July 25

Text: Matthew 22:25-30

 "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh.  And last of all, the woman died.  In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her." But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (NASB)

Assumptions cause people so much trouble!  For example, we assume we are starting at the very beginning.  However, we are not!  By failing to start at the actual beginning, we miss an extremely important fact.  Thus, all our conclusions are seriously flawed because we failed to consider the number one fact.  As a result, our conclusion is not only wrong, but it is also foolish.

The scripture the Sadducees used as the basis for their argument was used accurately.  Did the scripture deal with a real physical problem in the early nation of Israel?  Yes!  Then what was the assumption?  The Sadducees assumed that existence in the after-death realm was physical as was existence in the before-death realm.

The human body was formed from physical dust (Genesis 2:7).  The process of giving that body life was a separate process.  Death occurred as a result of disobedience to God.  The human body returned to dust (Genesis 3:19).  Resurrection involves a continuation of life, not a continuation of dust.

The Sadducees could not imagine a woman being the wife of more than one man!  To suggest she could be the wife of seven men was ridiculous!  Yet, the woman was wife to all seven men in this physical realm.  So if everyone is alive after death, whose wife should she be?

Jesus said bodies are sexual, but life is not.  Resurrection produces a sexless existence.  Resurrected people are sexless, as are the angels.  Marriage is a physical reality, not an after-death reality.  There is no marriage in the realm of the resurrected.

Suggestion for reflection: To assume that realities/experiences in resurrection existence are based on realities/experiences in the physical existence will deceive us.  (Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.)