"THE HEART ISSUE" (2)

Matthew 22:23-23 - Make three observations

Mark 12:18:27 - Make three observations

Luke 20:27-40 - Make three observations

Proposition - As we look to God’s Word this morning we are going to see 1) the challenger, 2) the challenge, and 3) the response to the challenge.

Interrogative question - Where are you at with God?

1. The Challenger - vs. 23

Matthew 22:23 NASB95

23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,

Who are the Sadducees?

Sadducees The Sadducees were aristocrats. They were the party of the wealthy and of the high priestly families. They were in charge of the temple, its services, and concessions. They claimed to be descendants of Zadok, high priest of Solomon. True derivation of the term is unknown. In all our literature they stand in opposition to the Pharisees. They were social conservatives, seeking to preserve the practices of the past. They opposed the oral law, accepting the Pentateuch as the ultimate authority. The Sadducees were materialistic in their outlook. They did not believe in life after death or rewards or punishment beyond this life. They denied the existence of angels and demons. They did not believe that God was concerned with what people did. Rather, people were totally free. They were politically oriented, supporters of ruling powers, whether Seleucids or Romans. They tolerated no threats to their position and wealth, so they strongly opposed Jesus. Draper, C. W. with Harrop Clayton. (2003). Jewish Parties in the New Testament. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 917). Holman Bible Publishers.

In the NT: The NT mentions the Sadducees occasionally, often in conjunction with the Pharisees, but does not present a coherent picture. The Sadducees, in contrast to the Pharisees, do not believe in life after death (Mark 12:18 and parallels; Acts 23:8) or in angels and spirits (Acts 23:8). But the Sadducees are lumped with the Pharisees as opponents of Jesus (Matt. 3:7; 16:6). In Acts (4:1; 5:17; 23:6) Sadducees are active in the Temple, associated with the priests and members of the Sanhedrin. The NT assumes the presence of the Sadducees but does not describe them fully nor differentiate them fully from the Pharisees. Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). In Harper’s Bible dictionary (1st ed., p. 891). Harper & Row.

Pharisees and Sadducees had little in common. Pharisees were ritualists; Sadducees were rationalists. Pharisees were legalists; Sadducees were liberals. Pharisees were separatists; Sadducees were compromisers and political opportunists. Yet they united together in their opposition to Christ (22:15, 16, 23, 34, 35). MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1397). Word Pub.

What is their objective?

2. The Challenge - vs. 24-28

Matthew 22:24–28 (NASB95)

24 asking, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 “Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; 26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 “Last of all, the woman died. 28 “In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”

In your own words what is the challenge?

What passage are the Sadducees referring too?

Deuteronomy 25:5–10 (NASB95)

5 “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.

6 “It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. 7 “But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’

8 “Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 “In Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’

What is the significance of this situation?

3. The Response to the Challenge - vs. 29-32

Matthew 22:29–32 NASB95

29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘I am 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.”

What do the Sadducees not understand?

Not Understanding the Scriptures

Not Understanding the Power of God

What is the significance of Jesus’ response?

22:32 I am the God of Abraham Jesus quotes Exod 3:6 (which, as part of the Pentateuch, was authoritative for the Sadducees; see note on Matt 22:23). This verse reports God’s self-revelation to Moses at the burning bush. By saying “I am” (rather than “I was”), God indicates that His relationship with the patriarchs is ongoing even after their deaths—which supports a future resurrection (compare Rev 20:4–6, 11–15). Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Mt 22:32). Lexham Press.

SO WHAT??

Where are you at with God?