It is “sad-you-see” when people do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.  If we do not believe in resurrection then where is our hope of resurrection with Him who died for us?  What is the purpose for living?  Who has the answer?  Who is the answer?

“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there’s no resurrection, there’s no living Christ. And face it—if there’s no resurrection for Christ, everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you’ve staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there’s no resurrection.” 1 Corinthians 15:14, MSG

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”           1 Corinthians 15:14, NIV

Yes, sad, indeed.

Luke 20, The Message

All Intimacies Will Be with God

^27-33 Some Sadducees came up. This is the Jewish party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote us that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry her and give her children. Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. The second married her and died, then the third, and eventually all seven had their turn, but no child. After all that, the wife died. That wife, now—in the resurrection whose wife is she? All seven married her.”

^34-38 Jesus said, “Marriage is a major preoccupation here, but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, ‘God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!’ God isn’t the God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive.”

^39-40 Some of the religion scholars said, “Teacher, that’s a great answer!” For a while, anyway, no one dared put questions to him.

* * *

^41-44 Then he put a question to them: “How is it that they say that the Messiah is David’s son? In the Book of Psalms, David clearly says,

God said to my Master,
“Sit here at my right hand
    until I put your enemies under your feet.”

“David here designates the Messiah as ‘my Master’—so how can the Messiah also be his ‘son’?”

^45-47 With everybody listening, Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preen in the radiance of public flattery, bask in prominent positions, sit at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get. But they’ll pay for it in the end.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus hates a hypocritical and rebellious attitude from those who claim to be religious. He asked the religious leaders a question that focused on King David, whom they revered, and described how he was greater than even David.  But they didn’t “get it” for they had fallen into their own pride, falling for what the world says instead of what God says. 

Self-importance of our standings in the community fills us with pride.  It becomes easy to fall for thinking we now know it all and there is nothing else to learn as people begin to look to you as the “one in the know.”  But this thinking and resulting behavior is like standing on shifting sand at the ocean’s edge.  We plant our feet firmly, toes clinching, but then that sand we’re standing on is pulled into the sea by powerful waves crashing into the shoreline.  Our feet move without our control.  We lose our balance as the power of the waves overcome our footing and we fall.  We look silly as we fall, surprised by our lack of control.

For believers, Jesus is the Rock upon which we stand.  If He is not, then we like the religious “know it all’s,” are in for a big surprise.  We fall in the shifting sand of our own thinking.  We look silly in the presence of Truth.  Our falls are always a result of our own pride:

“First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”           Proverbs 16:18, MSG

Jesus told a story about rock and sand.  The man who built is house upon the rock—stood firm, unmovable.  The man who built his house upon the sand crashed into pieces when the rain, waves and winds came.  (See Matthew 7:24-27) “And the house came a tumbling down…” we sang as children.

It is actually amazing that the Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection of life would ask Jesus about resurrection!  Jesus gets right to the heart of all theological discussion, then and now, with a simple statement:

“They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.”

YESSS!  You and I will have far better things to think about!  We will be with God in His glory!  We will worship, rejoicing in the One who created us in a place Jesus prepared for all who believe!  And God, Himself, “will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4, NLT

Rock or sand?  Who are you falling for…?

Lord,

I believe.  I believe you came in the form of a human infant, born to a virgin who believed what you said to be Truth.  I believe that the espoused love of her life also believed you and obeyed what you said.  Jesus, you had devoted earthly parents!  But you knew that.  You are the ultimate example of where God guides and sends, He provides all that is needed. 

I believe you grew in stature and maturity as a man who knew no sin. 

I believe that you, dear Jesus, always stayed in touch with God, the Father, so that every detail of the mission to save us would be accomplished. 

I believe that as you ministered to the neighborhood of humanity you taught all of us how to love and relate to each other as God directed. 

I believe the wisdom of God was in You as you became the Person of Truth to a world in darkness without You. 

I believe God gave you the power to heal along with the power to willingly die for us. 

I believe the power of God resurrected you from death to life on the third day. 

I believe that same power is given to all who believe that you are now King of kinds and Lord of lords.  To you be the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever, Amen! 

And I believe you are coming back some day soon to claim your own.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen