Will We Be Married in Heaven? - Mark 12:18-27
Another test… In today’s passage the Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection or much of anything supernatural) came to Jesus and asked Him to comment upon a made-up scenario that they thought would stump Him. They were hoping to make a mockery of His belief in the resurrection along with His claims about His own resurrection.
Ignorant Sadducees… Jesus responded to their test with great wisdom and spiritual power. He claimed that they wrongly denied the reality of the resurrection because they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God (vs. 24). This great spiritual truth seemed silly and far-fetched to their hard, unbelieving hearts – how about you?
About marriage… The Sadducees failed to understand how much greater and higher our resurrected and eternal state will be compared to our present existence (I Cor. 15:42-44). While it will be a physical existence in a physical world, it will also be a glorified existence where marriage will no longer be needed. The marriages we enjoy in this life are signposts pointing forward to the ultimate marriage we will have to Christ in heaven (Eph. 5:31-32). Once we experience this ultimate marriage, the marriages of this life become unnecessary.
Defending the Resurrection… Jesus defended His belief in the resurrection by appealing to Exodus 3:6 where God said to Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” These words being in the present tense implies that the patriarchs were alive when God spoke them to Moses long after their deaths. The Sadducees were foolish to deny such a wonderful and hope-filled truth. May we resist such unbelief, setting our minds upon the glorious future that awaits all who have faith in Jesus Christ!
*Questions for Reflection:
1. Could Jesus accuse you of not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God?
2. How often do you think about heaven? Do you look forward to it? Why? Why not?
3. Had you ever thought about whether or not you would be married in heaven? Why will our marriage to Jesus be so much greater than any marriage in this world?