1. No marriage in heaven (18-23)

The Sadducees were the top leaders in the Jewish religion, yet they did not believe in heaven or in hell, nor in spiritual reality. They were trying to entrap Jesus when they asked a question about a hypothetical woman who followed the levirate law and married seven brothers, successively. The Sadducees' question, 'In the resurrection, whose wife would she be?' reveals their ignorance--and their preoccupation with death and sex. Spiritual reality cannot be understood in physical terms. No earthly joy can add to the joy of heaven. There is no need for physical marriage in heaven.

2. God of the living (24-27)

Jesus saw their deeper problem: They did not believe the Scriptures or the power of God. God is living. He is the Giver of life. The Bible teaches that the patriarchs who have left this world are still alive and are with God in heaven (Ex 3). Our hope is in the living God.

Application: Lord, teach me your word and your almighty resurrection power.
One Word: God of Abraham; God of the living; my God