Jesus
replied, "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you
don't know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry
nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in
heaven. But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read
about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long
after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, 'I am the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the
living, not the dead. You have made a serious error." Mark 12:24-27
God is the God of the living, not the dead. Jesus
spoke these words during His last week on earth before His crucifixion. He was
speaking to the Sadducees who were a Jewish religious sect that did not believe
in the resurrection or in angels. They were testing Jesus…and He threw their
challenges back at them.
We are all
going to die sometime. That is part of being human. Even Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob died. But by knowing Jesus, knowing God and having a relationship with
them, we have the hope of eternal life and resurrection. Our God is the God of
the living—so even now as we “live” spiritually we have entered into this
eternal life. In His discussion with the Pharisee Nicodemus Jesus said…
I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God
without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human
life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. John 3:5-6
The Sadducees
were faulty in not knowing the Scriptures. They made a serious error. Are we any better? What do you
know of the resurrection? Even the disciples didn’t understand that Jesus was
going to be resurrected until it happened.
Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first
also went in, and he saw and believed—for until then they still hadn't understood the
Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. John 20:8-9
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In this
discussion with the Sadducees, Jesus mentioned when the dead rise. That will be our resurrection. Paul teaches
about the dead in Christ rising.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to
know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve
like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was
raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring
back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the
Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of
those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a
commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of
God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then,
together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be
caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the
Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Have hope. Glorious
hope. God has a plan.
"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and
love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because
of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life
through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through
Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave
us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." Titus 3:4-7
There is
nothing we can “do” except believe. Are you ready? Do you have that
relationship with Jesus that gives you this hope? It will be a glorious day
when we experience that resurrection that Jesus spoke of with the Sadducees. Don't make a serious error and ignore God's words.
Prayer
~ Lord, we are filled with hope and look forward to the glorious resurrection
that You have promised. May more and more people open their hearts to You—even today—to
understand the Scriptures and not be mistaken like the Sadducees. Give us all
wisdom to understand You more fully.
Daily
Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalm
136
Happy 6th Birthday,
sweet grandgirl Lydia!
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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