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Issue about resurrection (Mk 12:18-27)
When the New Testament talks about resurrection or life after death, the discussion may concern different issues about the resurrected body, such as the three aspects below in I Corinthians 15:
1. whether there is resurrection at all
I Cor 15:12, “how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?”
2. the form and nature of the resurrected body
I Cor 15:35 “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”
3. the timing of the resurrection
I Cor 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
(question)
Here in Mark, the issue was raised by the Sadducees: “Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, ‘Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.’ ” (v18-19). They were talking about the family relationship of the resurrected bodies. According to Moses’ writing, in order for the older brother’s family to have descendants, the younger brother is forced to marry his brother’s wife. Based on this rule, the Sadducees then out of their logical mind thought out a special case, in which there were 7 brothers in the family. The wife of the eldest brother was married 7 times to all the 7 brothers one after the other, because they all died without kids after marrying her.(v20-22) The question they raised was: “In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? For the seven had her to wife.” (v23) The reason why they asked such question, of course, was to prove that their disbelief of resurrection was correct. If there were no such thing as resurrection, there would never exist the above complicated family relationship after death.
(answer)
Jesus immediately said that the Sadducees not only “err” (v24) but “greatly err” (v27) in their thinking. He pointed out that they did not understand what they read in the Bible: “Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” (v24) He followed by illustrating his saying with two important points, which further proved that they were absolutely wrong in believing that there was no resurrection at all.
1. First, he said, “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as
the angels which are in heaven.” (v25)
This point is concerned with the special case they imagined in their minds. Jesus said clearly that angels did not get married. And our resurrected bodies will not get married like the angels in heaven. That means there is no marriage at all in heaven, which further means that there won’t be any family relationship by birth in heaven.
How about our past relationship with our relatives that exists by marriage and by birth? If we and our relatives go to heaven together, will our past relationship continue to exist in heaven? Please consider this point that Jesus said: his answer to the Sadducees aimed at denying the spouse relationship that they imagined in their minds. Although the woman had married seven brothers when they were still alive, she had no more spouse relationship with any one of them in heaven. Therefore, the question of “whose wife shall she be of them?” was no longer valid. From this perspective, our relationship with our family and relatives on earth will not permanently exist in heaven. Even though we can see our believing relatives in heaven, I believe that our family relationship on earth will not extend to heaven. All of the believers are spiritual brothers and sisters in God’s family. Rev 2:17 mentions that the believers will be given a new name in heaven: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
2. Then Jesus said, “And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the
bush God spake unto him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob'?” (v26)
The Sadducees imagined the question based on Moses’ writing. Jesus also quoted Moses’ writing to point out their misunderstanding of the concept of resurrection. He further explained, “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.” (v27) Since God is the God of the living, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are all living in heaven. If they were still dead, God would not claim Himself to be their God. A simple Bible verse already overturned the wrong belief of the Sadducees. No wonder in Matthew 22 is found the response of the crowd in this incident as such: “when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.” (Matt 22:33)
Perhaps we are thinking that if we lose our earthly family relationship in heaven, we shall be quite disappointed. However, let us consider it this way. Although our long–term relationship on earth may no longer exist in heaven, we have an eternal relationship in heaven that must be more intimate and perfect than our earthly relationship. What’s rmore, our family concept is extended to include all the believers. Isn’t it a more beautiful family relationship for all of us who are in heaven?