THE RESURRECTION AND MARRIAGE

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(Luke 20:27-40) Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. "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. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"

The Sadducees were setting Jesus up to trick Him by asking this question about marriage. You see, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection at all. The reason for the question is to show the difficulties in believing in the resurrection and an afterlife.

They couched their question around a Jewish tradition called the "levirate marriage." It is found in Deuteronomy 25:5: "If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her"

This was a way for the deceased husband to "live on" through a child with his wife and brother. Then his name could be carried on with the son that might be born. In Jewish history, Ruth was one of those widows and Boaz became what was known as her kinsman-redeemer.

Jesus' response is interesting and not especially popular today, when understood.

Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 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, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection. 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.' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the teachers of the law responded, "Well said, teacher!" And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Jesus is saying that marriage is outmoded in heaven. On this side of the resurrection, the opposite sex is natural and normal, but not in the heavenly state. In the age to come people will no longer marry, because marriage will be outmoded. We will have another higher focus altogether. Marriage will probably be remembered, but it will be unimportant in the age to come. And Jesus goes on to say that in that state we will be like the angels-children of the resurrection.

So, to preserve one's name and family beyond the grave is not important in heaven. Marriage and reproduction are vital to maintaining human life down here, but in an age where people live forever it isn't necessary.

Jesus then uses the illustration of Moses, calling on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His point here is since Moses viewed them as being alive or for sure will be resurrected so that they can receive the promises God revealed to them. When Jesus taught on the reality and reasonableness of the resurrection, then the Pharisees quickly agreed.

What can we take away from this scene between Jesus and the Sadducees? Here it is: Most everything we believe to be so important in our earthly lives today will be unimportant in the next life after the resurrection. All of this will pass away. Therefore, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy rather than investing your life in the earthly treasures down here where all will be destroyed. To put it briefly, after the resurrection, the entire paradigm of your life will change.

NOTE that the only marriage mentioned in this new age of heaven will be our marriage to Jesus. Jesus is the groom and those who trust in Him are His bride. This brings me to an important insight into what Jesus is doing with us today, everyday. He is wooing us with His unconditional love. He relentlessly pursues us, no matter what. As any lover, Jesus is looking for only one thing from us. He's listening for our response back to Him of, "I love you, too, Jesus."