Gospel

God of the Living

by Roland Crim
05/26/18
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That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. Matthew 22:23-33 NIV

Here again, Jesus was asked about a worldly issue, marriage, within the realm of the resurrected body. Again, matters of God are replaced with worldly matters. But, Jesus is up to the challenge. He enlightens the Sadducees first about life after the resurrection. People, in heaven, are like angels, and there is no giving or being given in marriage.

Jesus goes beyond answering the question, though, to deal with the true issue, the lack of belief of the Sadducees in the resurrection of the body. When Christ said that God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the living, and not the dead, the Sadducees more than likely thought of the fact that these three men were now dead. But, they were only dead in terms of their earthly life. There is an eternal life, which goes far beyond the life of the here and now. Jesus tries to make this point, which I am sure goes right over the heads of those who questioned Him on the matter.

God is the God of the living, those here on earth who belong to Him, and those who have moved on to eternal life. Those who don’t accept this, as Christ says, do not understand the power of God. He certainly can resurrect one who has passed from this earth.