Day 46: Jesus shows that God will raise the dead
We’ve heard a lot about the Pharisees in Mark so far, but today, we’re going to meet another religious group known as the Sadducees. The Sadducees had a lot of power over Jewish life. The high priests tended to be Sadducees, and most of the Jewish ruling council (the Sanhedrin) were Sadducees. In our passage today, they try to catch Jesus out just like the Pharisees did.
What does Mark tell us about the Sadducees in verse 18?
The Pharisees believe that God’s people would be raised to life again on judgment day. But the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection.
What Old Testament law do the Sadducees bring up in verse 19?
This Old Testament law comes from the book of Deuteronomy. It says, “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel” (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). This law seems super weird to us in our culture! But it would have made a lot of sense in ancient Israel. It meant that the widow was taken care of, and that the dead man’s name was carried on, which would have been seen as really important and honoring to him.
The Sadducees make up a situation to test Jesus. How many brothers were there in the story they present (v. 20)?
How many of the brothers does the woman marry before she dies?
What question do the Sadducees ask Jesus in verse 23?
How sincere do you think the Sadducees were when they asked this?
What two things does Jesus say the Sadducees don’t know (v. 24)?
What does Jesus say will not happen when God’s people rise from the dead (v. 25)?
What does Jesus say God’s resurrected people will be like (v. 25)?
This doesn’t mean that we will be like the angels in every way. But just as the angels don’t marry, so when God’s people are raised from the dead on the last day, they will not marry. Marriage is only for this life, not for eternity, because it points us to the church’s ultimate marriage to Jesus.
Jesus goes on to argue from a passage in the book of Exodus that death is not the end for God’s people. What story does Jesus bring up (v. 26)?
The Sadducees believed that only the first five books of the Bible (known as the Pentateuch) had authority from God. So, Jesus gives an example from one of these books when God speaks to Moses from a burning bush (Exodus 3:1–6).
How does God describe Himself in this story (v. 26)?
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had all died long before Moses was born. What point does Jesus make on the basis of this and God’s statement (v. 27)?
Praise God that He really will raise you to new life again one day, if you have put your trust in Jesus! Praise Him that this changes how we see everything on this earth, including marriage. Pray for help to believe the Scriptures and the power of God!