What About the Resurrection?

Luke 20:27-40 

27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife."

34 Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him."

39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

The Sadducees asked, “What about the Resurrection?” because they did not believe in an afterlife or angels or even that we have a spirit and not just a body that live and dies to leave nonexistent afterwards.  They also tried to catch Jesus in His words by spinning a yarn about a woman who died childless after marrying each of seven brothers.  They asked Jesus shrewdly about which man would have her as his wife after they all died and then she did as well.  They did this without any understanding of the nature of life and death and the resurrection to life after death in the spiritual realm as if their reasoning could confuse the Son of God!  Such is the reasoning of all men and women who are ignorant of God’s word or who reject it and all the answers found there of these matters of this life, death, and eternal existence to follow.  The Lord who created and sustains all things (Colossians 1:16) set them straight as to how these things really work to answer their rationalizations and philosophies of death.  We see such people who question God’s word and world even today, who deny a resurrection to life after death leading to suffering judgment as eternal death or a life of peace and joy of reward in believing the Lord (John 6:29).  These Sadducees were so sad you see because they had no hope of eternity and found peace in having no supposed accountability to answer to their Maker after death by explaining the truth all away.  Jesus told them and the entire audience of His word here throughout history that we will all rise again and have everlasting new bodies which are incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Peter 1:4, 23) like the angelic beings who live forever and never die.  This means there will not be the need for marriages to be fruitful and multiply to fill heaven as Adam was entrusted with to fill the earth, for each one invited there will never need to be replaced.  He demonstrated this fact further with scripture by pointing out the Lord God is “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” as it is written in Exodus 3:15 and repeated in Acts 7:32.  This of course means that they are all living still for Him to be their God or He would have said that He was their God in the past tense.  When the Sadducees heard this irrefutable truth they were unable to argue further against or subvert the word of Christ because God had written and said these things which they read and accepted as truth.  Why then do many hear and refuse to accept the truth that God has been telling us since the beginning of time and our creation?  Why do we deny life after death and accountability to our Maker?  It is far better to accept His irrefutable word demonstrated and proven time and again over history and put aside our faulty reasoning and rejection of the only truth that can set us free from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15) and give assurance of life (John 5:24) in Christ by His word of promise in the resurrection to life in peace and not with unending suffering for rejecting this free gift of eternal life.  We then ask ourselves, “What about the Resurrection?” and are assured by the answer by the burden of proof given by Jesus Christ Himself rising from death to life to show the way is certain.