Luke Part 3 Week 13

Day 1 

RECEIVE 

Luke 20:27-28 

²⁷ Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. ²⁸ They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.” 

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. This was before Jesus’ resurrection and their views did not change after His resurrection. There were over 500 who saw Jesus after His resurrection, most of whom were still living; plus, other eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-9). The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead whether there were eyewitnesses or not. In spite of that, they prefaced a question they intended to ask about the resurrection of people.  

REFLECT 

Think how convincing it could be to a jury in a trial if one could produce the number of witnesses that existed for the resurrection of Jesus.  

RESPOND  

The Sadducees seemed to know the Old Testament and what Moses said about a marital situation in case of death. Surely they also knew the importance of having at least two witnesses to confirm something (Deuteronomy 17:6). Later, why would they not believe the witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus? 

Day 2 

RECEIVE 

Luke 20:29-33 

²⁹ “Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. ³⁰ So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. ³¹ Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. ³² Finally, the woman also died. ³³ So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!” 

The Sadducees continued to present a question that builds to a conclusion of what would be true in the resurrection that they did not believe in. They likely thought at this point that they had Jesus trapped by whatever He would answer. One wonders what kind of an answer they expected from Jesus. Did they expect Him to say, “I don’t know”? 

REFLECT 

Have you sometimes been asked questions that have no answer? What did you say then? 

RESPOND 

Notice what the Sadducees did. Even though they did not believe in a resurrection from the dead they posed a question about the resurrection. What if Jesus would have answered them, “I did not think you believed in a resurrection from the dead”? What would the Sadducees have said then? 

Day 3 

RECEIVE 

Luke 20:34-36 

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. ³⁵ But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. ³⁶ And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.” 

This is what Jesus answered the Sadducees about their hypothetical question. The passage has been used by some to say believers will not know their marital partners in heaven. The comment, “[T]hey will be like angels” only meant believers will not marry or be given in marriage in heaven. It says nothing about whether they would know each other.  

REFLECT 

Have you had the experience of someone misunderstanding something you said? Did they claim you meant something you did not say? Sometimes that is done with Bible verses. 

RESPOND 

You can begin a conversation with someone by asking a non-threatening question like, “What has your spiritual journey in life been like?” You might even ask, “What do you think about Jesus?” The answers to these and similar questions will give you an idea of the kind of person to whom you are speaking.  

Day 4 

RECEIVE 

Luke 20:37-38 

³⁷ “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.” 

After Jesus brushed aside the issue the Sadducees had in mind, He gave more details. He referred to what Moses wrote. Even though in Moses’ time Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were dead, Moses referred to “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Notice that Jesus said of God that “he is” not “he was.” This looked forward to their resurrection, which the Sadducees denied.  

REFLECT 

Think of our gracious, sovereign God that He will someday resurrect all believers from the dead.  

RESPOND 

Imagine with a friend how hopeless the Sadducees were that they did not believe in a resurrection from the dead. Talk about this regarding others today who are like some Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20.  

Day 5 

RECEIVE 

Luke 20:39-40 

³⁹ “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. ⁴⁰ And then no one dared to ask him any more questions. 

Some, not all, who were teachers of the Old Testament agreed with what Jesus said. Apparently the Sadducees knew there was no reason to say anything else so “no one dared to ask [Jesus] any more questions.” Jesus had taught by example that sometimes an insightful question stops a discussion. The comment of some of the teachers of religious law did the same. 

REFLECT 

Think about how a question you could ask might stop someone who wants to argue with you. 

RESPOND  

Talk with a friend about using a technique of asking a question to end a discussion. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-9 about eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. A question you could ask someone denying His resurrection could be, “Why don’t you believe all these eyewitnesses?” Those who deny God created the world out of nothing could be asked, “Who was there except God to know what occurred?” Plus, “Why not believe what Hebrews 11:3 says in God’s Word?”