Luke 20:27-40: Yeshua reinforces hope in the resurrection

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Following Lamb Selection Day of the 10th day of the first month of God’s calendar, Pharisee and Sadducee leaders were closely examining Yeshua, the Lamb of God, without even knowing it by putting some very tough questions to Him (Lk. 20:27–40; Matt. 22:23–33; Mk. 12:18–27). Sadducees challenged Yeshua on the reality of the resurrection by lobbing a gotcha question at Him, and Yeshua responded by pointing to the hope God provides of a world made new.

Josephus gives brief mention of the different sects of Judaism at the time, including the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Tsedekim, or Sadducees, are challenging Yeshua about Deut. 25:5-10 which is where the law of yibbum, or “levirate marriage.”

This law also provides for the khalitzah, or widow’s rebuke of the unfaithful brother-in-law. We see in the story of Judah and Tamar who this broke down and there’s also an entire book of the Bible (Ruth 4) that discusses the khalitzah. This law was for the childless widow’s protection so women would not be discarded like old property when their husband past away. 

Judaism in later centuries codified the khalitzah and banned the yibbum because the people were abusing the system. Younger brothers were killing their older brothers because they had lust for their sisters-in-law and the rabbi’s stepped in and changed the practice. This dumped the support of these widows onto the community at large since the family was compelled by the dissolution of the yibbum system. 

This story seems to be a gotcha question for Yeshua. The Sadducees were said to believe primarily in what was specifically written in the Torah, i.e. teachings from the Prophets or Writings had to be first stated in the Torah. The Sadducees said that any teachings from the Prophets must be backed up and supported by the Torah. 

The New Testament actually has a more complete record of Sadducees beliefs than historical writings of the day. The apostles noted that Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection (Luke 20:27; Matt. 22:23; Mark 12:18), or even a spirit or angels (Acts 23:6–9). 

When you get to the Mishna, which proceeded the Talmud, you’ll find a tractate called Sanhedrin. Pharisees held so strongly to the teaching of God’s resurrecting the dead that sages taught that to deny it is to deny one’s participation in the great resurrection in the age to come (m.Sanhedrin 90a). The Talmud contains a lengthy discussion of challenges that teaching resurrection is in the Torah, combined with challenges that God can know the future. In b.Sanhedrin 90b there are challenges from “minim,” which are heretics, in this case, Sadducees, given their challenge against this teaching:

How, on the basis of the Torah, do we know about the resurrection of the dead? As it is said, “And you shall give thereof the Lord’s heave-offering to Aaron the priest” (Num. 18:28). And will Aaron live forever? And is it not the case that he did not even get to enter the Land of Israel, from the produce of which heave-offering is given? [So there is no point in Aaron’s life at which he would receive the priestly rations.] 

Rather, this teaches that he is destined once more to live, and the Israelites will give him heave-offering. On the basis of this verse, therefore, we see that the resurrection of the dead is a teaching of the Torah. …

Minim asked Rabban Gamaliel, “How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be he, will resurrect the dead?”

He said to them, “It is proved from the Torah, from the Prophets, and from the Writings.” But they did not accept his proofs. “From the Torah: for it is written, ‘And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers and rise up’ (Deut. 31:16).”

They said to him, “But perhaps the sense of the passage is, ‘And the people will rise up’ (Deut. 31:16)?”

“From the Prophets: as it is written, ‘Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you that live in the dust, for your dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out its dead’ (Isa. 26:19).”

“But perhaps that refers to the dead whom Ezekiel raised up.”

“From the Writings, as it is written, ‘And the roof of your mouth, like the best wine of my beloved, that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those who are asleep to speak’ (Son. 7:9).”

“But perhaps this means that the dead will move their lips?”

That would accord with the view of R. Yohanan. For R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yehosedeq, “Any authority in whose name a law is stated in this world moves his lips in the grave, “as it is said, ‘Causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.’”

[The minim would not concur in Gamaliel’s view] until he cited for them the following verse: “‘Which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them’ (Deut. 11:21) ― to them and not to you, so proving from the Torah that the dead will live.”

And there are those who say that it was the following verse that he cited to them: “‘But you who cleaved to the Lord your God are alive, everyone of you this day’ (Deut. 4:4). Just as on this day all of you are alive, so in the world to come all of you will live.”

 It is a representation of the verse Yeshua quoted from Ex. 3:13-17 was not pulled out of thin air or taken out of context.

Why is this important? Where was the promise of the return? Who was that given to? Abraham. This is a promise that has spanned a very long time. It is a promise that will be brought forward to a conclusion. God doesn’t forget about people when they die. In our society today, if you take the worldview that what is is all there is, any death is a great tragedy. But if you believe the Creator is a re-creator, then death loses its sting. Just as we haven’t forgotten our loved ones who have preceded us in death, God hasn’t forgotten them either. 

This hope in the Bible promises of resurrection — trust in God’s faithfulness — is essential to our relationship with God, as apostle Paul noted (1st Cor. 15:12–19).

Paul’s statement seems a bit depressing but it’s an honest assessment. For the materialist, life is futile and this life is all there is. The alternative view is that the one who created us can re-create us better than every before. We have a multilayered hope. Hope is wrapped in the trustworthiness of the one making the promise. When God makes the promise that he is going to hit the reset button, that is a fantastic hope. Today, we are disconnected with our ancestry. We read of these ancestry lists in scripture. They seem tedious but there’s comfort and hope in those lists as well because they are all remembered. 

What is our mark in history? What will we be remembered for? What did our ancestors give us that we remember fondly? Instead of cursing the lies that our ancestors inherited and passed us, ask yourself what you are doing about it? Are you shining the light of truth? Instead of resenting their ignorance, are you telling people the truth in love?

After the resurrection, the righteous will not be getting married or having children. 

Speaker: Jeff. Summary: Tammy.