PT-2 "The Absurdity" (Matt. 22:24-28)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/27/2023 7:54 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  PT-2 “The Absurdity”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 22:24-28

 

            Message of the verses:  “24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, ‘IF A MAN DIES, HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP AN OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.’ 25 "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother; 26  so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 “And last of all, the woman died. 28 “In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.’”

 

            In our last SD we looked at what the levirate law was all about and not today we want to begin with the story of Boaz who took Ruth as his wife because her first husband, Mahlon, had died.  In that story there was on relative who was closer to Mahlon but once he found out that he had to marry Ruth he decided that he did not desire to do that and so Boas happily married Ruth.  (Ruth 4:1-10)  That beautiful story not only depicts the human preservation of Mahlon’s linage but also the divine preservation of the lineage of Christ (Matt. 1:5).

 

            As I read this story I have my doubts about something these Sadducees said "Now there were seven brothers with us;” as it is likely they custom-designed it for this occasion.  When the first brother married, the six other unmarried, and therefore when he died…having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother.  The process was repeated with all seven brothers, and eventually everyone, including the woman, died.

 

            MacArthur concludes this last section:  “It is not difficult to imagine the glint in the eyes and smirks on the faces of the Sadducees as they looked at Jesus and propounded their supposedly unanswerable question:  “In the resurrection therefore whose wife of the seven shall she be?  If all eight would appear in the resurrection exactly in the condition and circumstances in which they had died—as the Pharisees, and presumably Jesus, maintained—how could their marriage relationships possibly be reconciled?  That dilemma proved the idea of resurrection to be patently absurd, as Jesus now would be forced to admit, by His silence if not His words.”    

 

            Lord willing we will be looking at verses 20-32 in our next SD and the title will be “The Answer” which will be the answer that Jesus will give these very sad Sadducees.

 

8/27/2023 8:13 AM