Background to passage: Jesus has been attacked about the basis of his authority, about his position on paying taxes to Caesar, and now a theological question about life after death. These questions and accusations have been launched from the elders and chief priests, disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians, and the Sadducees, respectively.
The Sadducees were more or less a political party with Jewish roots that had exchanged any vestige of religious commitment for the promise of political power. The were advocates for assimilation of Jewish society into the modern Greek culture. They made up most of the Sanhedrin Court that tried Jesus. Officially they held that only the Torah was authoritative. They did not believe in a resurrection, life after death, angels, or God’s active involvement in life. They were functional deists, although they claimed a Jewish heritage.
They come at Jesus with a theological question involving the Jewish teaching of Levirate marriage and the resurrection to everlasting life. Interesting that they pose a question assuming a truth that they don’t believe in. It’s just another trap that Jesus amazes everyone with this teaching.
Opening illustration: When we think of polygamy in the US, we typically think of the Mormons. Utah recently reduced the penalties for voluntary polygamy, no jail time. Pew Research says that in a recent survey, 7% of Americans think that it is morally acceptable. Two percent of the global population lives in polygamous households. There are dozens of countries that allow for more than one wife. There are only a handful that allow for multiple husbands and one wife.
Main thought: Ignorance is not bliss, today we see two core truths that bring great tragedy and culpability, not just a lack of information. We are going to deal with them the way that Jesus mentioned them first.
1) The Scriptures (v. 31-32)
Matthew 22:31–32 ESV
31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
1) The Scriptures (v. 31-32)
Explanation: In this particular scenario, just is dealing with the fact that they do not believe in life after death. It’s a simple logic: God was speaking to Moses in Ex 3:6, and called himself (present-tense) “I am the God of Abraham...Isaac, Jacob” - conclusion, God was not currently the God of Abraham if Abraham no longer existed. Jesus was telling them to think simple thoughts. He was telling them that even the tense and timing of recorded scripture are inspired and true.
Matthew 5:18 ESV
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
2 Peter 1:16–21 ESV
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”
18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Illustration: Andy Stanley’s sermon about “Unhitched from the OT” and the unnecessary truthfulness of the OT. The gospel writers alone quote the OT directly at least 180 times. Everything began to unravel when Satan asked Eve if God “really”
Application: 1) The scriptures are our absolute authority for belief, doctrine, and practice. It does matter that we believe about the scriptures. The veracity of scripture is challenged over and over in our society. Academia, morality, pop culture, archeology,
2) Knowledge is power in our context, because by the scriptures comes faith and the gospel is power to all those that believe, also from the scriptures. If you do not know the scripture, read it, study it, meditate upon it, memorize it, bathe in it, you will not experience the fullness of the power of God, which has implications in just a second. Life is crushing under the weight of suffering and hardship without the trustworthiness of scripture, because they reveal God to us.
2) The Power of God (v. 29-30)
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.
2) The Power of God (v. 29-30)
Explanation: Just like their question was based on something that they don’t even believe in, Jesus answered them based on that belief being true. The basic problem with the scenario is that Sadducees and others couldn’t imagine a heaven that was any more than an extension of our existence now. They didn’t know the power of God to overcome an issue like this that only exists in our minds. It’s not like there had not been millions of Jewish faith who had remarried after the death of a spouse.
Jesus said that the power of God is fully able to create a heaven in which people who have had multiple spouses enjoy all it’s beauty and perfections without distraction.
Just BTW, what Jesus is teaching is not that spouses will not know one another, nor have feelings for one another (love is perfected there), but that there is no getting married and having babies. They don’t become angels, we will still be human beings. Think about it like this: the power of God allows heaven to take everything that is good on the earth and make it better, perfect when we go there.
Jeremiah 32:17 ESV
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Illustration: Ronnie Owens’s testimony of knowing that God wanted him to resign the pastorate and go into full-time evangelism. He didn’t. How would he support his family? Mid-50s. Conviction continued in his life for over a year, then he began to get sick, eventually diagnosed with five incurable conditions, told to prepare his family for his death and get his house in order, 6 months left. Whatever time he had left he was going into evangelism. He resigned his church, and as he was able began preaching revivals.
Application: The principle in play is that the power of God is supernatural rather than natural. We acknowledge that we believe that God has this kind of power, but then we don’t live like he does. We pray in hope like the culture, wishful optimism, positive thinking, or simply a desired outcome. Sometimes, like the Sadducees, we are functional deists. Maybe even worse, we are self-reliant church attendees who call upon a supernatural God for his power to be exercised in emergencies for self-centered, temporary needs.
Our confident hope is in a person, who with supernatural power died on a cross, and took his life back up in an ultimate display of the miraculous. He is seated on the right hand of God making intercession for us for God to work in our lives in power. He tells us to come boldly before the throne asking God to move mountains, to pray believing without doubting and whatever you ask will be done for you. It is not based on your faith, but on his power. We have not because we ask not, or because we want it for selfish reasons.
Ask great things from God. Ask for him to heal, to save, to change LaGrange through us, to start churches in GA, the US, and foreign lands. We complain, gripe, and fuss, when we can pray and God can change our hearts or our circumstances.
Closing illustration: The truly saddest part is that they are religious, but yet unbelieving. Thom Rainer estimates that between 60% of self-identifying American Christians are Christian in name only. Among actual church members, 40%.
So, they attend church or not. Acknowledge religious significance of Easter and Christmas. Pray. Say grace over the Thanksgiving meal. Talk about God as they see him. Don’t believe that Christ is the only way. Believe that “being good” is essential, or not. They know how to speak and act around the preacher. Might have bibles laying around. Know some biblical references. Might be very involved in the church, know lots of theology, might live moral and upright, but their religion isn’t saving faith, isn’t transforming faith, it’s just religion.
Recap
