“The Realities of the Resurrection”
(Matthew 22:23-33)
Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
July 19, 2020
The Passage
Matthew 22:23-33
23 That same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to him and questioned him: 24 “Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second also, and the third, and so on to all seven. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”
29 Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. 31 Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: 32 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
Introductory Comments:
Linda Wolfe holds the Guinness World Record for the most marriages by a woman. As of 2009, she had been married 23 times. Her last marriage was to the man who held the record for the most marriages by a man. Glynn Wolfe had been married 29 times. That’s quite the accomplishment. By the way, I have an aunt named Linda Wolfe. She’s not that Linda Wolfe.
Well, today’s sermon discusses the fictitious scenario of a woman who had been married seven times to seven brothers.
In this passage, Jesus is questioned yet again by a religious group. Again, He provides a wise answer and provides helpful biblical truth for us today.
Before we dive into this passage, let’s go to God in prayer.
(prayer)
At this point in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is continuing to interact with religious leaders as He is getting nearer and nearer to the end of His time on the earth.
In today’s passage, Jesus is interacting with another group, the Sadducees.
The Sadducees were sort of the religiously liberal group of their day. Among other things, they did not believe in the reality of the resurrection of the dead. In other words, they didn’t believe in an afterlife. They didn’t believe in the reality of heaven as we know it.
Further, the Sadducees based most of their beliefs on the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah, or the law.
It becomes evident in this passage that the Sadducees seemed to be worse than the Pharisees at trying to trap Jesus.
Let’s look at the passage and then discuss two truths that emerge from the text. Let’s read Matthew 22:23-33:
23 That same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to him and questioned him: 24 “Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second also, and the third, and so on to all seven. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”
29 Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. 31 Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: 32 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
Remember that the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. So, they are questioning Jesus about something that they don’t even believe in. They are super skeptical at this point. They’re trying to trap Jesus on a point to which they don’t hold.
The Sadducees are trying to get in on the action of trying to make Jesus look foolish. Of course, we know how that turns out for most folks.
The Sadducees give this ridiculous illustration, which would never happen, in order to try and show the foolishness of the resurrection of the dead. The problem is, their foundation is off-base to start with so their logical tower cannot stand. We’ll see that in just a moment.
So, let us look now at these two truths from this passage.
First, . . .
I. We love differently in the resurrection. [on screen]
The issue with the Sadducees is that as they thought of heaven, even in a hypothetical or pretend sense, they were thinking of it as if it were the same as earth. We have to understand that the next life is not the same as this life, and praise the Lord for that!
So, among other things that are different, we love differently in the resurrection.
They were asking Jesus about earthly relationships that are bound together under the earthly covenant of marriage.
To be sure, marriage is a solemn covenant that is bound together by love for God, love from God, and man and woman’s love for one another.
However, Jesus makes it clear that in the next life, things are different.
Just to be clear, when Jesus speaks of “in the resurrection,” He is talking about life in heaven; new resurrected life in heaven.
So, the hypothetical situation that the Sadducees proposed involved these seven brothers married to one woman. Honestly, you don’t need seven to create this question, you only need more than one. If someone has more than one spouse, whose spouse will they be in heaven? It’s really not a bad question.
Well, you might wonder why this woman kept marrying her husband’s brothers.
In the ancient Jewish way of life having an heir to carry on your family’s name was very important. So important, in fact, that if a man died before having any sons with his wife, the man’s brother must marry the wife in order to carry on the original husband’s name.
This was an actual law found in Deuteronomy 25 called levirate marriage, meaning “brother-in-law” marriage.
So, this is the scenario. This is an actual Jewish law, Jesus is not debating that at all.
So, the situation is one woman with seven husbands. [show picture on screen]
So, what do we do with all of these husbands in heaven?
Jesus makes it clear that the foundation of their question is off. He says in verse 29, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
How about that? Jesus makes it clear that they don’t know their stuff. Remember, they don’t even believe in the resurrection of the dead; they don’t believe in the afterlife; they don’t believe in heaven.
Their foundation is off from the get-go!
Jesus is going to correct and redirect the Sadducees in two different areas. First, He’s making it clear that we love differently in the resurrection.
We must understand this: in heaven, we are not earthly in our love, we are heavenly in our love.
Look again at what Jesus says in verse 30: For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
Jesus makes it clear that marriage does not exist in heaven. He clarifies this by saying that we will be like the angels. Notice that He doesn’t say that we will be angels, but will be like the angels.
Well, how will be like the angels? Among other things, angels don’t need to procreate, or have children, in order to sustain their existence. They are eternal. Further, angels are created in such a way that their day-to-day existence is in the presence of God. They are filled with God’s love in such a magnificent way that they don’t need earthly relationships.
In the same way, when we are in heaven, we will not need to be in earthy relationships doing earthly things. We will be in heavenly relationships doing heavenly things!
The love that we have in heaven will not be lesser than what we have on earth, it will be greater!
The relationships that we have with our spouses now (if they are also Christians) will be different in heaven, but it will be better!
We won’t be upset with a loss of love in heaven because we will be experiencing vividly and personally the everlasting love of God our Father!
We will love differently in the resurrection.
Also, . . .
II. We live differently in the resurrection. [on screen]
Jesus didn’t stop at explaining that they were wrong about marriage in the resurrection. Jesus wanted to correct a second thing. He took this opportunity to bring clarity and correction to their general disbelief in the resurrection of the dead.
Look again at verses 31-33:
31 Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: 32 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
This is where it’s important to pay attention to language and history. We’re going to do a little schooling here this morning. We’ve been out of school for a while, so it’s time for school.
First, let’s pay attention to history.
Jesus is quoting God’s description of Himself when He is speaking to Moses in Exodus 3. Remember, that moment? God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. It may have looked something like this picture. [show picture on screen] Moses wants to know who this is at the burning bush. God says that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Ok, history quiz: were Abraham, Issac, and Jacob physically alive or physically dead at the time of Moses? They were physically dead!
Ok, now here’s the language lesson.
Notice that God says, “I am” the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God does not say, “I was” the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God chose not to use the past tense, but the present tense. He is speaking to Moses in the present tense about people who had long ago passed away.
Ok, now here’s the biblical truth for the Sadducees and for us.
Jesus is preparing the dish and putting it on a silver platter for the Sadducees. Remember, the Sadducees only held to the teachings of the first five books of the Bible, which they believe do not teach the reality that people will live after their physical deaths. Jesus quotes God’s own words from Exodus, which is the second book of the Bible and He gives evidence for the fact that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still living beings (at least in some form).
God did not say, “I was,” God said “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Hence these words in verse 32, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Jesus is so wise!
The reality is that the resurrection of the dead brings about a different way of living for us. Physical death is not the end! Through the power of God, we can live again. The Sadducees were wrong!
The irony is that the One who is standing before them is the One who can actually give them direct access to this new life. Through Jesus’ resurrection, they (and we) can experience new life and resurrection.
Jesus Himself said in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” [on screen]
God offers new life. There is an afterlife! There is a resurrection of the dead! Through Jesus, we can be resurrected to new life!
We live differently in the resurrection.
Concluding Thoughts:
Jesus once again astonishes with His wisdom and His buffet of heavenly delicacies.
Verse 33 says, “And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.”
Let us all now be astonished at Jesus’ teaching.
Here’s our bottom line for today:
Bottom Line: The resurrection raises new realities. [on screen]
(repeat)
Our whole life is changed by the new life that God offers us through Jesus. The way we love changes, the way we live changes, our afterlife changes; everything about us changes.
This is the power of God! The Sadducees didn’t believe in and the Pharisees didn’t properly understand it. May we understand it and drink deeply from the riches of its deep well.
Challenge yourself this week to live out this passage in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Be raised by the resurrection. [on screen]
Have you been raised to new life through Jesus and the power of His resurrection?
Listen to these beautiful words from the apostle Paul regarding this truth. Romans 6:4-5 says, “4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection.” [on screen]
This week, be sure that you have been raised by the resurrection. Be raised to new life through Jesus.
2. Recognize the realities of the resurrection. [on screen]
Jesus said of the Sadducees, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Folks, we need to be careful to not be mistaken because we don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. We must recognize the realities of the resurrection.
Take some time this week and recognize the realities of the resurrection. Write them down, sing about them, talk to a loved one about them, reflect upon them.
3. Regurgitate the realities of the resurrection. [on screen]
I know that this choice of words may seem a bit odd, but remember what this word means. To regurgitate means for something that is in us to come back out.
So, the realities of the resurrection are in us. Well, let them come of out of us also!
We should love differently, live differently, speak differently, hope differently, give differently, help differently, learn differently, teach differently, serve differently, work differently, and more.
The power of the resurrection should come out of us so much that others cannot help but recognize the power of God in us!
Regurgitate the realities of the resurrection.
Closing:
Have you experienced the realities of the resurrection? Well, let us live that way. Let us live as if we’ve been changed and let us continue to be changed, until we are changed forever.
If you’ve not experienced the power of the resurrection, you can be changed today.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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