Matthew 22:23-33

About the Text

(23) Who were the Sadducees? They were the liberal, intellectual elite among Jews. Unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in an afterlife, a resurrection, miracles, nor the existence of angels. They held only to the first five books, the Pentateuch, as inspired by God, and considered the prophetic books (e.g. Isaiah, Ezekiel) as mere imaginings of religious men. They were well educated, wealthy, and were chosen by Roman authorities to oversee the rituals of the Jewish temple. The Sadducees are like liberal churches today. There are many religious people who profess to follow God, but do not believe that the miracles of Jesus actually happened, nor do they believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God.

(24) What command of Moses were the Sadducees referring to in this verse? Deuteronomy 25:5. In order to continue the family line, the brother of a deceased Israelite was commanded to marry his widow. The Sadducees used this verse to set up a riddle in order to show how absurd is the idea of an afterlife.

(29) Why did Jesus comment on their ignorance rather than answer the question directly? This is Jesus' way. See v. 15-22. Jesus typically answers inquirers according to the content of their hearts, rather than the demand of their questions. In this passage, Jesus saw unbelief in their hearts, and responded "you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."

(30) What exactly will happen to believers at the resurrection? First understand that Jesus is not referring to the "intermediate state," i.e. our soul's stay in heaven after we die. Rather, Jesus is speak of the time when He returns, when our souls in heaven will be reunited with our bodies to enjoy eternal life on a new heaven and earth. See 1 Cor. 15:51-53 and Rev. 21:1-4, Isaiah 26:19, Dan. 12:2. According to Romans 8:18, we will be "in glory" at this resurrection. Our bodies will be raised, but will also be transformed to be immune to sickness, pain, and death. Christ had such a body after He was resurrected, and was even able to pass through walls (cf. John 20:19,26).

(30) Why won't there be any marriage after we're resurrected? One reason, according to Luke 20:36, is that there is no death, and therefore there is no need for procreation. Then what kind of relationships will be have with our past spouses after the resurrection? It is difficult to be precise, since the Bible gives little data on this matter. We do not know whether there will be any sexual pleasure in that age. I tend to think not. However, we at least know that we will be reunited with our believing loved ones, and experience perfect love and harmony between us all.

(32) Why does Jesus quote this verse to prove the resurrection? He quoted from Exodus 3:6 probably because it was from one of the books that the Sadducees held in high esteem. Jesus did not quote from Isaiah 26:19 nor Daniel 12:2 perhaps because the Sadducees did not regard those books as authoritative. How does this quotation of God support the resurrection of the dead? Note that God spoke the words "I AM the God of Abraham..." not "I used to be the God..." God speaks of Himself as God in the present tense, even when his subjects have long died. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still be living. Just as a man can only be called a father when he has living children, God can be King and Lord only if He has living subjects. Moreover, when God blesses and adopts us as His own children (such as He did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), it is consistent with His character that He give His children something that the rest of the world won't ever have - eternal life.

Insights

• People reject certain teachings in the Bible because they do not believe in the power of God. (23-29)
• God's plan of blessing for the believer far exceeds our ability to imagine it. (30)
• Jesus Christ is God's only provision to claim eternal life. (31-33)
  

The Bottom Line

Put your trust in Christ, not your rational ability.
Although God gives us an intellect to use for His glory, we must never put our trust in our ability to reason but only in Christ, so that we may have the abundant life. We must place our faith not in what we do, but in what Christ has already done on the cross.

Key Memory Verses

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26)