Passion Week Through Jewish Eyes: The Testing Of The Lamb Of God: The Sadducees
A third confrontation was from the Sadducees…
This confrontation was a question of THEOLOGY. It had to do with the Resurrection.
Differences between Pharisees and Sadducees:
Pharisees: Believed in the supernatural (Angels, demons, literal resurrection)
Sadducees: Did not
A favorite past-time of the Sadducees was to ask the Pharisees trick questions in an attempt to stump them and make them look stupid.
They figured they would try that on Yeshua…so they come to Him…trying to butter Him up by referring to Him as a (great) teacher (Rabbi)…
And their question involves a story: (from Deuteronomy 25:5)
“If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.”
Now this guy has 7 brothers – each took her as a wife and died before they had a child. SO, in the resurrection (if there really is such a thing), whose wife of the seven will she be since they all were married to her?
This was the kind of tricky question they would ask the Pharisees and trip them up. They got stuck on the ISSUE of whose wife will she be.
Yeshua bypassed THAT ISSUE to deal with the real problem the Sadducees had: They were mistaken and didn’t understand.
They didn’t understand what the Scriptures taught on this issue;
They didn’t understand the power of God.
First, He deals with the POWER OF GOD by stating that:
The resurrection is not simply a raising up of this body back to natural life, but a TRANSFORMATION of the body (Fit for Heaven). Like the angels.
Type of body that cannot reproduce itself, therefore
No need for marriage in the resurrection.
SO the answer: She will be no one’s wife.
Second, understanding the SCRIPTURES: Abrahamic Covenant:
(Matthew 22:31-32)
But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: “I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB?” (Ex. 3:6)
NOW, God promised certain things to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that were NOT fulfilled in their lifetimes. God didn’t just promise the Land to the seed of Abraham-Isaac-Jacob…but He said:
To Abraham: To you and your seed I will give this Land;
To Isaac: To you and your seed I will give this Land;
To Jacob: To you and your seed I will give this Land;
So the Land was promised, not just to their descendants, but to them personally.
The most they ever owned in the Promised Land was one burial cave and a few wells.
Since these three died without the promise being fulfilled, a resurrection is necessary. It’s implied in the promise of God. Unfulfilled promises require a resurrection.
That was the whole point when Abraham went to offer Isaac – he knew God had made promises to Isaac. So even if Abraham killed Isaac, he knew God would raise him back to life…(Hebrews 11:17-19).
God’s unfulfilled promises in one’s lifetime, requires a resurrection to fulfill them.
Third, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Mt. 22:32)
He can’t leave them dead because He is the God of the living.
Result:
The people were astonished at His teaching (Mt. 22:33)
This was a brand new view of Exodus 3:6.
Even the Pharisees were amazed, because they could never give the Sadducees an answer to that question, but Yeshua did. And, it supported their view of the resurrection!
The Sadducees were silenced: For they dare not ask any more questions. -v.40
