In Heaven...
Reflections: Jesus responds to the Sadduccees who were more of the elitist of the Jewish parties. They were intellectuals who needed to rationalize everything, as opposed to the Pharisees who were more of the fundamentalist/legalists. They come to Jesus with a question about the resurrection hoping to trap him in their pretzel logic. They try to play out a scenario where according to Jewish law a man's brother had to marry his widow according to the Law to carry on the legal family line.
As they look to trap Jesus he turns their mental games on their head and explains that in heaven our existence won't be the same as on earth. In the new heaven and earth people will neither marry or be given in marriage, but be like angels, who serve as messengers and worshippers of God. So while they are trying to test/trap Jesus, it gives him a chance to further explain what God's kingdom will be like not only on earth but also in heaven.
Sometimes we don't spend enough time thinking about what heaven will be like. After all for believers this will be our final destination. We often use the text "No eye has conceived what God has prepared for us in heaven" as an excuse for not thinking about or theologizing about our life in heaven. Randy Alcorn has written an excellent book called "Heaven" explaining many of the passages the bible has given us on the subject. Since we will be spending eternity there if we have trusted in Christ as our Savior it might make sense to think and pray about it more often than we currently do!
The Resurrection and Marriage
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[a] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Prayer: Jesus we thank you for the hope of heaven. We know it will be unlike anything we have experienced here on earth. As we live each day, we know we are one step closer to our final destination and citizenship. Help us live each day with one eye on eternity knowing you have put a down payment in our hearts through your Holy Spirit there.
As they look to trap Jesus he turns their mental games on their head and explains that in heaven our existence won't be the same as on earth. In the new heaven and earth people will neither marry or be given in marriage, but be like angels, who serve as messengers and worshippers of God. So while they are trying to test/trap Jesus, it gives him a chance to further explain what God's kingdom will be like not only on earth but also in heaven.
Sometimes we don't spend enough time thinking about what heaven will be like. After all for believers this will be our final destination. We often use the text "No eye has conceived what God has prepared for us in heaven" as an excuse for not thinking about or theologizing about our life in heaven. Randy Alcorn has written an excellent book called "Heaven" explaining many of the passages the bible has given us on the subject. Since we will be spending eternity there if we have trusted in Christ as our Savior it might make sense to think and pray about it more often than we currently do!
The Resurrection and Marriage
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[a] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Prayer: Jesus we thank you for the hope of heaven. We know it will be unlike anything we have experienced here on earth. As we live each day, we know we are one step closer to our final destination and citizenship. Help us live each day with one eye on eternity knowing you have put a down payment in our hearts through your Holy Spirit there.
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