Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 249, Matthew 22:29-33 — Marriage in the Resurrection Matthew 22:29-33 (NASB1995) “But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not 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 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.” Context Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem roused the religious leaders into questioning His authority since He was not associated with the Sanhedrin and held no position of human authority. However, Jesus knows they intend to discredit or accuse Him further instead of having a productive debate. Therefore, Jesus responds with His own question and teaches multiple parables to show the Sadducees their error. They then plot to have Jesus arrested, which leads to further discussions about taxes, marriage, and other topics. Review Yesterday, we started reading the discussion between Jesus and the Sadducees about marriage in the resurrection. We detailed the Sadducees’ beliefs and learned about their skepticism of the supernatural and the afterlife. We also learned they were more of a political party than a religiously affiliated group, even though they followed the Torah. Following His debate about taxes, they approached Him with questions focusing on the law of levirate marriage referenced in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. It states that when a man dies without having children, his brother must marry his widowed wife. This concept of marrying a widowed sister-in-law aimed to offer economic and social protection to widows in specific family-oriented societies where women could not earn sufficient wages. They did this to protect family lines and lineages. The Sadducees then reference a story from the apocryphal book of Tobit. The text mentions how the demon Asmodeus slayed a woman named Sarah's first seven husbands, each on their wedding night. Ultimately, their question surrounds which of the seven brothers would wed her in the resurrection. For the Sadducees, the afterlife is not real because the Torah does not mention it. Thus, their question presents an interesting scenario about marriage in the afterlife. Which brother will wed the woman for eternity? Discussion Today, we conclude Jesus’ discussion with the Sadducees about marriage in the resurrection. The issue with the Sadducees’ view is they presuppose that eternity will have the same fundamental laws as Earth. However, what they deem a contradiction is simply a misunderstanding, as Jesus’ answer corrects their wrong view of marriage, the supernatural, and the afterlife. Jesus says, “29 You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.” This is not a soft rebuke, as Jesus harshly critiques their limited knowledge and understanding of Scripture and the power of God. Notably, the Sadducees have a limited understanding of Scripture because they ignore everything outside of the Torah. Their lack of understanding regarding the power of God stems from their unbelief in the resurrection. They believe there is no resurrection because the Torah does not clearly define such a concept. However, ignorance is not an excuse for a lack of understanding, especially when it is deliberate. Instead of receiving the Old Testament prophets’ revelations from God, they ignored them. This kept them in darkness regarding the resurrection power of God. They would have understood the reality of the afterlife if they read the full counsel of God, which includes the texts outside the Torah. But they rejected writings outside the Torah, which led to this corrective rebuke from Jesus. Oh, how narrowmindedness leads to spiritual darkness and bondage. Jesus adds, “30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” This statement might surprise some who have never read it, but Jesus confirms earthly marriages will be void in heaven. Humans will simply dwell in the LORD's glory and worship Him as the angels do. Because angels do not marry or reproduce, neither will humans. All earthly marriages will cease to exist as humans will become eternal beings resurrected into perfected eternal bodies. Jesus’ answer here is black-and-white, avoiding any sort of contradiction the Sadducees might counter with. It answers the Sadducees’ paradoxical question, as the aforementioned wife will not be married to any of the seven brothers in the resurrection. It also answers their rejection of angelic existence.[1] Thus, there is no further debate to be had. However, Jesus does not end the conversation there, as He uses the very Scripture they used to discount the resurrection to prove it. He says, “31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not 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.” In this statement, Jesus references a passage from the Torah to further prove their lack of scriptural understanding. The reference comes from Exodus 3:6, where God speaks to Moses from a burning bush. Notably, this happened centuries after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died. It proves the reality of a resurrection if God is their God and the God of the living—meaning they must be alive in the afterlife or else He is not their God and a liar. As such, Jesus uses this passage to make His point to prove that there is a resurrection from the very Torah the Sadducees used to discredit it. This passage was also a common citation in ancient Jewish prayers to prove God’s faithfulness.[2] In conclusion, this teaching astonished the crowds and shut up the Sadducees (v. 33). Jesus proved the reality of the afterlife and angels, correcting the Sadducees’ false beliefs and misinterpretations. God is the God of the living and we will one day resurrect into eternal life to be with Him. Marriage will not matter as we will be with our eternal LORD and Savior. Application Since I have been married, this passage has sometimes been uncomfortable to think about. But Jesus’ words are true, and I must not wrestle with them. What I will wrestle with is my occasional idolatry that seeks to put my relationship with my wife over my relationship with God. In the end, I know that eternity will be all about our LORD and Savior. Being able to spend time with our friends and family, including spouses, will be a bonus. As difficult as it sometimes might be to accept the reality that my wife will no longer be my wife, I know being in God’s glorious eternal presence will surpass any former earthly feeling. This passage provides an application that allows us to reflect on what truths we deem uncomfortable. While the thought that I will not have a wife in heaven is odd, I know God’s word is true, and that it is a reality that I must accept. We must not allow our feelings or narrowmindedness to twist the truth of God’s word to support our earthly agendas. As stated yesterday, may we conform to the truth of God’s word and not shove our agendas and beliefs onto the text. May we repent of ignoring the blatant truth of God’s word and seek to have full understanding as we continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 22:34-38. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid.
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