#DailyDevotions We Will Be Like The Angels

Luke 20²⁷Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him with this question: ²⁸“Teacher, Moses wrote for us, “If any married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow and have children for his brother.’ ²⁹Now, there were seven brothers. The first married and died childless. ³⁰Then the second brother married the widow, ³¹and so did the third. In the same way all seven died and left no children. ³²Finally the woman died, too. ³³Now, when they rise from the dead, whose wife will she be? You know, the seven had her as wife.” ³⁴“In this world men and women marry,” Jesus told them; ³⁵“but those who are considered worthy to rise from the dead and live in the other world don’t marry. ³⁶Nor can they die anymore, because they’re like the angels. They’re God’s children and share in the resurrection.

So you probably need to know the Leverite marriage law to understand this parable somewhat. If you remember the book of Ruth, her husband died without a child so when she went back to Judah with Naomi she went to the nearest male relative to get married and have a child from that relative in the name of her husband, so that name would not disappear. Well that is what is going on here in the Sadducees story. They pose this story to Jesus to try to show him that there is no resurrection because whose wife would she be? I guess it never occurred to them that a woman in paradise could have more than one husband, after all they all could have more than one wife on this side of things. However, that is not the point.

Jesus though straightens them out. So Jesus teaches them in the resurrection i.e. the world to come, there is no institution of marriage there. People neither marry nor or given into marriage. From this the Church has extrapolated in the world to come there is no more sexual relations or children being born because the only proper place for sexual relations between men and women is in the bounds of marriage. Side note: God doesn’t care if you’re in love with someone to have sexual relations with that person. The only thing he cares about is 1. Are they the opposite sex and 2. Are they married to each other. So please forget about the whole TV/movie question about how do you know if you are ready—with the answer being, “If you love them.” That’s not morally, biblically or reasonably correct.

Jesus says we don’t die anymore because we are like the angels. Now, please, please, please read that correctly. We are like the angels, in these two points solely i.e. we don’t marry and we don’t die. We do not become angels when we die. Please quit telling people that at funerals. It isn’t biblical, it is isn’t true and it in fact denies the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is your salvation. If you are not raised from the dead, then Jesus isn’t raised from the dead, and it Jesus isn’t raised from the dead you are still in your sins and condemned. (1 Cor. 15).

So the point Jesus is making is at the resurrection of the dead, we who believe in Jesus Christ are God’s children and are raised immortal. We are raised bodily, with material bodies, to live in a material world (because material is good and indeed very good). Yet the bodies we have are spiritual, that is they, like the angels do not die. We do not die because we are live by the Spirit. Jesus Christ is our life. In fact, even now, we have eternal life. Our souls/spirit has been regenerated by the Spirit through the water and word of baptism, through faith in Jesus Christ. So we need not fear death nor despair the death of our loved ones in faith. We don’t die and our loved ones are alive and await the resurrection of the dead on the last day.

Gracious God and Merciful Father, continue to grant us faith in Jesus Christ and his resurrection that we may walk in faith in the promise of our resurrection when Chris Jesus returns on the Last Day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.