Day 26
Start with Posture of Silence and Solitude (2 minutes)
Read Scripture: Luke 20:27-40 The Resurrection and Marriage
Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Devotional:
The Sadducees, another group of conservative religious leaders, only saw the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, as the law they followed. They questioned Jesus about marriage and the resurrection because neither was mentioned in those books from the standpoint they were asking as these questions stumped them.
Jesus’ spoke about marriage saying that people will recognize their partners in heaven but that we must not think of heaven as an extension of life as we know it now. We don’t know how we will relate to each other in heaven but Jesus affirms that relationships will be different from what we are used to here and now.
When speaking of the resurrection, Jesus used the passage in Genesis, where Moses, an authority they respected, pointed out that the dead will rise. This was probably most difficult for them to understand given the context.
However, we know that we often ask hard questions of God and his word and welcome an honest answer. Sometimes we are asked these questions about our faith. They can be a test to see if we can answer hard questions. Or they are asked to see if we are willing to listen and care.
Questions to ponder:
- When have you questioned God’s authority in a particular area of your life? What was the outcome?
- What preparations can you make for the tough questions that you will be asked as a believer?
- Given this passage, what is the best way for you to pray today?
End with Posture of Silence and Solitude (2 minutes)
