good question, ... and I'm glad you asked.
They are trying to set him up.
They are not honest seekers ... or believers ... desiring to better understand God's will.
They already know what they believe, ... or in this case do not believe.
They are "fixed in their position ... there was no resurrection of the dead," ... and nobody, ... especially this upstart Galilean rabbi, ... is going to change their minds.
However, ... Jesus seizes the opportunity to minister to these adversaries ... and thus sets a model ... on how we should minister ... even to those ... who are obviously against us.
The Sadducees sought to follow the daily laws ... and failed to seek the life changing richness ... of the Scriptures
We all filter Scripture; ... and the eye of our understanding can lead us astray ... if we are not careful.
We all have preconceptions of our rolls in life.
We have preconceptions of each other.
Children even have preconceptions of their parents.
A Sunday school teacher was trying to demonstrate the difference between right and wrong to her 5th & 6th grade class.
She chose stealing as her example.
The teacher said: ... If I were to go into a man's pocket ... and take his wallet with all his money, ... what would I be?"
A young girl in the back freely offered the answer, "You'd be his wife." (Pause)
We all need to be careful ... for we all have preconceptions ... through which we filter Gods word.
The Sadducees failed to look beyond the box... that they had built... they failed to look beyond their preconceptions.
They were comfortable in their day to day lives ... in following the laws ... following the rules.
They approached scripture ... to back up their ideology ... and conveniently left out scripture ... that might contradict their beliefs.
Do we do that?
Beloved ... Jesus not only affirms life after death and the resurrection ... but also gives a brief teaching concerning ... life after death.
First and foremost, life here on earth .... and life after death are not alike.
The Jews of Jesus days ... and sadly some today ... thought that the kingdom of heaven .... was only an extension of the good things in this life.
The life to come ... is not simply a continuation of ... this present existence.
If it were, ... there would be numerous people on this earth ... on this side of eternity ... for whom such a prospect ... would not be a positive one.
Jesus made it clear ... that the life in the eternal state ... is more ... far more .... than just an extension ... of what we have on earth.
Secondly, there is no marriage as we perceive it ... in "that age."
He did not say that we would not know our present wife or husband in the age to come, ... but rather It would take that relationship ... to a new and glorious level ... that we cannot fully comprehend.
Thirdly, there is no death in "that age."
Jesus identifies the quality of life ... when He says "Indeed they cannot die anymore," Beloved Jesus affirms for us eternal life. (Luke 20:36)
They Cannot Die ... Anymore.
Having shared these truths ... Jesus went on to share that these ideas are not new ... they are based in the Scriptures.
There are several Old Testament texts ... that Jesus could have cited ... which speak to the resurrection.
The prophet Isaiah said, "Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise...." (Isaiah 26:19)
The prophet Daniel confirmed "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Danial 12:2)
But since the Sadducees only accepted as binding the first five books of the Old Testament Jesus appealed to Exodus 3:6.
Hear our Lords words, BIBLE "And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." END (Exodus 3:6)
Jesus is clear ... that God is the God of the living, and guess what?
In saying this to the Sadducees he quotes from the Pentateuch, ... the only part of the Scriptures they believe.
Jesus turns the tables.
Our God is the God of the living.
Our text today does not include the response of the Sadducees, ... but a few passage latter, ... you would find ... they commended Jesus on his logic and in his use of Scripture.
So How does this impact our lives today?
As we wrestle with the question of resurrection and after life, ... we will come to the point ... that life can be lived ... with a certain amount of hope.
Life can be lived with a certain amount of daring, ... with a certain amount of adventure, ... with a certain amount of confidence.
For we are children of the king of kings and the lord of lords.
We are a new creation in Christ Jesus who looks at life through Resurrection eyes.
Our God is on His throne. He is El Shadi
He is God not of the dead, but of the living" (Luke 20:38)
He is a transforming God .... A God who is calling his children ... to be the light of the world.
Beloved ... Answer His call, .... respond to His challenge, .... And reach out to those ... that God places ... in your life.
You can make a difference. A resurrected heart .... will make a difference. (Long Pause)
A seasoned nurse ... who worked with young children in a hospital ... shared this:
"When I worked in the pediatric ward, .... before I listened to a little ones' chest, I would place the stethoscope into their ears ... and let them listen ... to their own hearts.
Their eyes would always light up with awe.
"But I never received a response ... to equal A four-year-old ... named David.
I gently tucked the stethoscope in his ears .... and placed the disk ... over his heart.
`Listen,' I said. ...... Now.... `What do you suppose that is?'
"He drew his eyebrows together in a puzzled line and looked up .... as if lost ... in the mystery ... of the strange tap-tap-tapping .... deep in his chest.
Then his face broke out in a wondrous grin.
He asked ...... `Is that Jesus knocking?' (Pause)
Beloved, ...... do you hear the knocking... on your heart?
Do you hear Jesus knocking?
Beloved ... Open the door ... and let him be Savior and Lord of your life, ....... (Slow) Lord of every aspect ... of your life.
Be Strong, .... be courageous ...... and let our Lords grace flow ...... flow from your very being.
See this world ...... through our Lord's eyes
O' Beloved ... See this world ... Through Resurrection eyes.
Amen and Amen!
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