Misguided Appreciation
I had wanted to title this message “there is such a thing as a stupid question”, but I decided that would be disrespectful. The following passage is from The Message, which is not so much of a translation but a paraphrasing or interpretation of scripture into modern English. It was authored by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002. I really enjoy its’ interpretation of stories such as the following.
That same day, Sadducees approached him. This is the party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow and father a child with her. Here’s a case where there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no child, and his wife passed to his brother. The second brother also left her childless, then the third—and on and on, all seven. Eventually the wife died. Now here’s our question: At the resurrection, whose wife is she? She was a wife to each of them.”
Jesus answered, “You’re off base on two counts: You don’t know what God said, and you don’t know how God works. At the resurrection we’re beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding your speculation on whether the dead are raised or not, don’t you read your Bibles? The grammar is clear: God says, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’ The living God defines himself not as the God of dead men, but of the living.” Hearing this exchange the crowd was much impressed. Matthew 22:23-33 [The Message]
I would always chuckle at people saying the Sadducees were miserable, because they were “sad you see”. Childish of me – yes – but it still makes me laugh. We encounter them every day, don’t we – the people who say they are “spiritual” but the idea of a life after death is beyond their comprehension, and who will choose to bring ridiculous arguments, not to bolster their position so much but to destroy the position of others. And that’s exactly what the Sadducees try to do – to ridicule Jesus. He responds by pointing out that their understanding of God’s word is “off”; “don’t you read your Bibles?” “I am – not was“; not the God of dead men but of those living – living with Him.
In John 141-4 [NASB] we read “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.”
Can there be any stronger promise that this? And if you already believe in Jesus Christ, then you know you can trust His promise because of The Resurrection – the greatest gift we will ever receive.
Lord Jesus.
I know your love for me. I trust in your promises, and I receive them with a willing heart.
Let my actions always reflect to others, the love you show for me as I receive the promise of life everlasting.
Amen.