Matthew 22:23-33 #2

Matthew 22:23-33 #2
The Sadducees challenged Jesus with a question they had most likely used repeatedly to stump those who believed in the resurrection. Under the Law of Moses, if a man died without having children, his wife was required to marry his nearest kin – in this case a brother – and the child from this union would be counted as from the dead brother’s seed so that the name of the dead would not be extinguished in Israel. Therefore, the Sadducees presented a hypothetical situation in which a woman had seven legal husbands, each brother dying without giving her a child. Since each husband was scriptural and legal, which one would be her husband in the resurrection?
Jesus’ response was to first accuse them of not knowing the scripture and then to accuse them of not understanding the power of God. We must remember that the Sadducees claimed to be of the priestly line and by such should have been the most knowledgeable in Israel. The priests were specifically responsible for teaching the people. Therefore, Jesus’ words would have cut deep.
Jesus gives a twofold answer to their question. First, they did not understand that in heaven there would be no marriage. These earthly marital relationships would come to an end and we will be like the angels. Second, Jesus appeals to the words of God to Moses in Exodus 3:6: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” We must remember that when God spoke these words to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead for about 500 years. Yet, even though dead, God was still their God. “Dead” therefore, did not mean non-existent. Though they were physically dead, they still lived because God is not the God of the dead (non-existent), but the God of the living. Jesus’ answer silenced the Sadducees.
Now a question for us. How many of us would have concluded the resurrection from reading the words of Exodus 3:6? We have often been no more careful observers of the text than the Jews of old. How many other great truths have we missed because we do not study diligently? The Sadducees had missed one of the greatest truths of the Bible because of their preconceived ideas and lack of diligent honest study. Are you and I any different?
Berry Kercheville