← Back to sermon library

Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew 22. Matthew 22. Our focus this morning 
will be on verses 23 to 33. I'll read the section, then we'll 
pray, and then look at this section of Scripture. Matthew 22, beginning 
in verse 23. The same day the Sadducees, who 
say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying, 
Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies having no children, his 
brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his 
brother. Now there were with us seven 
brothers. The first died after he had married, 
and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise, 
the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of 
all, the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, 
whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her. Jesus answered and said to them, 
You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power 
of God. For in the resurrection they 
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels 
of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection 
of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, 
saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God 
of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, 
but of the living. And when the multitudes heard 
this, they were astonished at his teaching. Amen. Let us pray. Our blessed God and our Holy 
Father, we thank you for the written word. We thank you that 
you've not left us in this world of darkness and lies and deceit 
alone, but you have given us the 66 books of the Old and the 
New Testaments. And we acknowledge that they 
are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
and for instruction in righteousness. And we pray that even now, by 
your spirit, you would thoroughly furnish us unto every good work. 
We pray that Your Holy Spirit would guide us and teach us and 
lead us as we look to the Scripture now. We pray that You would give 
us the mind of Christ and may we think Your thoughts after 
You. And God, for any and all here 
that are outside of Christ, we pray that today would be the 
day of salvation, that they would hear the truth, and by your grace 
would believe the truth, and would pass from death into life. 
We ask that you would forgive us now for all of our sins and 
our transgressions. We thank you for the blood of 
the Lord Jesus. As we were reminded, our champion 
beat the devil in the wilderness, and he certainly beat the devil 
on the cross. And in this we greatly rejoice, 
most high God, We pray that even now you would thoroughly cleanse 
us from all sin and iniquity and transgression, and that you 
would help us to receive with thanksgiving your word. And we 
ask these things through Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, remember 
the context we're in. In Matthew chapter 21, our Lord 
Jesus goes into Jerusalem. He enters into the temple, and 
that is on the Monday. On the Tuesday, He comes back 
to the temple, and that's where we find ourselves now. He's in 
the temple in a series of disputes and confrontations with the religious 
leaders. It begins in chapter 21 at verses 
23 to 27. They question Him concerning 
His authority. And on the heels of that particular 
dispute, Jesus then tells three parables. And in each of those 
three parables, the target is the religious leaders. The target 
is, as well, the nation of Israel that has apostatized from the 
living and true God. And the judgment of God will 
indeed come upon them. So at the conclusion of the three 
parables, now there are four questions. We see these persons 
come to the Lord Jesus and ask Him specific questions. The fourth, 
Jesus questions His opponents. But last week we saw the question 
concerning taxes. posed by the Pharisees and the 
Herodians. If that was a socio-political 
concern, this question that we have in verses 23 to 33 regard 
the supernatural. They're more of a theological 
question, and the Sadducees are the ones who come to Him now 
to present what they perceive to be a very difficult question 
for one that holds to the doctrine of the resurrection. So, I want 
to look at verses 23 to 33 under three concerns. First, the riddle 
regarding the resurrection. I suspect these Sadducees thought 
they were very clever. And I suspect these Sadducees 
probably used this riddle on Pharisees. Pharisees and Jesus 
thought alike when it came to the resurrection. They affirmed 
it. They affirmed the supernatural. 
The Sadducees were more like rationalists. They denied the 
supernatural. So perhaps the Sadducees had 
fought a time or two with the Pharisees, and maybe even bested 
them with this scenario of this woman and the seven husbands. 
So there's a riddle regarding the resurrection in verses 23 
to 28. Secondly, the response regarding the resurrection in 
verses 29 to 32. And then finally, the reaction 
to Jesus' teaching on the resurrection in verse 33. But note first, 
we read in verse 23, the same day, the Sadducees who say there 
is no resurrection. As I said, this is the Tuesday. 
Later on, on Tuesday, Jesus is going to speak the Olivet Discourse. That's recorded in Matthew 24 
and 25. And there, via prophecy, He does 
precisely what He's done by parable in Matthew 21 and 22. So that 
same day, Sadducees came to Him. Calvin says, we see here how 
Satan brings together all the ungodly, who in other respects 
differ widely from each other, to attack the truth of God. You 
see, the Pharisees and the Sadducees thought differently concerning 
these particulars, but together they unite so they can try and 
stop the mouth of the Lord Jesus. Now, the particular identity 
of these Sadducees, I've already alluded a little bit to them, 
they were the minority position. Pharisees outnumbered the Sadducees, 
but nevertheless, the Sadducees were indeed the politically dominant 
group whom the priestly and temple hierarchy were drawn. So while 
they were a minority position in terms of theology, they were 
very strong politically and in terms of the temple. They believed 
that the only sure word of God was the first five books. They 
only affirmed the Pentateuch as having the official stamp 
from God. Now, they probably looked at 
the prophets and at the wisdom literature as commentary upon 
the Torah or upon that Pentateuch. As well, they were, as I mentioned, 
rationalists. That means that reason guided 
them rather than revelation. And as a result, as we learn 
in Acts 23, the Sadducees say there is no resurrection and 
no angel or spirit. So, they denied the supernatural. J.C. Ryle says they were the 
skeptics, the free thinkers, and half infidels. So, on the 
one hand, they held to Judaism, but on the other hand, they denied 
the supernatural impact of Judaism. And that is the vantage point. And notice their presupposition 
is given to us by Matthew, who say there is no resurrection. 
So, that helps us to understand what they're doing here. It helps 
us to get what is behind the scenes. They are not looking 
to have a theological discourse. They are not looking to interchange 
with a fellow rabbi. They are looking, like the Pharisees 
and the Herodians before them, to entangle Him. They want to 
try and catch Him up. They want to make Him look bad. 
They want to expose Jesus as a false teacher. Because remember, 
these religious leaders hate Jesus. They despise Him. They've 
been plotting against Him. They are the ones who want to 
entangle and ultimately destroy Him. It will be at their instigation 
that the crowd, just a couple of days later, will say, Away 
with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! These are not men that have a 
desire for a healthy theological interchange. No, the very statement 
given to us that they do not believe there is a resurrection 
indicates that what they are doing is not sincere. It is not 
a quest for knowledge as well. It does highlight the fact that 
they, like the preceding ones, were trying to entrap Jesus. And probably they already knew 
Jesus' position concerning the resurrection. Jesus affirms it 
in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus affirms it in Matthew 10. Jesus certainly affirms it when 
He announces that He's going to go to Jerusalem, He's going 
to die, and He's going to be raised the third day. So, three 
announcements by Christ highlights the reality that He affirms the 
resurrection. So, this is the setting with 
reference to the riddle regarding the resurrection. These Sadducees 
come to Jesus, they deny the presence of a resurrection, and 
so they ask Him, notice, their appeal to what's called the Leveret 
Law. And Leveret is from the word 
levir, and that simply means husband's brother. And this comes 
from Deuteronomy 25, verses 5 to 10. Notice on the one hand, they 
affirm that Jesus is a rabbi. They call him teacher. Probably 
like they did in the previous situation, when they brought 
flattery to bear upon him. Rabbi! But then they cite Moses. And I think the subtlety is that 
they're trying to show a disparity between Jesus and Moses. Remember, 
these Sadducees only hold to the first five books of Moses. 
So for them, it is paramount that they can pit Jesus and Moses 
against one another. But in this Law of the Leveret, 
essentially what is said in that law is repeated by them in verse 
24. Teacher, Moses said that if a 
man dies having no children, his brother shall marry his wife 
and raise up offspring for his brother. This is also referred 
to in the incident in Genesis 38 with that fellow called Onan. But the specific law concerned 
brothers who lived together. That doesn't necessarily mean 
they shared a bedroom. They were on the same parcel 
of property. Remember that land and inheritance 
and property were very special and very important to Old Covenant 
Israel. And so if a man took a woman 
and then he died, it was the responsibility of his brother 
to then take that woman for his own wife. And again, the purpose 
was to keep property in the family by raising up an heir to inherit 
it. It also provided help to an otherwise 
destitute woman. You see, brethren, when you look 
at the Bible, sometimes you have to conclude that romance and 
starry eyes aren't always the first concern in a good marriage. I'm not saying don't have romance 
and don't have starry eyes. Men, don't go home today and 
say, Butler said no romance, honey. I'm going to relate to 
you in a perfectly technical manner according to, you know, 
the logistics of the... No, I'm not saying that. But 
I think at times, in our culture especially, it's so feeling-oriented, 
it's so emotionally driven that we forget principle and we forget 
the reality that there's a woman here that's standing now without 
a husband to provide for her, so God in His goodness and in 
His grace and in His mercy bids the brother of the dead man to 
marry her to provide protection, to keep the inheritance, to keep 
the property, to keep the land, to keep those things in check. 
That is a biblical and a good reason to pursue marriage in 
this particular instance. Now notice their reference here. I think it's subtle, but I think 
it's there. Verse 24, Teacher Moses said 
that if a man dies having no children, his brother shall marry 
his wife. Now notice, and raise up offspring. That raise up is the same word 
for resurrection. It's as if the Sadducees are 
saying the only resurrection we believe in is this young heir 
being raised up. That's how the name will live 
on. And now notice, they put together 
this particular riddle, verses 25 to 27. Now, there were with 
us seven brothers. We don't need to go over every 
jot and tittle of this. I think it's pretty apparent 
what they're doing. Do you think it was honest? I 
mean, it's certainly within the realm of possibility. It could 
be the case that, you know, one brother marries a woman and he 
dies. Second brother marries a woman, he dies. Third brother 
marries the woman, he dies. If I was the fourth brother, 
I'd really think twice about marrying that particular woman. 
But it is conceivable that they would go through the line. Probably 
not reality. Probably, as I said, a riddle 
that they had posed before to try and catch the Pharisees with 
this idea of the doctrine of the resurrection. So they weave 
together this tale, we go through the 7th. In verse 26 we read, 
likewise, the 2nd also and the 3rd, even to the 7th. Last of 
all, the woman died also. Now here comes the question. 
Here comes the rub. Here is where they're going to 
expose Jesus. Therefore, in the resurrection, 
you can see them now, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, not that we believe 
in the resurrection anyway, but in the resurrection, based on 
this tale that we've told, based on this riddle that we've conveyed, 
whose wife will she be? This was one of those drop-the-mic 
moments for the Sadducees. We've got Him. He's done. He can't answer, because what 
this effectively does is it introduces absurdity into the design and 
plan of God. The Sadducees assume monogamy. Sadducees assume that the normative 
practice of people is one man and one woman for life. They 
rightly assume that. And they assume as well that 
if this riddle were the reality, when she comes into the resurrection 
and there's her seven husbands, if she takes on all those seven 
men, she is a polyandrist. That means she has multiple husbands. 
There's an absurdity introduced by them in this particular thing. Ryle says, they meant to insinuate 
that there must needs be confusion and strife and unseemly disorders 
if, after death, men and women were to live again. You see, 
on the surface it seems to make sense, right? Moses has given 
us a law concerning the labyrinth. And based on the law of the labyrinth, 
in its absurdity, to the seventh point, when the resurrection 
comes, whose wife will she be? Now note the particular horns 
of a dilemma that Jesus is on. If Jesus denies the resurrection, 
then he embraces the Sadducees' heresy, and he is at odds with 
the majority report. As I said, the Pharisees and 
their theology permeated Israel more than the Sadducees. So if 
Jesus says, you're right, The whole idea is an absurdity. There 
must not be a resurrection. Then the Sadducees can say, oh 
look, to the Pharisees and to the people, he denies the resurrection. But if Jesus affirms the resurrection 
based on their riddle, then he's got big problems. You're not 
supposed to have seven husbands. You're not supposed to engage 
in polyandry. You're not supposed to engage 
in polygamy. You're not supposed to multiply 
wives or husbands. And if, as you suppose, the eternal 
state is a reality, then she is in a particular difficult 
situation. So you see their riddle, don't 
you? You see what they're doing. They probably think they've got 
Him. Just like the Pharisees and the Herodians before thought 
they had Him. Is it lawful to pay taxes to 
Caesar? Again, mic drop, we've got him. 
No matter how he answers, we're going to beat him down. That 
didn't go too well for the Pharisees and the Herodians, did it? He 
shut them down very effectively and very successfully. Let's 
see how he handles these Sadducees. Note the response regarding the 
resurrection. There are three things we ought 
to consider here. First, his reproof concerning 
their error. You know, we live in a day and 
age where we never tell anybody they're wrong, because that might 
make them feel bad. And we don't want them to feel 
bad, and we don't want them to think we're judgmental, because 
after all, the most important verse in the Bible is, Judge 
not, lest you be judged, right? Isn't that what we're told? Isn't 
that what's pummeled into us? Isn't that the verse that non-Christians 
know, and they continually heap against us Christians? Doesn't 
the Bible say, judge not lest you be judged, yet you condemn 
sodomy, you condemn abortion, you condemn euthanasia, you sure 
sound very judgmental. Well, perhaps Matthew 7 doesn't 
mean what you think it means. But look at what Jesus says, 
you are mistaken. I like the King James better, 
ye do error. The word is literally deceived. 
It's where we get planet from. Planets are wanderers. And the 
word means you wander. You're deceived. You're away 
from the beaten path. You are mistaken. You cannot, 
for a moment, try to make me fall prey to this particular 
riddle. Now notice, He not only declares 
their deception, but He demonstrates their deception by saying, You 
are mistaken, or ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the 
power of God. That's their problem. They don't 
know Scripture, they don't know the power of God. The Scripture 
teaches the resurrection from the dead. The scripture most 
certainly teaches that. I'm just going to announce a 
few. Perhaps in a couple of weeks we'll look at these in more detail. Job 19, 25 to 27. What does Job 
say? After he dies, I know that I 
shall see my Redeemer. Psalm 16, pointing obviously 
to the resurrection of Christ, which is paradigmatic or a pattern 
for the resurrection of everyone else. Psalm 49, Psalm 73, Isaiah 
25, Isaiah 26, Daniel 12, 2, Hosea 6, Hosea 13. You do err. You are mistaken. You are deceived 
because you don't know Scripture. You see, if you're an unbeliever 
here this morning, you may think you have that one thing. That 
one ace card, that one whole card where you know you can beat 
the claims of Christianity. For the Sadducees, it was this 
conundrum with reference to the seven men and their wife. They thought that one thing was 
going to be able to shut down Jesus. You may have that one 
thing as well. You've got that one discrepancy, 
or perceived discrepancy, or that one thing that you think 
is contradictory. You have that in your pocket, 
and you're quick to bring it out and say, well, I would believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ if it wasn't for that one thing. That 
one thing for some is, where did Cain get his wife? That one 
thing for some is, who are these sons of God in Genesis 6? That 
one thing for some is what they perceive to be contradictions 
in the gospel narrative. That one thing that you earnestly 
hold on to, that you have got and you're clinging to because 
it proves that your rebellion against God is somehow justified. You don't know Scripture. That's 
your problem. It's always frustrating to me 
when I hear the charges made against Christianity. You know, 
you Christians, you forbid homosexuality. But you know, in the book of 
Leviticus, God forbids shellfish. I don't hear you protesting against 
eating shrimp. I don't hear you writing congressmen 
and senators and members of parliament that they ought to ban lobster. 
You are inconsistent. Well, there's a question of hermeneutics 
and how the law functions in the old covenant. You can't talk 
to people like that. What? Hermeneutics? Who? Herman 
what? Unfortunately, you can't talk to a lot of Christians at 
that level, let alone the non-Christians. But look at what Jesus says. 
You do err because you don't know Scripture. If you are holding 
that one thing this morning, if you've got that one contradiction 
or perceived contradiction that proves Christianity is wrong 
and proves why you ought to continue in rebellion against God, I want 
to say with Christ, you do err not knowing the Scriptures. There 
are not contradictions. There is no falsity. There is 
no deceit. John Calvin made this comment, 
though Christ addresses the Sadducees, yet this reproof applies generally 
to all inventors of false doctrines. For since, or for, since God 
makes known His will clearly in the Scriptures, the want of 
acquaintance with them is the source and cause of all errors. You see, you never stop to think 
that maybe the problem is mine. Maybe I haven't studied it. Maybe 
I don't understand. Maybe there's something that 
transcends my ability. Yeah. Yeah. You have difficulty 
remembering to set your clocks forward once a year. And you're 
going to go toe-to-toe with the God of heaven and earth that 
is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. The God who spoke this world 
into being and who upholds it by the Word of His power. You're 
going to actually stand before that God and say, well, you know, 
back here in Leviticus, I perceive there's a contradiction. You 
need to do what Job did and shut your mouth. And shut it quick. He says, they do not know Scriptures, 
they do not know the power of God. They perceive that the resurrection 
must be just like this. Didn't even dawn on them, because 
again, they're rationalists. They're not governed by revelation, 
the Word of God. They're governed by what they 
know, what they perceive. They can't imagine there's a 
discontinuity between this age and the age to come. It must 
be the same in heaven as it is on earth. It must be just like 
we know now. And if that's the case, then 
this would be an instance where she would be forced to engage 
in an absurdity and take seven husbands. Jesus says, you don't 
know the power of God. It's interesting because the 
power of God is oft times associated with the resurrection. When God 
resurrects Christ, it is a display of the Father's power. When God 
resurrects the people, 1 Corinthians 15, we read it's a display of 
power. When there is this transformation 
of our lowly body into the likeness of His glorious body, that is 
a demonstration of God's power. And so Jesus says, you do err, 
you don't know Scripture, and you don't know the power of God. 
Now notice, He explains what the power of God looks like. 
Verse 30, For in the resurrection, got to appreciate this about 
Jesus, The Sadducees presupposed no resurrection. Jesus presupposes 
resurrection. Jesus just tells them like it 
is. Jesus assumes, for the sake of argument, that His position 
is right. Jesus doesn't present ten reasons 
why they ought to believe in the resurrection. Jesus is going 
to correct their thinking concerning the resurrection, and thus display 
to them what the power of God looks like. Notice, He describes 
the resurrection. He says, for in the resurrection, 
that probably means life in heaven, life in the age to come, life 
in that state which differs significantly than our state here. There is 
a difference between this age and the age to come. Note, he 
highlights the cessation of marriage. For in the resurrection they 
neither marry nor are given in marriage. Jesus could have dropped 
the mic right here and said, we're done. You see, if in the 
age to come there's no marriage, their riddle is rendered powerless. There's no problem. There's no 
issue. Given Jesus' assumption, given 
Jesus' knowledge of the Old Testament, given Jesus' comprehensive knowledge 
of all things, there is not a tension or a problem or an issue. There's 
no marriage in the eternal state. So, according to the riddle, 
these seven men and their bride, when they see each other in the 
eternal state, she doesn't have to try to pick one or the other 
or take them all. Marriage is no longer an issue. 
France says, the power of God creates something different, 
fitted to a life which is not temporary, but eternal. Sexual 
life is obviously affected by this, since procreation belongs 
to earthly, not to heavenly life, where there is no birth, growth, 
or death. You see, in heaven we're not 
going to announce that sister so-and-so is pregnant. We're 
not going to announce that brother and sister so-and-so are expecting 
another happy little bundle in nine months. This is a difference 
between this age and the age to come, which the Sadducees 
don't understand because they don't understand the power of 
God. Is God able to have another state, another sphere of existence 
that is different than ours? Yes. He's God. In the resurrection they neither 
marry nor are given in marriage. The marriers are the men and 
the ones given in marriage are the women. So no marriage, no 
procreation. That means no intimacy in terms 
of the marriage bed in heaven. Jesus says that is a discontinuity. There is a difference. It will 
not be the same in the age to come. So as France goes on, marriage 
as the institution within which earthly procreation is set is 
therefore out of place. Jesus silences their foolish 
riddle by saying, it's a non-issue. You've tried to present a problem 
that doesn't exist, because when these seven men and their bride 
die and go into heaven, marriage is not an issue. There's no such 
thing. And then notice he says, we'll 
be like the angels. This does not mean a change in 
nature. We will not become angels, we 
will be like angels. Luke, in the parallel passage, 
says we will be equal to the angels. The angels do not procreate. The angels do not multiply the 
way that human beings do. Angels do not engage in those 
particulars that are engaged in by humans in this world. So 
in the age to come, we'll neither marry, nor will we be given in 
marriage. But we'll be like the angels. 
Again, not partakers of their nature, but partakers of their 
function. We'll be in the presence of God. 
We'll be worshiping God. We'll be glorifying God. We'll 
be adoring God. I love the way Ryle explains 
it. Like them, the angels, we shall serve God perfectly. Doesn't 
that sound good? Don't you long for that? The 
best we do now is tainted with so much sin. I agree with the 
Puritan. We have to repent of our repentance. 
We have to confess our confession. We have to constantly say with 
that man, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. Even though 
you've given me evidence and affirmation and proof positive 
so many times, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. I love 
the reality that we see in Revelation 7, when the saints are assembled 
before the throne of God, and they stand there day and night. 
It was tough this morning, wasn't it? Setting that clock forward 
one hour and missing sleep. That's a precious commodity. 
An hour of sleep makes all the difference and you can get up 
and be a little bit grumbly and a little bit grumpy and try and 
justify yourself, well, you know, we lost an hour and because of 
that I'm not as chipper as I normally am. Revelation 7, they stand 
before the throne of God day and night. It's a crying shame 
that many of us who came from the world engaged in parties 
and revelries and debauchery and wickedness late into the 
wee hours. But man, if a sermon goes two 
minutes over, we're looking at our watches and we're grumbling 
in our hearts and we cannot believe that he goes long. But man, Friday 
night, Saturday morning, three in the morning, another beer, 
another this, another... How is it that the wretched have 
so much more energy for their pursuits than the righteous do? 
Revelation 7 holds out a promise of better things. We're going 
to stand before the throne of God and we're not going to whine, 
we're not going to grumble, we're not going to be looking around 
saying, I can't wait to leave. We're going to be in the presence 
of God and the Lamb who sits on the throne. That's what we 
were created for. We will embrace it wholeheartedly 
because God in His grace will so deal with our wills that He 
will confirm us in holiness. That's a happier day. Ryle says, 
like them, the angels, we shall serve God perfectly, unhesitatingly, 
and unweariedly. Like them, we shall ever be in 
God's presence. Like them, we shall ever delight 
to do His will. You see, Sadducees, ye do err, 
not knowing the power of God, nor the Scriptures. Ye do err 
not understanding what the Lord Most High is able to do. He has 
in His vast creation this sphere that is heavenly. He has in His 
vast creation this sphere which is earthly. And while there is 
continuity, you'll still be Bill and I'll still be Jim. There 
is discontinuity. We'll no longer be married or 
given in marriage to whatever our wives' names happen to be. 
We'll no longer procreate. We won't populate heaven. the 
way that we populate earth. The Sadducees didn't understand 
this, and they tried to speak to something they just didn't 
know. Again, that person that holds that one card, that one 
trump card where they can refute the claims of Christianity, never 
even begin to think that they don't know everything. Never 
begin to think or entertain the thought that they could be wrong, 
and that the God of heaven and earth is right. Notice, Jesus 
appealed to Scripture. Verses 31 to 32. Remember I said that the Sadducees only accepted 
as sort of the main word of God the first five books of Moses. 
Perhaps you even remember when I cited Old Testament passages 
for the resurrection of the dead, I didn't cite from the Torah 
or the first five books. Jesus does. Jesus does. Okay, Sadducees, 
even on your suppositions, even playing with your cards, even 
playing according to your rules, let's just look at that passage 
where God comes to Moses in the burning bush. He goes to Exodus 
chapter 3 to validate the reality of the resurrection of the dead. 
It is brilliant! Again, Jesus doesn't need Jim 
to confirm or affirm that he's brilliant, but he is brilliant. 
infinite wisdom on display right before our eyes, the way He silences 
the Pharisees and the Herodians. I mentioned that sometimes people 
really knock it out of the park. They give good answers along 
the way in their lives. They say funny things. You know, 
they just hit it at that moment. No one does that consistently. 
No one does that perpetually. No one does that 24-7 save our 
beloved Lord. Notice, He appeals. Verse 31, 
but concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read 
what was spoken to you by saying? Before we actually cite the verse, 
I want you to pay attention to what Jesus says to these Sadducees. 
In the first place, he highlights the authority of Scripture. What's 
the final court of appeal in matters of religious controversy? is not what my pastor said, it's 
certainly not what Benny Hinn said, it's not what that council 
said, it's not what that synod said, it's not what Trent said. 
Now, obviously we subscribe to the London Confession of Faith. 
I think it is an excellent summary statement of those things most 
surely believed among us. That statement tells us that 
it is the Scripture that is the final appeal, the final court 
of appeal. The authority of the Word of 
God Notice as well what Jesus says in just sort of a passing 
reference. I don't think this is the main 
point, but I want you to appreciate verse 31 concerning the resurrection 
of the dead. Have you not read what was spoken 
to you? Sadducees, many, many, many, 
many years after Exodus 3 took place, Do you understand that 
this morning the Scriptures are speaking to you? that it's not 
a distant letter, or it's a distant collection of dusty books that 
have no relevance. Jesus says to these Sadducees, 
these deniers of the power of God, these men who do not understand 
Scripture, Jesus says that this burning bush passage, God spoke 
this to you. Now certainly He spoke it to 
Moses, but there is an abiding validity to the truth of God. 
It lingers, it permeates. We're always under the authority 
of spoken Scripture. And notice what he goes on to 
say, it was spoken by God. I don't know if Jesus is picking 
up on their subtlety. Teacher, Moses. Moses, God. He says God spoke. The Lord spoke. You need to take 
heed to what is given. He cites Exodus 3. He says, I am the God of Abraham, 
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God 
of the dead, but of the living. Isn't that brilliant? The argument 
goes in two directions. Not two directions like this, 
but two directions like this. In the first place, the grammar, 
the language that he uses is a present tense. So while God 
speaks to Moses at the burning bush, God is able to say, I am 
presently the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of 
Jacob. Now remember, Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob had died several years prior to this meeting between 
God and Moses. I am. What's that imply? What 
does that infer? It means that Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob have continued on. And I am their God. the resurrection 
from their own approved Torah, the resurrection from Exodus 
3.6. R.T. Frantz says, you know, at this 
point, we probably, you know, the temptation is, or ought to 
be, not to be too hard on these Sadducees. That's a tough one, 
isn't it, to try and sort of pull that out? I differ with 
Frantz here. The simplicity and the brilliance 
of it makes me go, why didn't I get that? Why didn't I understand 
that when God says, I am the God, that means they're still 
around? They may not be, you know, on Chilliwack, Chili Bull 
lanes, but they're somewhere because God is their God. Right? It's simple. We should have all 
got that. Sadducees should be faulted. How could God in the present 
tense say, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, if there were 
no Isaac, Abraham, or Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Spurgeon explains, 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had long been dead when the Lord 
spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. His words implied that 
the patriarchs were still living. His covenant was made with those 
who still existed. Remember I said it goes in two 
directions. One, the present tense. God is 
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But Spurgeon alludes to 
the second, covenant. Our covenant God doesn't enter 
into a covenant of life with us to let us die. He doesn't 
let us go. He doesn't let us depart. He doesn't let us leave Him. 
When He covenants to be our God, and He covenants that we shall 
be His people, does anything dissolve that? Does anything 
destroy that? Does anything get in the way 
of that? Absolutely not! I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob. I did enter into covenant with 
them. I will never let them go. I will 
never leave them. I will never forsake them. Frantz 
speaks to this, the covenant by which he binds himself to 
them is too strong to be terminated by their death. Just said this 
yesterday, pronouncing Steele and Rebecca, husband and wife, 
they're husband and wife till death does them part. Once death 
comes, there's separation. Once death comes, there is dissolution. Once death comes, there is no 
more marriage. Paul says that in Romans 7. A 
woman can remarry when her husband dies. Why? Because the first 
is done. What's France saying? What's 
God telling us? What has God underscored in His 
covenant? It's not going to be done. It's 
not going to be terminated. It's not going to go away. You 
may get hit by a truck this afternoon, and you're going to be launched 
into the presence of your God. That's what He's saying. The 
covenant by which He binds Himself to them is too strong to be terminated 
by their death. To be associated with the living 
God is to be taken beyond the temporary life of earth into 
a relationship which lasts as long as God lasts. Go home and be happy today, brethren. 
The covenant you are in with your God lasts as long as God 
lasts. Beautiful. I want to close with 
a few thoughts in just a moment, but in terms of exposition, look 
at the reaction in verse 33. There's actually three reactions 
to what Jesus says. The multitudes, the Pharisees, 
and the Sadducees. The first place, the multitudes. 
Notice in verse 33, and when the multitudes heard this, they 
were astonished at his teaching. You'd have to be, right? If I 
walked into your place of employment and you did something that was 
amazing and dazzling, I'd be astonished. I don't know you 
on that level. I haven't got to benefit from 
your prowess and your ability and your savvy and whatever it 
is that God has made you to do. So if I saw that, I'd be astonished. 
Well, I didn't know you could do that. Wow, I didn't know you 
could do that. That's amazing. They were astonished 
at his teaching. You know how the Pharisees responded? 
They said, well done, Jesus. Well done. Impressive. Remember, Pharisees and Sadducees 
differed theologically. Sadducees and Pharisees probably 
discussed this same scenario and no doubt the same riddle. 
In Luke's gospel, in the parallel passage to this, we read, "...scribes 
answered, Teacher, you have spoken well." I guarantee you they were 
not the scribes of the Sadducees. They were the scribes of the 
Pharisees. They knew a good argument when 
they saw it. They can be condemned for a whole host of things, but 
in this, they're right on. Teacher, you have spoken well. Probably said, wish we would 
have thought that way. Keep that one in your hopper 
for the next time we meet the Sadducees at Starbucks and we 
discuss the resurrection. Let's remember Exodus 3, 6, guys. Teacher, you have spoken well. 
What about the Sadducees? They were bested. Look at verse 
34. But when the Pharisees heard 
that He had silenced The Sadducees. It's an interesting word. It's 
the same word we find in the parable of the wedding feast 
with the man who's found out without the wedding feast. What 
is he? He is speechless when the certain king comes to him. 
Jesus has rendered his opponents speechless. They are silenced. They are bested. They cannot 
proffer an explanation. They cannot say, Yeah, but... 
They cannot rebut the wisdom with which he has spoken. Now, 
I want you to appreciate this. I want you to appreciate what 
I'm about to say. The multitudes were astonished 
at his teaching. And a bulk of these multitudes 
will be heard in two days saying, Away with him, away with him, 
crucify him. Don't be like that. I said it 
last week. We marvel at what Jesus says. 
Show me the coin. Whose inscription is on the coin? 
Well, then give it back to Caesar. That's impressive. But their 
hearts weren't changed. They didn't bow and confess Him. 
They didn't believe in Him. If you were astonished at His 
teaching this morning, don't just stay there. Believe Him. Look to Him. Throw your soul 
upon Him. As we sing in 393, venture on 
Him, venture wholly. Do not remain astonished at the 
teaching of Christ while in rebellion against the teaching of Christ. 
Do not say, well, I followed the argument this morning and 
I see the wisdom of the Lord, and on the one hand, that is 
astonishing, but on the other hand, I'm going to just go glut 
myself in sin. I'm going to go violate the law of God with impunity. I'm going to continue to do those 
things which He condemns. That's falling. It's shame. It's 
wickedness. It's evil. It's vile. It's corrupt. 
You need to believe. You need to look. You need to 
move from astonishment to saying, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Pharisees, the same thing. Teacher, 
you have spoken well! And yet they're going to lead 
the rabble, lead the cause, and the way with him, away with him, 
crucify him. What about the Sadducees? They're 
silenced, they're bested, but they don't forsake their doctrine. 
I mentioned earlier Acts 23.8, where Luke tells us they deny 
the resurrection, they don't believe in the Spirit, they don't 
believe in the angels, which is interesting. Doesn't Jesus 
just assume angels as well? Sadducees don't believe in angels. 
Jesus said, they're going to be like the angels in heaven. 
We don't believe in them either, Lord. Jesus doesn't care. Just 
listen to the truth. That's an intriguing passage 
in Acts 23. Paul is before the Sanhedrin. 
And Paul knows that the Sanhedrin, the religious council, is made 
up of Pharisees and Sadducees. And Paul says, I'm on trial today 
for no other thing than the hope of the resurrection of the dead. 
The Pharisees said, he's not that bad of a guy. The Sadducees 
got upset. They railed against the Apostle 
Paul because he had dared affirm the resurrection of the dead. 
So all that to say, these men were bested by the Lord Jesus 
himself, and yet they cling to their heresy. It's just like 
that time. There was a contest at Carmel 
back in the Old Testament book, First Kings. There are all these 
prophets of Baal and prophets of Asherah. Those were the false 
gods of the Canaanites that many of the Israelites went a-whoring 
after. And God sends Elijah to challenge Israel. And Elijah 
comes up with this test. We'll present a sacrifice, and 
whoever's God consumes the sacrifice, that one's God is legit. Seem 
like a good agreement, seem like a good arrangement. Everything 
is prepared. They cry to Asherah, they cry 
to Baal, they cut themselves, they dance around, they're agonizing 
to try and get that divine intervention. Nothing. No fire, no consumption, 
no smoke, no nothing. Elijah offers up a prayer that 
probably is six seconds to read at the most, and the fire of 
Yahweh comes down and consumes it. Don't you think that would 
be a powerful tonic to turn people away from Baal? It wasn't. Guess what happens? They still 
go a-whoring after Baal. Guess what's going to happen 
this morning? You've been presented with the truth of Holy Scripture. 
You've been presented with the claims of Christ. You have been 
told, believe on Him. And yet, some of you, I don't 
know who, are going to go out these doors this morning and 
go a-whoring after whatever idol it is that has your heart. So 
you see, you're in the text. You're either an astonished multitude, 
a commendatory Pharisee, or a silenced Sadducee. And my encouragement 
and my counsel to you today is to forsake your sin and rebellion 
and look to the Lord Jesus. Lay down your arms. Raise the 
white flag. I hate that Arminian appeal. 
We need to surrender to Jesus. But there is that emphasis. Stop thinking you're the measure 
of all things. Stop thinking you have it all 
figured out. Stop thinking that Baal, or Asherah, 
or money, or sex, or porn, or friends, or peers, or iPhones, 
or sports, are more wonderful than the Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. Forsake your wicked ways and 
come to the Lord of glory." You know what He does when you come? 
He receives you. He says so in John 6, 37. All 
that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes 
to me I will certainly not cast out. That's beautiful, isn't 
it? I might cast you out. If you 
called me on a Thursday and I was not happy, you'd go, call me 
back. I don't feel like talking. I hope I don't do that. He doesn't 
cast people out. He's Jesus. This is his job. 
This is what he does. He receives sinners to himself. 
As we look in conclusion, I do want to mention something about 
marriage. The text tells us about marriage. It's wonderful as it 
was yesterday, marrying these two young people and reflecting 
back on, you know, when I first married my bride, there was a 
lot of love, I hope, and not as much as there should have 
been. It just gets better after 30 years, right? Doesn't marriage 
get better? And you get to that point where 
you appreciate the one fleshness, you just find your groove, you 
find your jive, and you just love each other, and it's just 
wonderful. You start to think about, wow, in heaven we're not 
going to be married anymore. I don't want to think about that. 
She's me. I'm her. She definitely loses 
in that transaction, but it is the reality, right? I think there's 
something we ought to appreciate about marriage in this passage. 
The first thing I think we should observe is that we ought not 
to mix states. Do not try to mix the heavenly 
and the earthly. This is the era of Islam and 
Mormonism. What lurks beyond the grave in 
Islam and Mormonism? Sexual relations. Jesus says 
it's not going to be that way. Don't mix the states. Don't ruin or blur the distinction. We mustn't mix it the other way. The ascetics, the monks, some 
sections of Romanism, You need to be like the angels and embrace 
virginity on earth. No. I'm on earth, and Jesus says 
it's legit to take a wife. Jesus says it's good. Now, if 
you've been given the gift of continence, by all means, praise 
God, serve God in that capacity, but never be manipulated by someone 
who says, you need to be like the angels and be a virgin. No, you need to be a virgin until 
you get married, and then God be praised. He has created the 
marriage bed undefiled. So, you don't want to mix the 
states. It's perfectly legit to have 
husbands, to have wives, to enjoy that blessed bond. I still haven't 
dealt with the issue. What about me when I get to heaven? 
I don't think it's going to be the case that our love vanishes. Marriage, procreation, the earthly 
aspects will be gone. But brethren, if we're going 
to recognize Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I certainly would 
like to think I'm going to recognize the woman I've slept with for 
30 years. I love what Frantz says here. 
It is beautiful. He says, perhaps heavenly relationships 
are not something less than marriage, but something more. He says, 
Jesus does not say that the love between those who have been married 
on earth will vanish, but rather implies that it will be broadened. 
Let's go back to the riddle. When the seven brothers meet 
their bride, there's going to be an equal amount of love all 
around. There's not going to be jealousy. There's not going 
to be envy. There's not going to be anger. Brother three isn't 
going to be mad at brother seven. Heaven is, as Edwards described, 
a world of love. It will be broadened so that 
no one is excluded. France says our problem is that 
we, like the Sadducees, have only this life's experience by 
which to measure what is to come. We do not know what it is like 
to be like angels in heaven. I mean, brethren, if earthly 
marriage is a blessing, and the distinction of marriage is going 
to be obliterated, we must realize the love will not be. We will 
get to be together forever in heaven, but just in a different 
sphere. Unbelievers, you need to recognize 
the authority and importance of the scripture. You do err, 
Jesus says, not knowing the scriptures. You need as well to recognize 
that your objections to Christianity do not make you smarter than 
Jesus. I don't know if this bugs some 
of you, but when you are talking to people, they act like they 
know it all, don't they? You get this with kids sometimes. 
They've got it all figured out. At 15, they've solved the mysteries 
of the universe. Well, you teach me, son. Guide 
me in the way. No, that's not the way we approach 
it. Listen to Ryle. He calls this supposed cases. I called it the one thing. The 
whole card. That one particular that you 
hold on to so you can disprove Christianity and legitimize your 
rebellion against the living God. Ryle says, supposed cases 
are one of the favorite strongholds in which an unbelieving mind 
loves to entrench itself. Such a mind will often set up 
a shadow of its own imagining and fight with it as if it was 
a truth. He says, such a mind will often 
refuse to look at the overwhelming mass of plain evidence by which 
Christianity is supported, and will fasten down on some one 
single difficulty which it fancies unanswerable. That is so true. You appreciate that evolutionary 
thought and and skeptic thought, and free thinkers, and atheists, 
and rationalists. There's nothing new under the 
sun. Jesus had to combat the same sort of people in His day 
that we combat today. And they grasp this one thing. 
If you're grasping one thing this morning to try and legitimize 
your rebellion against God, as I said earlier, let it go! Believe on the Lord Jesus. And 
finally, I think this text holds out encouragement for believers. 
The resurrection is a reality and those in Christ will be blessed 
without measure. We confess with the Nicene Creed, 
and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the 
world to come. Amen. There is something beyond 
this sphere. There is something beyond this 
age. There is something more excellent, 
more glorious, and more wonderful. It is when, by God's grace, through 
the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ, and through His power 
in resurrecting us, we will be in the presence of the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And I think this text holds out 
an encouragement that the resurrection is a reality for those who have 
already departed. If God Almighty is the God of 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God Almighty is the God of our dearly 
beloved ones who have preceded us to glory. Rutherford said, 
He is not lost to us who is found in Christ. He has not gone away, 
but before. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob. He is the God of those whom we 
have lost. Well, let us pray. Father, we thank you for the 
Word of God. We thank you for the comfort that it brings to 
us, to our weary hearts. Lord, help us to think more concerning 
the resurrection. Help us to think more concerning 
heaven, that blessed place where love is the reality, where relationships 
are pure and holy, where we will be like the angels, given to 
worship our God day and night. Lord, may we have a taste of 
that through passages like these, and may they be a great encouragement 
and help to us in this lower world. And may you cause us, 
Lord God Almighty, to walk with perseverance, with steadfast 
endurance to that prize that lay before us. For any and all 
here, God, that are not believers on Jesus Christ, we pray to you, 
the God who is powerful in the resurrection. We know you are 
powerful in the spiritual resurrection, that first resurrection wherein 
you change the hearts of men and women, boys and girls. We 
know that You are sovereign in regeneration, and we pray that 
You would do that even this morning. That You would take the Word 
of God, that You would cause that Word to find its mark in 
hearts, and cause sinners here to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. And we pray these things in His most blessed name. Amen.