Matthew 22:29–33 (ESV) —
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
NOTE: Jesus answers the Sadducees question very directly. Their question, as many difficult questions are, was premised on two major errors. The first error was that in the resurrection, life would be exactly the same as life is now, i.e., marriage. I believe it is clear that we will have relationships, but intimacy will be different. The second error is a result of their theology -- they did not believe in angels, hence they could not imagine different types of life existing. Jesus does not say that we become angels, that idea is not taught anywhere in scripture, only that we would be like angels in respect to relationships. Finally, Jesus main argument is based on the "tense" of a word in scripture. God use a present tense verb to explain his relationship to the Patriarchs, and not a past tense verb. So for Jesus, scripture can be relied upon all the way to the very tenses of words (not a dot or tittle will pass away until it is fulfilled).
PONDER:
- What is my view of scripture? Do I hold it in the same sense as Jesus that every word has meaning and value?
PRAYER: Father, help us to study scripture with an inquisitive and logical mind. Yes, some places use common grammatical practices, but God has put it all together in a way that our minds can understand. May your Holy Spirit guide us into the truth.
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