Mark 12:18-27 A Glimpse of Heaven

Joel and Mary Nadel, Covenant Church

From J.C. Ryle’s “Expository Comments on the Gospels - Mark”

House Rules: Phones, Respect, Stay on the Text

Pray

Background

Approaching the end of Jesus earthly ministry

First part was Him establishing His purpose for God’s people - that He/the Son of God, had come to save His people from their sins - Repent and believe the Gospel

Jesus has now entered into Jerusalem amid much excitement among the entire population - we are in the last week of Jesus’ life

His popularity is frightening to the Roman and Jewish political and religious leadership

Jesus is challenging the Jewish religious leaders over their leadership and their corruption - unable to discredit Him they are now secretly building a case to have Him executed

Mark 12:18–27 NASB95

Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. “There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. “The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. “In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. “But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘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; you are greatly mistaken.”

Introduction

A conversation between our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Sadducees

On the face of it, it seems a very strange conversation - an odd question they pose

The Sadducees were not unbelievers, but they did not teach God’s Word - heresy

They were essentially what we would call Deists today

God created everything and then left it alone

God took no interest in the affairs of men and women

They believed in no resurrection - they were essentially existentialists - there are many of these today as well

Theistic existentialists are Deists

Atheistic existentialists

These Pharisees were trying to discredit Jesus and His teachings - they wanted to make Him look the fool.

In the last couple of lessons - Legalists/formalists on one side, infidels on the other. Infidels essentially hate God, or reject the concept altogether

Both will attack the Gospel though.

1. Infidels have no sense of fairness or shame

This question from the Sadduccees is a good example

Tell of a woman who married seven brothers, one after the other, had no children, and survived all of them

Ask: “who’s wife will she be in the resurrection?”, in eternity

Clearly this was not a real case, but a ridiculous one designed to mock, that they were using to discredit the teachings of Jesus and Moses

Such a case likely would never happen

All they were trying to do was trip up the Lord by posing an extreme possibility

They did not want to directly challenge the doctrine of the resurrection - only to propose possible consequences of the doctrine to ridicule it

Three things to remember in arguments with unbelievers: 1) they will argue about difficult matters, 2)unfairness and dishonesty, and 3) Unbelievers have a conscience

Unbelievers will always try to press us on difficult matters in religion, especially those things having to do with the world to come

We need to avoid this kind of argument, particularly since it is often based on opinions and human reasoning

We need to stick to the plain facts and evidence of Christianity - stay close to the Bible and avoid talking about what is not covered

We need to watch out about unfairness and dishonesty in the argument - experience proves this

Unbelievers will often make up facts to support their conclusions

Unbelievers will speak authoritatively about the Bible, though they have not read it - they have only read the works of people opposed to the faith

They have never studied carefully the foundations of Christianity

Remember, every unbeliever has a conscience - we need to appeal to that

The people who talk the most loudly, and mockingly, about religion often know that, even while they are talking, they are wrong

The points you make, that they sneer at and ridicule, will probably stick with them in the end

2. Most misunderstandings can be traced to ignorance of the Bible

Mark 12:24 “Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?”

The truth of this point is proved by facts in almost every stage of church history

King Josiah’s reformatioon was closely connected to the discovery of the book of the law

False teachings in Jesus time were the result of neglecting the scriptures

The Middle Ages were times when the Bible was kept from the people

The Protestant Reformation was a result of translating and circulating the Bible

The countries that enjoy the most moral light, are those where the Bible is known and studied

The godliest families read the Bible

The godliest people read the Bible

None of this can be denied

We need to be resolved to read, study, meditate on the Bible and hear it preached and taught or we can fall into deadly errors

We need to read and understand the Bible so that we can make it our rule of faith and practice (not other things)

The more the Bible is known, the better the world will be - we need to do what we can to spread the Gospel everywhere

Most of all, we need to teach our children - the best gift we can give them is a knowledge of the Bible

3. Life for us will be very different, after the resurrection

Mark 12:25 ““For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

There are many difficulties connected with what the Bible tells us about the life to come - so it must be

The world beyond the grave has ever been seen by any living person

Most of the conditions that we will live in there are hidden from us, and if we were told of them, we would probably not understand it

Let’s be satisfied to know that the bodies of the saints (Christians) will be raised, and though made perfect, will be like their bodies on earth. So alike, that we can expect to know each other when we get there

The risen Christian (saint) will be free of everything that causes us weakness and suffering

There will be nothing like Mohammed’s belief in 72 virgins and such - sin will be absent - no reincarnation

Hunger and thirst will be no more - we wont need food

We wont be tired anymore - we won’t need sleep

There will be no more death, so there will be no births

Since we will be in the full presence of Christ, there will be no need of marriage, so that men and women can help each other

We will be able to serve God tirelessly, focus on Him, do His will perfectly, in our glorious bodies - we will be like the angels in heaven

This is great comfort for the true Christian

In our bodies now, we suffer pain, fatigue, weakness

We have to worry about so much: what to eat and drink, what to wear, how to manage our lives, where to live, who we should be friends with

In the world to come, all that will be changed - nothing will be lacking to make us completely happy

One thing we need to carefully keep in mind - we want to rise again to the “resurrection of life” and not the “resurrection of condemnation” which we will talk about in the next lesson

To the believer in the Lord Jesus, the resurrection will be the greatest of blessings

To the unbeliever and the godless, the resurrection will be total misery and a curse

We cannot rest until we are one with Christ and Christ in us - then we can look forward to joy in the life to come.

The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Romans 10:9 (ESV)

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Questions

Prayer requests/Lord’s Prayer

Questions