马太福音22:23-32
23撒都该人常说没有复活的事。那天，他们来问耶稣说：24“夫子，摩西说：‘人若死了，没有孩子，他兄弟当娶他的妻，为哥哥生子立后。’25从前在我们这里，有弟兄七人。第一个娶了妻，死了，没有孩子，撇下妻子给兄弟。26第二、第三，直到第七个，都是如此。27末后，妇人也死了。28这样，当复活的时候，她是七个人中哪一个的妻子呢？因为他们都娶过她。”29耶稣回答说：“你们错了，因为不明白圣经，也不晓得 神的大能。30当复活的时候，人也不娶，也不嫁，乃像天上的使者一样。31论到死人复活， 神在经上向你们所说的，你们没有念过吗？32他说：‘我是亚伯拉罕的 神，以撒的 神，雅各的 神。’ 神不是死人的 神，乃是活人的 神。”33众人听见这话，就希奇他的教训。
撒都该人不相信人能从死里复活。即使在耶稣的时代，也有自由派的神学家。他们来到耶稣面前，问他一个“如果…那么…”的问题，他们觉得这个问题不可能被回答上来。但是耶稣确实回答了。你知道他是怎么回答的吗？他用圣经里的话语证明，人死后是有生命的。否则，神在圣经里就会这样说，“我曾经是亚伯拉罕的神，以撒的神，雅各的神”；但是神在圣经里说的是，“我是亚伯拉罕的神，以撒的神，雅各的神”，意思就是他们现在还活着，在天国里活的很好。因此，人死后是有生命的，圣经里已经证明了。
但是我们在天国里还会认出我们的配偶、我们所爱的人吗？当然，我们会认出他们。创世记25章说亚伯拉罕“归到他列祖那里”，大卫和拔示巴所生的第一个孩子死去的时候，大卫曾说，“我必往他那里去，他却不能回我这里来”（撒母耳记下12章）。耶稣在这里关于婚姻的观点很简单，在天国里人们不需要生育孩子和抚养家庭；在这个世界的生命里，我们需要跟孩子和配偶有亲密的、保护的关系，但是将来在天上，我们之间的关系已经完全成熟，超越了地上的需要。
但是耶稣在今天经文里的重点是说天国和复活是真实的，不是人编出来的。不是为了给人一些希望，而人为发明出来的一个梦幻之地。那是一个真实的地方，每一个相信耶稣的人，在他们死的时候，在他们将来末日复活的时候，他们都要去那里。
祷告：主耶稣啊，你给了我们所有相信你的人多么大的盼望！如果今生就是我们的一切，那我们就会被绝望所胜过！但是我们知道你为我们死，为我们复活，并且现在就在神的右边。你应许在天上为我们预备地方，当我们每天想起这个应许的时候是多么喜乐！阿们。
Matthew 22:23-32: 23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” 29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection from the dead. There were liberal theologians, even in Jesus’ day. They came to Jesus with a “what if” question which they felt would be impossible to answer. Jesus did answer it. And do you see how he answered it? He proved from the scripture that there is life after death. Otherwise, God would have said, “I WAS the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” God said “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” meaning that they were still alive and well in heaven. Therefore, there is life after death, and the scripture proves it.
But won’t we know our spouses and loved ones in heaven? Of course, we will. Scripture in Genesis 25 says that Abraham was “gathered to his people.” David said of his infant son when he died, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12). The point that Jesus is making about marriage is simple. There won’t be the need in heaven for having children and raising families. Our relationships with children and spouses will mature beyond the needs of intimacy and protection that we have in this life.
But the main point Jesus is making is that heaven and the resurrection are real. It’s not made up. It’s not a fantasy place that people invented to give us some hope. It is a real place where everyone who believes in Jesus will go when they die and are raised up on the last day.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, what hope you hold out for all who believe in you! If this life were all there was, what despair would overwhelm us! But we know that you died and rose again and live at God’s right hand. You promised to make a place for us in heaven. What joy we have each day knowing and believing this! Amen.