What Does The Bible Say?

Luke 20:27-40

An article by Michael Masterson describes how he got into the restaurant business. Because he ate out a lot and had a lot of experience in business, he was sure he knew wha tit would take to make a restaurant successful. He bought an old café and started remodeling. Looking at the kitchen, he decided that it was way too small to handle the number of customers he expected to reach, so he consulted a friend in the restaurant business about new appliances. His friend asked to look at what he had before he invested more. When he described his plans, the friend stated that the present kitchen was adequate for more than three times as many people as he was planning for.


When another café owner told him the same thing, he decided to wait before enlarging the kitchen, and learned that they were right. The decision saved him several thousand dollars. He began to consult with them about a lot of other things, because it was obvious they knew things about running a restaurant he didn’t know. As he describes his experience, he was acting on outside knowledge, assuming far more knowledge than he actually had.

In Navajo society, there are a large number of young people who did not grow up in traditional customs, but were introduced to traditional ceremonies in school or college as a key element of their culture. While most of them don’t know what the ceremonies mean, they still practice them in the belief that it is what makes them Navajo. Their knowledge of the Navajo way is very superficial. A lot of people who consider themselves Christians are very much the same way, it is just part of their heritage, but has no real importance.

The Sadducees were the same way, practicing the Jewish faith solely as a cultural affair. Acts 23:8 states, “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.” Jesus’ teaching condemned their actions as well as that of the Pharisees and other leaders, and they also wanted to silence him, so they questioned him with that intent, except that unlike the Pharisees, they didn’t even believe in wha they were asking. They are assuming outside knowledge based on what they think others believe.

“Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.” (Luke 20:27-33)

Their question involved a custom prescribed by the law in Deuteronomy 25:5-6 and practiced by Israel. “If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.”

Jesus states that their question is based on ignorance of the scriptures and disbelief in Mark 12:24. “And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” Under the Jewish system, land belonged to a family. It could be leased out for a period, but in the year of Jubilee, it reverted to the original family. This law ensured that land would not be unclaimed. Because they were not interested enough to learn the entire command they assumed it related to eternity. Not believing in a resurrection anyway, they didn’t bother to learn what was involved. Though their question was clearly frivolous, and designed to entrap him, Jesus answered it seriously.

“And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.” (Luke 20:34-38)

Heaven will not be just an improved version of this life with no problems, as so many expect. Only those deemed worthy will be allowed to go there. They will be like the angels, but not be angels, and from what I Peter 1:12 says, the angels would gladly trade places with them. Since no one dies there, there will be no need for people being born to take their place, and thus no reason for procreation. It will be so different from this life that I Corinthians 2:9 says we can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like. “But as it is written, 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.”

Jesus then addressed their lack of belief in a resurrection. Their whole culture was based on Moses’ teaching, and Moses clearly indicated that the resurrection was true in his statements at the burning bush. Failure to believe what he taught about it implied they were not really Jewish despite their keeping the rituals.

“Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.” (Luke 20:39-40)

Because Jesus took the trouble to treat the question seriously, and give a valid answer, they quit asking such questions. Jesus demonstrates what Paul told Titus about the need for ministers to have a sound understanding of God’s word. Titus 1:9 says the pastor must be a man, “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” One reason many hate questions is that they have not studied themselves and thus are not equipped to give valid answers.