“That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.” (Matthew 22 v 23-33)
Another attempt at trapping Jesus, this time from a different sect, the Sadducees. They obviously didn’t believe in the resurrection. They didn’t believe in much actually. Nothing of the spirit realm. They didn’t hold to any oral tradition of passing down the teachings. It had to be the written Law of Moses only.
So for them to come to and ask about resurrection is ridiculous. Ignore what they said, whether it be a created or actual story. Why did they come up with what they thought was an impossible puzzle to solve?
If Jesus was unable to answer he might have backed down on his belief of the resurrection and then he would be supporting them and against the Pharisees who they hated for believing in it.
If Jesus said he didn’t know whose wife she would be or if he named the husband then it would make him look foolish amongst the people.
They were not ready for the answer!
The answers of Jesus seem to go deeper than the question, to the heart and character of the one asking.
Jesus exposed these well-known Bible people as people who didn’t know their Bibles! “You do not know the Scriptures.”
Lesson: YOU DISPLAY YOU ARE BIBLE BELIEVERS BUT YOU ARE NOT BIBLE READERS.
Jesus exposed these people of God as people who didn’t know Him. They were not interested in whether there was marriage in heaven it was about the resurrection.
Jesus uses Exodus 3:6 when he states that God didn’t say to Moses I was the God of Abraham … but I am. Abraham is still alive. God is God of the living not the dead.
Lesson: YOU WORSHIP GOD BUT YOUR IMAGE OF GOD IS TOO SMALL.
The point is that Jesus is saying you are not who you proclaim to be.
You only hold to the Law of Moses (the first 5 books of the OT) but resurrection is clearly in there but you cannot see it. God is powerful, able and alive but you do not know Him.
GOD IS BIGGER. BIGGER THAN YOU. BIGGER THAN YOUR BELIEF.
Missions Paul 