Matthew 22:29-33: God of the Living

“He is not the God of the dead but of the living,” Jesus to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:32

“Earthly marriage is a shadow, a copy, an echo of the true and ultimate marriage.  Once that ultimate marriage begins, at the Lamb’s wedding feast (Revelation 19:7-9), all the human marriages that pointed to it will have served their noble purpose and will be assimilated into the one great marriage they foreshadowed.”   (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, p. 350)

“I have a tremendous amount of hope because I’m a believer in Jesus Christ who was raised from the dead. And I believe He is alive right now.”  (Billy Graham in an interview with Greta Van Susteren December 2010)

Jesus is in Jerusalem, days before His crucifixion.  Having cleansed the temple (Matthew 21:12-13), He is now teaching in it.  Group after group among Israel’s religious elite are trying to trap Jesus.   Now it is the Sadducees’ turn.  The Sadducees were aristocratic, liberal, materialistic and rejecting the supernatural, for they say “there is no resurrection,” (Matthew 22:23).  The Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, as inspired.

They desire to prove their point of no resurrection by lifting out of context a verse from Deuteronomy 25; they create a scenario where a woman marries in succession seven brothers.  The Sadducees then snarl at Jesus “In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” (Matthew 22:28), with all the sincerity of the person who asks, “Can God make a rock so big He cannot lift it?”   Jesus replies to them weightily, “You do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God” (v. 29).

Jesus continues, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (v. 30).  Jesus is not saying we will be angels in heaven; rather, like angels, earthly marriage will not be part of our heavenly experience.   We will be married,  but to the Lamb.  And the greatest wedding feast ever awaits us! (Revelation 18:7-9)

But the heart of the matter in this passage here in chapter 22 is less about marriage in heaven and more about the correct way to use Scripture.  Jesus says, “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,” (v. 31).  Jesus gives them a sideways jab, for of course they have read what was spoken to them by God!  They are the Sadducees! The religious elite of the elite of Israel!  C’mon!

 

Jesus could have countered the Sadducees by quoting Old Testament passages about the resurrection.  For example, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).  Yet Jesus chooses to quote from the Sadducees’ sacred writings, the writings of Moses, where God says, “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (v. 32, Exodus 3:6).    

God does not say I was their God but I am their God. Present tense is used. This implies not only Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are currently very much alive but also that God is their God and He reigns in the resurrection over His people. 

 

Since the Sadducees accepted as authoritative only Moses’ words, Jesus bypasses most of the Old Testament and quotes only from Moses.  As John Piper says, “Jesus agrees to play on their court,” (A Godward Life, Book II, p. 224).  Hence, the crowds were astonished (v. 33), the scribes were impressed (Luke 20:39) and the Sadducees silenced (Matthew 22:34).

Christian, there is an answer to the critics’ boast.  Don’t be afraid.  Search.   Learn the language of the lost.  Build a bridge to him.  Speak to him from his truth, his writings, and his worldview, just as Christ spoke to the Sadducees and as Paul spoke to the men of Athens (Acts 17:22-32).   Above all, know that we serve not the God of the dead but of the living (v. 32).  For in a few short days after this conversation with the Sadducees, Jesus will be mocked, cursed and crucified.  But Christ has the last word.   For He has risen, He has risen indeed!   Christ has done what no other religious, military or political hero has done.   He is the first fruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20), for since He has risen, we too know that He will give life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11).  Hallelujah!  What an awesome God we serve! 

Matthew 22:23-29: Handling Accurately the Word of God

“You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God,” Jesus to the Sadducees in Matthew 21: 29.  

"We are dealing with God's thoughts: we are obligated to take the greatest pains to understand them truly and to explain them clearly." (Dr. D.A. Carson, May 2011)

“The journey had begun.  And now the fear [was] back again, the fear of the unknown…Deep down the fear of a man who lives in a world not made for him, whose own world is slipping away, dying, being destroyed, beyond any recall…The humble man reached in his pocket for his sacred book, and began to read.  It was this world alone that was certain.”    (spoken of pastor Stephen Kumalo, the main character in Alan Paton’s book, Cry, the Beloved Country)

As Jesus continues to teach in the temple, some Sadducees came to Jesus and questioned Him (v. 23).  Both Sadducees and Pharisees were among the religious elite of Israel even though there were differences between them.  The Pharisees were working class, conservative and the protectors of traditional Judaism.  The Sadducees, however, were aristocratic and liberal.  They denied the supernatural, for the Sadducees believed there is no resurrection (v.23).  

And this point the Sadducees were trying to prove.  Their argument was rooted in Scripture, at least superficially, as they quote Moses in Deuteronomy 25:5:  “If a man dies having no children, his brother…shall marry his wife and raise up [his] children…”  The Sadducees then present this wild scenario: A married man has six brothers.  He dies and his wife eventually marries each brother consecutively due to the sequential death of each brother.  Then she dies (vv. 25-27).  The Sadducees ask, “In the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had married her” (v. 28).  

The command quoted here from Deuteronomy was intended to preserve the dead brother’s lineage and to assure that the nation of Israel continued to multiply.  This verse was never meant to be a commentary on the after-life; the Sadducees used it out of context.    Not only did the Sadducees misuse the Scriptures, they also denied its power (v.29).

God’s Word, when used correctly, is powerful.  “God’s Word is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword …able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” (Hebrews 4:12).   God’s Word “restores the soul,” “makes wise the simple,” “rejoices the heart,” “enlightens the eyes,” “endures forever,” “is more desirable than gold” and “is sweeter than honey.”  His servants are “warned” by God’s Word and “in keeping them there is great reward,” (Psalm 19:7-11).  

God’s Word “stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8) but in our fallen world the interpretation of Scripture is often twisted, misapplied and taken out of context.  When Jesus was in the wilderness, Satan inaccurately quoted the Bible as he tried to tempt Jesus (Matthew 4:6).   However, Jesus responded to each temptation by correctly using Scripture (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).  Where Scripture is abused, Satan is empowered; where Scripture is honored; Satan flees (Matthew 4:11).  

  

It was no small condemnation when Jesus responds to the Sadducees here in Matthew 22, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God” (v. 29).   Our Lord considers it a terrible thing to misuse Scripture. 

In our missionary work in Eastern Europe, our greatest opponents are not atheists or Muslims, but some (certainly not all) from Christian churches.   Although they have been entrusted with the Bible, they are not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God (v.29), placing their hope rather in icons, relics, and their own religious efforts and traditions.  They see as worthy of condemnation those who preach salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.   But may we too be careful and not assume God’s favor merely because we attend the right church or say the right words.  

Not surprisingly Paul exhorts Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth,” (2 Timothy 2:15).     May Jesus never say to us, “you do not understand the Scripture.”  Rather, may we hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:21).