A Study of the Book of Matthew Sermon # 79. The God Of The Living Matthew 22:23-33

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1 A Study of the Book of Matthew Sermon # Bt Sm The God Of The Living Matthew 22:23-33 There are some popular books on the newsstands about life after death. Two of them in particular are being widely read by Christians. 90 Minutes In Heaven and Heaven Is For Real. The first is written by a Pastor Don Piper who was in a serious car accident. The Rescuers left him for dead, but he revived and tells of hearing wonderful music and meeting relatives and friends who had died. The second book is a captivating story told by four year old Todd Burpo son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking of sitting in the lap of Jesus, of meeting a miscarried sister of whom he had no knowledge, and meeting with a younger version of a grandfather he had never met. Stories such as these can be an encouragement that there is life beyond the grave. But as fascinating as those stories may be, we need to be sure that we get our information about Heaven from a reliable source. In the passage we are going to examine today Jesus not only affirms that they will be life beyond the grave but also that it is different and more wonderful than we can conceive. There will always be those who ridicule the notion of eternal life. These people consider themselves to be hard-core realists. They say, I believe we live and then we die... that s it. Don t you what motiv-ates them to get up in the morning? If they are right, life is really meaningless; a mad dash to nowhere. Then a person has little motivation to do anything but to live to please themselves. Even among the Israelites of Jesus day there was a group, the Sadducees; that denied that there was life after death. In verse twenty-three we read, The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, (24) saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (25) Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. (26) Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. (27) Last of all the woman died also. (28) Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." (29) Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. (30) For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in 1

2 heaven. (31) But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, (32) 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (33) And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. Jesus has just finished with the political question of the Herodians and the disciples of the Pharisees in which they had tried to trap Jesus over the issue of whether taxes should be paid by the Jews to Rome. They really thought they had Jesus trapped with a question that whether He said, Yes or No, He was in trouble with someone. But Jesus took a coin into His hand and with pure logic said, Render unto Caesar what belong to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. (12:17) But now the Sadducees move in to show the bumbling Pharisees how it is done. Matthew tells us that this encounter took place on the same day as the encounter with the Pharisees (Matt. 22:23.) The Sad-ducees just know that they have the question to put Jesus in his place; an unanswerable theological ques-tion about the resurrection. Notice with me three things today. First, An Absurd Analogy (22:24-28) First, to understand the question we have to understand who it is that is posing the question. It a religious sect called the Sadducees. They were the aristocrats of Judaism; they were for the most part, wealthy and worldly. They were politically Pro-Roman. Perhaps most important of all they controlled the priesthood, the High Priest and the Chief Priests were usually Sadducees, and because of that they controlled the Temple. It is tempting to call these men the liberals of their day because of their lack of belief, but this would not be accurate. The Sadducees where in fact extreme fundamentalist who only accepted as authoritative the first five of the Old Testament called the Pentateuch or what the Jews refer to as The Torah. They did not believe in the supernatural (other than God himself). They did not believe in angels or spirits. They did not believe in life after death, nor the resurrection. They said that life ended at death. (Acts 23:8) But why would God create man only to abandon him at the grave? Undoubtedly they considered themselves just hard core realists, who had to combat this nonsense about the resurrection. But perhaps at least part of the answer is that the Sadducees were so comfortable in their day to day lives that they were not concerned with the afterlife. This is true of most Americans today as well, we are so comfortable in our day to day lives that we tend to forget that our ultimate hope is in heaven. This is the same 2

3 mentality that grips our modern age; because when you reject the authority of God s word, you remove all basis for life after death. The Sadducees not only did not expect an answer, they did want one. They were asking Jesus about some-thing in which they did not believe. In their question the Sadducees hoped to stump Jesus and to demonstrate publicly how ridiculous this idea of the resurrection was. So in verse twenty-four they pose their imaginary case. "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. (25) Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. (26) Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. (27) Last of all the woman died also. (28) Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." At the heart of this question is the Old Testament principle of Levirate marriage outlined in Deut 25:5 which is basically if a man dies childless, his brother was to marry the widow. Then the first child born would legally become the heir of the deceased father. Thus the family line would not die out. But in reality their question was not only hypo-thetical but absurd, on the level with, How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? or Did Adam have a navel and if so where did he get it? So Jesus whose wife will she be in the resur-rection? Will it be the one she married first, the one she married last, the one she was married to the longest or the one she liked the best? All this was probably said with extreme sarcasm because they really did care whose wife she would be in the resurrection. They didn t even believe that there would be a resurrection. Their aim was to embarrass Jesus in front of the people who have gathered at the Temple and in the process point out how silly it was to believe in an afterlife. So the real question is not whose wife will this woman be in the afterlife, but will there be an after-life? Is this all there is? There is a desire to get an answer to that crucial question within every human heart. Job posed the question when he said, If a man dies, shall he live again? (Job 14:14)That loved one who has already died will you see them again? The Sadducees believed the answer was No. Job himself later declares not only his belief in a afterlife, but a belief in the resurrection of the physical body. For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; (26) And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25-26) 3

4 The truth is that there will be a resurrection. Man is going to live forever somewhere. There is a Heaven and there is a Hell. Jesus is now and has always been the only way to Heaven. The Absurd Analogy leads to. Second, An Authoritative Answer (22:29-32) They expected to humiliate Jesus just as they had probably used this question on occasion to stump the Pharisees on the question of the resurrection. I don t think that Jesus was smiling as He rebukes these proud sophisticated religious leaders in verse twenty-nine, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. Jesus is very blunt he says, You re wrong. Your whole view of life has made you wrong. In fact He declares that they are deficient in two very critical areas. It must of hurt their ego s when Jesus accused the Sadducees of being ignorant saying, you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? The two reasons that Jesus gives that the Sadducees are wrong that they have erred in not understanding Scripture and in not understanding the power of God. But what is even more significant was that in their case it was willing ignorance. They could be eloquent in their speech but they were shallow in their thought. Even the most superficial knowledge of Scripture (had they accepted it s authority) would have pointed out existence after death. As we have already noted Job wrote about his belief in eternal life stating, For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; (26) And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25-26) The prophet Isaiah had written, Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise (Isaiah 26:19) The prophet Daniel had written, And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2) When Jesus told the Sadducee s that they did not know the Scripture nor the power of God, He was not accusing the Sadducee s of not knowing about God. He is saying that they did not know God. What God desires is not simply an intellectual understanding based on the facts of Scripture. The problem was that they did not have the personal relationship with God that their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did. What about us? Do you know the reality of a relation-ship with the living God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did? Then the Lord in reverse order, Jesus explains how they have misunderstood God s Power and His Word. 4

5 Ignorant of the Power of God (v. 30) For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. They are in error about God s power supposing that eternal life is a mere extension of this life. The thought current at that time was that families simply took up their living in Heaven where they had left off on earth. Jesus explains that this is far too earthbound in vision. The implications of Jesus words are wonderful. Jesus says first that the residents of Heaven are like the angels in heaven. Jesus did not say we become angels but that you will be like the angels in Heaven. The redeemed will be as angels; seeing and serving and praising God. It is not so much a statement of form as of function. Like the angels in that we are equally death-less, equally glorified and equally eternal. There will be no marriage in Heaven. Since there is no death, there is no need for propagation. As far as our bodies go they also will be resur-rected in glorified form. Our bodies to use Paul s words; will be raised incorruption or imperishable (KJV). (I Cor. 15:42). You not just your soul will be resurrected. That means that your individuality will be preserved for eternity. You will recognize your loved ones and they will recognize you. Those things that made us individuals will be retained. And when we see our loved ones again their bodies will be in their glorious poten-tial, but still their bodies. Their personalities will be at their fullest, their wit, their charm, their tenacity, their love still the same only enhanced. But of all that can be told about Heaven and life there Scripture says, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: (1 Cor. 2:9-10) What is it going to be like to live in Heaven? We are never given a complete description. When we read the Book of Revelation we find descriptions of gates of pearl and streets of gold and many other marvelous things. But I think that when God revealed the splen-dors of Heaven to John on the isle of Patmos, that it was so wonderful that human language completely failed. John just could not find the words to describe what saw there, when he saw what awaited the believer when He steps through the door of death and sets foot in Heaven. There is a little poem that I think expresses what it will be like to arrive in heaven entitled Just Think. Just think Of stepping on shore and finding it heaven Of taking hold of a hand finding it God s hand Of breathing new air and finding it heavenly air Of feeling invigorated, and finding it immortality 5

6 Of passing from storm and tempest to an unbroken calm Of waking, and finding it HOME! [source unknown] Jesus says that the Sadducees are not only ignor-ant of the Power of God but they are also Ignorant of the Word of God (vv ) But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, (32) 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." The Sadducees said that because the resurrection was not taught in the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) it therefore it was a false doctrine. For that reason Jesus went back to the book of Exodus (3:5) to prove His point. Moses sets out the proof of the Resur-rection in that God has spoken and revealed it as truth. God has declared his continued existence in the phrase- I AM. God is not was the God of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Let me try to explain this in simple terms, if were to meet someone who knew my father might say, I was (past tense) a friend of your father. That would be correct because my father passed away in twelve years ago. Jesus implies that God would not claim to be the God of someone who no longer existed. He is the God of the Living. He did not say that God was or had been, the God of the Patriarchs. GOD IS STILL THEIR GOD. The Living God is not the God of dead people but the God of living people. Some day they are going to take this body of mine, clean it up, try to make it presentable, put it in a casket and roll into a church somewhere. Some may say, Poor old John, he is dead. But don t you believe it, they will be wrong, I will be more alive than I have ever been. Our physical bodies can and will diminish and finally cease functioning, but our spirits will live on forever. We will be transferred from this earthly exist-ence to a Heavenly one. Those who have accept Jesus as their personal Savior will live on with Him in eternity forever. Now turn with me to Matthew 22:33 to see the reaction of the audience. Third, An Astonished Audience (Matt 22:33) And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. The Greek word translated "astonished" is (ekplesso), which means, "to strike out one's wits." Today we would say, what Jesus said blew their minds! Jesus had effectively answered their supposed-ly unanswerable question and came up with a devast-ating argument that had been overlooked for centuries. 6

7 They were astonished at what Jesus had to say about eternal life. Only one person can speak author-itatively about life after death, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one who has ever died, went into the afterlife and returned to this life. Conclusion If we embrace the Bible s teaching of life beyond the grave and embrace the truth of what Jesus says to us then we need to ask ourselves a question: How should we live if we really believe that there is life beyond the grave? We would spend less time worrying over the things of this world which are really temporary and more time thinking about the glories of Heaven. We would stop frantically trying to lengthen our days and spend more time trying to make our days count for eternity. We would make preparing for Heaven the top priority of our lives (since Heaven lasts forever). We would make choices based on their eternal consequences rather than on the immediate pleasures. We would grieve differently. As Paul said, we would not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We would stop neglecting talking to friends and relatives about what it means to be a follower of Christ because our greatest desire would be to make sure that such people share eternity with us. 7

8 The God Of The Living Matthew 22:23-33 First, An Analogy (22:24-28) (Deut 25:5) So Jesus whose wife will she be in the resurrection? They really did care whose wife she would be in the resurrection because they didn t believe that there would be a resurrection. They are trying to point out how silly it was to believe in an afterlife. Second, An Answer (22:29-32) (Job 19:25-26, Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2) Jesus declares that they deficient in two very critical areas. Ignorant of the of God (v. 30) (I Cor. 15:42, 1 Cor. 2:9-10) Ignorant of the of God (vv ) The Sadducees said that the resurrection false because it was not taught in the first five books of the Old Testament. (Exodus 3:5) God is not was the God of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is the God of the. Third, An Audience (22:33) 8