Twitter
RSS
Facebook
ClickBank1

9/17/12. Luke 20:27-44. GOD OF THE LIVING-devotional

9/17/12. Luke 20:27-44. GOD OF THE LIVING-devotional

Luke 20:27-44
Key Verse: 20:38

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF   Monday, September 17, 2012

“ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

Dear Lord Heavenly Father, help us to overcome our compromises. Help us to stand as a holy people of God. Help us to be your ambassadors in a fallen world. Help me and my family to follow the ways of Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that you may help us to listen to the very words of God with sincere hearts. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Part 1: Jesus Teaches About The Resurrection (27-40).
Verses 27-40, “Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” 39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.”

The Sadducees posed a hypothetical situation about a woman who was married to seven brothers. Their riddle was meant to show the implausibility of the resurrection. The Sadducees were wealthy Jewish leaders who sought and enjoyed the comforts of this world and denied the possibility of an afterlife. In contrast, Jesus taught the truth of the resurrection. According to Moses, God views Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as alive and has a relationship with them even now. Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will experience the resurrection and a new life that is different from our current life in many wondrous ways. Jesus gave this teaching just several days before his own death and resurrection. He appeared to many witnesses after his death and gave a preview of what our new resurrected bodies will be like. God’s promise is that whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life.

I can see that the point of this passage is not about marriage. It is about the reality of the resurrection. Even though the religious leaders of the time mocked the resurrection, the resurrection is a fact. It is shown in nature. Recently it is shown in a dog’s full recovery from being almost dead to rebounding to be a healthy and beautiful and happy dog. The longing of our hearts testifies that death is not the end of everything, but that there is a resurrection. There is a reality and a life after our lives in this world. Praise the Lord for that, because I feel that my life in this world is passing by very quickly. I may try to stay healthy as much as I can, but there will be a time when I will age very rapidly, no matter what I try to do. This will be in about 30 years. My life is past the mid way point. But I am not going through a midlife crisis. It is because of my hope in the resurrection. My hope is beyond my life in this body. It is a hope in a resurrection body forever in the kingdom of God with my Jesus forever! I hope that all people may have faith in the resurrection. There is an opportunity for all people to join in the joy of the resurrection thanks to the gospel of Jesus.

The second point that I get is that Julie and I will be best friends, siblings, in heaven. Jesus said, “…those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” This is OK with me, because we will so be overwhelmed with gratitude and love for Jesus Christ and we will stand in awe of his presence that we will not be very concerned about being husband and wife. We will be part of the bride of Christ.

Part 2: David’s Lord (41-44).

Verses 41-44, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?’”

Jesus used the Scripture to prove the reality of the resurrection. The religious leaders respected the Scripture. They could not reject the resurrection if is shown in the Scripture. How can the Messiah be David’s son and David’s Lord? If the Messiah were merely a man, this would be a contradiction. The only way that Jesus can be David’s son and David’s Lord is if he existed before he was born in this world as a man. And this is a fact. Jesus was born through Mary. He was from the house and the line of David. He was born after David lived. But he also existed as the Son, part of the Trinity, always. He is God. David worshipped and obeyed him. That is how Jesus can also be David’s Lord. Jesus, the promised Messiah, is the eternal God. The Jewish leaders should have recognized this from their own Scriptures. They should have repented of their fixed ideas and accepted God’s presence among them.

Prayer: Lord, plant resurrection faith in our hearts. Help the whole world to have resurrection faith.

One Word: God is the God of the living, of whom I am one, by God’s grace.




Interact with us using Facebook

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.