1. Marriage in heaven? (27-36)

The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection from the dead, in heaven or in hell; they were materialists. In order to prove their position, they asked Jesus about a hypothetical woman who married a succession of seven brothers. Whose wife would she be, should there really be a resurrection of the dead? They wanted to make Jesus' teaching about resurrection look absurd, but they only succeeded in revealing their own spiritual ignorance; they were under the power of death and despair. In heaven there is no death and no need for marriage; the resurrected body is a spiritual body, like that of the risen Jesus. God's people will spend eternity glorifying and enjoying God.

2. God of the living (37-40)

God's word to Moses in Exodus 3:6 reveals that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are alive with God. This confirms our hope that though we die physically, we will live eternally with God. God is alive. He does not preside over a place full of death. Those who dwell with him are alive, not dead.

Application: Lord, you are my inheritance and my hope. Let me dwell with you forever.
One Word: Hope in the God of the living