37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” – Luke 20:38
Authority
Jesus certainly “made a splash” when He came on the scene as a Rabbi. Both His content and His manner made a great impression on the throngs that heard Him. To His audiences, His authority was unique. To the dismay of the the religious leaders of the day (i.e. scribes, pharisees, sadducees, etc.), the teaching of Jesus was contrasted very favorably with theirs.
22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. – Mark 1:22
But it wasn’t just the content and manner with which Jesus spoke, but the power as well that separated Him from His “peers”.
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” – Mark 1:27
When Jesus spoke, even the demons had to obey Him. But where did this authority come from? The established order would stoop to great lows to find out.
Cunning
As Luke records in the twentieth chapter of his gospel, when they could no longer take the suspense, the chief priests and the scribes along with the elders approached Jesus and demanded that He tell them where He got His authority. Who gave it to Him? Seeing their motive, Jesus chose to answer their question with one of His own. One which they refused to answer for fear of the crowd. Hence Jesus refused to answer them as well. But the “game” wasn’t over.
Later, the chief priests and scribes would send spies out to see if they couldn’t catch Him in saying something condemning. After failing to trap Jesus with a question about taxes and loyalty to Caesar, the chief priests were reduced to spectator status as the Sadducees would now try their hand.
Since they did not believe in the resurrection, the Sadducees attempted to trip up Jesus with a ridiculous hypothetical question about seven brothers who over time shared a common wife. After the first died childless, the second married her and died childless, and so on. In the resurrection, which of the seven brothers would she be married to? In their cunning, they presented Jesus a great opportunity to teach on the afterlife.
The Living
The Sadducees placed unique emphasis exclusively on the writings of Moses. Hence Jesus quotes their “authority” in stating that the Lord is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. In stating thus, Moses was not making a profound statement about God per se, but rather a profound statement about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At least that is what Jesus focuses on. If these men are not alive, how is the Lord their God?
38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” – Luke 2o:38
Don’t miss the point. Those that have attained the resurrection of the dead are not concerned with earthly things (like marriage) as good as they may be. Further, like the angels, they are now out of the reach of death. Despite your lack of belief, Sadducees, the patriarchs have defeated the grave. Don’t be sidetracked, the patriarchs are alive and God is their God.
Funerals
7 These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. – Genesis 25:7-10
28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. – Genesis 35:28-29
29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. – Genesis 49:29-33
As these passages plainly show, the deaths of the patriarchs were undeniable facts. If you wanted proof, you could go to the cave in the field at Machpelah and see their remains. But their remains only tell part of the story. If we look at death from only one side of the grave we are practical Sadducees. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all died at a good old age, and each of them was mourned over and buried by his children. What more could a person ask for?
Coming Up
5 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved? – Song of Solomon 8:5
Timothy Keller jokes that when he first read Song of Solomon it made him blush and ask whether Jesus knew that little book was in the Bible. Since marriage is ordained by God, and the Church is the Bride of Christ, I am sure that we are all thankful that it is in the Holy Scriptures showing us Christ’s love for His bride. And after all of the death’s we have celebrated recently, this verse in particular has taken on a “new” meaning for me.
Tomorrow, we are going to lay to rest the remains of Baby Josie Rae. The cemetery and the grave will be real enough. The casket made by her beloved grandfather will be real enough as well. There will be tears and deep grief just as there was at the funerals of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph. But I don’t want to miss what the Sadducees missed. I don’t want to miss the other side of the grave. The side we get a glimpse of in Song of Solomon.
While we are laying to rest the earthly tent of little Josie, Heaven’s audience will be asking, “Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” With a smile on His face, Jesus will introduce Josie to her eternal family. As Josie returns the smile, we will have to wonder if there was ever a more beautiful bride. As depictive as it may be, the Song of Solomon can only give us a glimpse of the bliss Josie is experiencing. The reason there is no marriage in Heaven Sadducees, is because as part of the Church, we, the Living, are Christ’s bride.
Leaning
As Josie is promoted from the wilderness to glory, she is leaning on Jesus’ arm in ecstasy. How could she not? But she is not the only one leaning on the Beloved. As we go through life’s trials and tribulations, we too must lean on the arm of Jesus to support us like nobody or nothing else can. At times, He is our only refuge. And thankfully so.
As the Sadducees well knew, death and funerals are real. And tomorrow morning we will experience once again the sorrow they bring into our earthly existence. To add insult to injury, there will be no celebration in an “old age” or “full of life” testimony as all too soon we bury another stillborn baby.
Unlike the funerals of the patriarchs, tomorrow it will be parents and grandparents saying goodbye to a descendent, not children and grandchildren saying goodbye to an ancestor. As her little body is laid to rest and covered, Josie will take with her so many dreams and plans that will also be laid to rest and covered. When she is, the enemy will resort to his cunning to plant seeds of doubt in the fresh dirt of her grave. When he does, we will have to remember who it is we are leaning on, because the enemy doesn’t want us to lean on Him.
Beloved
Isaiah chapter 53 tells us that the Savior had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. But after making these statements about the appearance of Christ, Isaiah goes on to tell us about His real beauty. Specifically, he tells us what Christ sacrificed on our behalf as the suffering Servant. I guess I can’t say it any better than Isaiah did so here it is.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Because love compelled Him to stretch out His arms on the cruel cross, our Beloved has authority over Satan, death and the grave. Accordingly, today, Josie has the privilege of leaning on His arm in Heaven, and we have the privilege of leaning on Him here in the wilderness. Some day we too will be promoted like Josie, and can you imagine the faces of our loved ones when they see us and exclaim, “Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on the Beloved?”
38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” – Luke 20:38
God grant us the faith to see reality from the other side of the grave, even while we are mourning in the wilderness.