Matthew 22: 23 – 33
Prove it to me
23 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 24 saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
I received a call a year or so ago on this very subject from a belligerent and mocking person. He said, ‘You religious people love to lie to people. You go around telling people that all people are going to be resurrected. So, you have not personally experience this so how can you brazenly tell others that this is the truth? ‘How would you like to be the one to fend off such questions? Well today we are going to see our Master and King do exactly that but first let me tell you about the phone call and the inspiration our Precious Holy Spirit gave to me. I hope what I am about to share you will memorize and share with as many people as you can. Their eternity is affected.
Overcoming the first reaction of anger our Holy Adoni Spirit gave me some insight which I shared with the guy and now with you. After hearing our Great God’s answer, I was hyped.
First, we can answer like our Lord Jesus did when confronted, He gave His answer from the Scripture.
There are quite a lot of scripture where our Holy God tells us that there will be a resurrection but for now let me give you just one;
John 5, “24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
I told the guy that the Lord said it and I believe it.
He went on with his verbal attack. The bible is just a myth. You have not personally experienced a resurrection so how can you say it is true? Now here is the extra insight our Holy God gave to me and I want you to grasp it.
I told the guy that I have personally experience a resurrection and in fact, so has he experienced a resurrection. The guy now told me I was nuts. He never experienced a resurrection. I told him that both of us and all the people in the world experience a resurrection each night.
I did not allow him to say, ‘now I know you are insane’ so I spoke on. I told him to get a bible and look up the word sleep everywhere it appears. I told him that he will find out that when someone dies as a believer in El Shaddai, Almighty God (Blessed Holy Trinity -Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit) it says that they are sleeping. They will also notice that when it talks about those who are not followers of The God of Israel, Yahweh, they just die.
In addition to that each day our Great God resurrects us like He does with believers who die and wake up in Heaven, we experience a daily resurrection where we wake up still here on our journey to be with the Lord and our love ones in Heaven. In fact, our Great God Is so amazing He does not want us to be bored while we sleep. He gives us movies to keep us occupied through the night. We call them dreams.
So, the bible says that to accept what I just said then he needs faith. The bible tells him how he can get faith.
Romans 10, “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I ended my conversation with the guy by telling him to read the entire bible and get back to me. If after he has read the entire word of God and still has the same position, I told him that I gladly give him back his misery.
The Lord Jesus was now faced with the Sadducees. The Sadducees were mainly of the ruling parties and included the Chief Priests, and many of the aristocratic Elders. As with the approach of ‘the disciples of the Pharisees’ it was an attempt to challenge Him at another level.
The question that they approached Jesus with was probably a standard one used by the Sadducees in defense of one of their own main teachings, the fact that there would be no resurrection. They also did not believe in spirits and angels. They probably based their view (as did the Samaritans, who only accepted the Pentateuch) on the fact that there is no mention of the resurrection in the Law of Moses. Jesus’ reply was that they neither knew the Scriptures nor the power of God. For if they were but to consider these they would see things differently
23 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,
Please note the emphasis that it was ‘on the same day’. Thus, the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees all approached Him to test Him on that day. All were out to bring Him down. But Matthew tells us that they did not believe in the resurrection. Josephus amplifies that by saying that they did not believe in the survival of either the soul or the body. They did not believe in angels or spirits. The question that they approached Him with concerned the resurrection and was probably a standard question with which they tripped up their opponents. It was based on the law of levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25.5-10). Under that law if a man died childless his brother (or kinsman) was required to take his wife and produce children who would inherit the dead man’s name, and his property. It was certainly practiced early on for we have examples in Genesis 38.8 and in Ruth 1.11-13.
24 saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
We need to stop and look at a key statement with the use of the words ‘Teacher’. They had earlier questioned His authority. Now they were pretending that they recognized His authority. There were no depths to which they would not stoop.
I want you also to think about the term ‘Raise up seed.’ The same word is used for ‘raise up’ as is used for the resurrection. The Samaritans believed that that was the way in which people were ‘raised up’, by living on in their children.
25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also.
They then laid out the case where seven brothers died childless one after the other, each taking on the same wife to produce children for their brothers, after which the woman also died. Take notice of the sad emphasis on a hopeless death. There was no resurrection here, not even on a Sadducean interpretation! All died, and no life resulted.
28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”
So the question now was as to whose wife she would be in the resurrection, for she had been married to all and had had sexual relations with them all. Whichever one was selected they would have had arguments which would have demonstrated why that suggestion was wrong, for each one married the wife of the one above to produce an heir for that one, and to perpetuate his name.
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Jesus, however, pointed out that they went astray in their thinking for two reasons. First, because they did not know the Scriptures, and second because they did not appreciate the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God in heaven.
They failed to recognize the power of God because they limited Him to only being able to raise people in a way that would fit into earthly patterns. They did not accept the existence of ‘spirits.’ But, Jesus points out, God was not so limited. For the truth is that in the resurrection men are ‘as angels in Heaven’, that is, like the angels they are ‘spirits’ (1 Corinthians 15.44, 50-51). They thus do not marry or engage in sexual practices. There is no need for reproduction in Heaven, for none ever die.
Marriage is to be a secondary and earthly function, and while as such it is important here on earth, it will not be so in Heaven. Thus this immediately undercuts their whole argument, for it means that in Heaven she is not the wife of any. Note how this argument also emphasizes the equality of men and women. The woman’s temporary earthly submission to man will also cease in Heaven, being replaced for all by the need for submission to God.
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
Having demonstrated the weakness of their argument Jesus then turned to what was ‘spoken by God’. Notice His emphasis on the fact that the Scriptures were ‘spoken by God’. Jesus constantly reveals His belief that the Scriptures reveal God’s words and God’s truth. But knowing their penchant for the Law He does not cite Isaiah 26.19 (or Daniel 12.2-3, although they may not have accepted Daniel as Scripture) for He knows that they will interpret such verses differently and will not accept their full force. He goes rather to the Law of Moses, and to a prominent saying regularly cited by all. He cites Exodus 3.6.
‘The resurrection of the dead’ is a phrase found only here. Usually it is the resurrection from the dead. But John tells us that Jesus did teach the resurrection of all the dead, some to life and some to judgment (John 5.28-29).
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
He points out that God had stated to Moses that ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’ (Exodus 3.6, 15, 16), and that as He Is not the God of the dead but of the living, the corollary must be that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob must therefore have been alive at the time when He spoke.
It is noteworthy that the Sadducees appear to have at least accepted that they had no reply to His argument. It appealed to men’s basic sense of the continuing presence of God, and of His fairness, His faithfulness and His unfailing goodness and loyalty, as well as to the idea that He would not forsake those whom He had so tenderly loved.
33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
It was the crowds who were impressed and astonished by His teaching. This indicates that the Sadducees were rather annoyed by being unable to reply, rather than being impressed. They were not willing to be convinced, they were merely silenced. For however strong the argument, those who do not want to hear, will not hear. (‘A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still’). It was, however, different with the crowds. They recognized the truth of His implication. It is also a reminder that the crowds were present throughout all these goings on.
