Mark 12:18-27 – God of the living

In this passage we see some Sadducees, being sent to question Jesus. This group of people hailed from the rich aristocrats of the society. They denied the existence of angels and spirits or life after death. Hence in their belief, there would be no judgment, so there would not be any rewards or penalties. And most of all, they did not believe in the resurrection, insisting that the Law of Moses did not teach this doctrine.  Thus, to them this was a false doctrine.

Deuteronomy 25:5-6 state that a man must marry his dead brother’s widow and raise a posterity to him, if he had died childless. So the Sadducees came to Jesus painting an impossible scenario and then asked Him a trick question. They said to the Lord in verses 21-23, ^“There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 

The question they asked was not only silly but also ridiculous. Any one of us would have told them to go check the food given to all the dead brothers to see if they were laced with poison. What’s remarkable is this, silly as the question might seem, yet the Lord would not brush them aside but entertained them. He essentially pointed to two theological flaws they had. They were ignorant about the Word of God and they were ignorant about the power of God.        

Then He answered their question by first telling them what it would be like in the resurrected state. In God, resurrected people would be like angels and would no longer experience death. And though they would still be different individuals, there would no longer be any marriage, and they would have no concern for such matters. He then referred them to Exodus 3:6. In the call of Moses, Jesus told them that God called Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It would be ridiculous for God to bring up these patriarchs if they no longer had any existence. In pointing the Sadducees to this, He was telling them that God is the God of the living and not of the dead. Can God be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob if they had become dust? In verse 27, Jesus clearly asserted that God “is not the God of the dead, but of thee living; you are greatly mistaken." If these patriarchs are alive, then there is life after death, and there will be a resurrection. Hallelujah! What a thought!  

We all have a relationship with this eternal God. He is not the God of the dead, He is the God of the living. We must not be like the Sadducees who do not know the Word of God nor His power. Instead we need to be fully acquainted with God’s Word and His power. Let’s be enthralled by the richness of this thought: We were dead in trespasses but God made us alive in Christ! Let’s live for His glory, now and forever!