Title: Resurrection Lessons
Contents
Today is Easter Sunday. May the hope and grace of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ fill us all, in the name of the Lord. Jesus' redemptive work was not accomplished only through his death on the cross. The work of redemption was accomplished only when the death of the cross and the resurrection were paired to accomplish the amazing work of salvation.
If we make a mistake, if we focus only on the cross, we may neglect the resurrection. Conversely, if we focus only on the resurrection, we may neglect the event of the cross. Therefore, we must first keep in mind that the Lord's work of redemption was possible only when these two events, the cross and the resurrection, formed a combination. So today's text is not a direct text dealing with the resurrection event. However, by sharing the teachings about the resurrection through the debate with the Sadducees who deny the resurrection, we hope to win with this resurrection faith.
1. Do you believe in the resurrection?
In verse 27, the Sadducees, who claim that there is no resurrection, came to Jesus. They came to Jesus because they wanted to ensnare him by arguing about the resurrection. If the seven brothers died one after another and the eldest brother's wife became the wife of all his brothers according to the law of marriage, whose wife will she become after the resurrection? This is their question (verse 33).
Of course, this question serves the purpose of asserting that there is no resurrection. And there is no way that Jesus does not know the essence of this question. But the important question is whether we have strong faith in the resurrection today. Of course, we could give the short answer, ‘I am a Christian, of course I believe!’ However, this is not a fragmentary answer, but rather to see if you have enough faith in the resurrection to not be shaken by such a maliciously digging question.
What beliefs do you have? My question may sound new, but it must be addressed at this time. I hope that you will not be shaken and that you will firmly establish your faith in the resurrection through Easter.
2. Do you believe in the God of the living?
Jesus first talks about the basic nature of the resurrection. Since there is no marriage system in the post-resurrection world (v. 35), whose wife should she be after the resurrection? The question is that it is meaningless. In verse 38, Jesus also makes it clear that the resurrection is based above all on the ‘God of the living’.
The question is whether the God who exists forever, the God who claims to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who existed thousands of years ago, is really the God of the dead. In other words, to God, everyone is alive, which means that God raises the dead.
So it became clear that the Sadducees' question had nothing to do with faith in the Resurrection, but merely an excuse to trouble Jesus. We must not fall for this deception. What is important to each of us at this time is the fact that God is the God of the living, and we still believe in the living and working God. Hallelujah!
3. Do you believe in the Lord Christ?
Jesus shut everyone's mouth when he linked the resurrection to the living God. Verse 40 says, “For they dared not ask for anything more.” And he uses that gap to lead the topic to the subject of Christ. Christ is often referred to as the Son of David, but when quoting Psalm 110 and calling Christ Lord in David's own psalms, how could Christ be the Son of David (verse 44). But this isn't just to confuse people. This means that although Jesus physically inherited the lineage of David, He existed before Abraham (John 8:53) and existed from eternity. He implied that the resurrection of Christ, who exists from eternity, is the most natural thing. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ and Lord, please believe that you can cast away your doubts about the resurrection.
Even now, belief in the Resurrection is being attacked from many angles. However, since the resurrection faith is the absolute and basic content of the Christian faith, there should be no wavering in this area. Also, we must not have a vague belief in the resurrection. Through this Easter Sunday, I pray in the name of the Lord that your firm faith in the living God and Jesus will be restored and that you will be filled with the grace of living with joy in the living hope of the resurrection.