God of the Living, Sons of the Resurrection

Luke chapter 20, verse 27 to chapter 21, verse 4.

Luke 20:27

There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection.

And they asked him a question, saying,

Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children,

the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

Now there were seven brothers.

The first took a wife and died without children,

and the second and the third took her.

And likewise, all seven left no children and died.

Afterward, the woman also died.

In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be?

For the seven had her as wife.

And Jesus said to them,

The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.

But those who are considered worthy to attend to that age and to the resurrection from the dead,

neither marry nor are given in marriage.

For they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God,

being sons of the resurrection.

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed in the passage about the bush,

where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living.

For all live to him.

Then some of the scribes answered,

Teacher, you have spoken well.

For they no longer dare to ask him any question.

But he said to them,

How can they say that the Christ is David's son?

For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

The Lord said to my Lord,

Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

David thus calls him Lord.

So how is he his son?

And in the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples,

Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long rows

and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues

and the places of honor at feasts,

who devour widows' houses and for pretense make long prayers.

They will receive the greater condemnation.

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,

and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

And he said,

Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.

For they all contributed out of their abundance,

but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

Jesus has been opposed steadfastly throughout his ministry by the Jewish leaders,

as we've been seeing in the Gospel of Luke.

The chief antagonists of Jesus have been the Pharisees and the scribes.

The Pharisees were those who sought to reform Jewish religious life.

Some of them were members of the Jewish clergy,

while others were members of the laity.

The scribes were the Jewish legal scholars,

they were experts of Scripture that lent academic support to the Pharisees' reform agenda.

But as Jesus enters the capital, Jerusalem,

where the Jewish temple is,

the opposition to Jesus escalates.

And now, not just the Pharisees and the scribes,

but it says in 1947,

the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people

were seeking to destroy Jesus.

And since his entry to Jerusalem in chapter 19 and 20,

there have been rounds and rounds of stump the teacher.

I don't know if you guys have played that.

In chapter 20, verse 1 to 8,

the chief priests and the scribes with the elders

question Jesus' credentials by asking him,

tell us by what authority you do these things,

or who is it that gave you this authority?

Because we surely didn't give you this authority,

and we're the gatekeepers of the temple.

Let me see your warrant, your permit,

your certificate, your diploma.

And then in chapter 20, verses 19 to 26,

the scribes and the chief priests sent their spies

to pose Jesus a difficult political and religious question.

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not?

This was not a sincere question,

but rather intended to trap Jesus,

because if Jesus said,

yes, it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar,

he'd be acknowledging Caesar's sovereignty and rule

over God's people,

and thereby disappoint the Jews

who were hoping that Jesus would be the messianic king.

If he were to say,

no, it is not lawful to pay taxes to Caesar,

then the spies would report him to the Roman authorities

and have him arrested as a tax evader

and a political revolutionary.

However, Jesus passed all of these rounds

of stump the teacher with flying colors.

He silenced all of his critics,

demonstrating his wisdom and authority.

And here in our passage,

chapter 20, verses 27 to 40,

we see the final round of stump the teacher,

where we are introduced to the Sadducees for the first time.

And once again,

Jesus will demonstrate his superior authority.

And the main point that we learn from this passage

is that only those who humbly follow the Lord Jesus

will become sons of the resurrection.

And Luke communicates this to us

by teaching us first about the God of the living,

and then about the Lord of David,

and then lastly about the sons of the resurrection.

So let's first learn about the God of the living

from Jesus' encounter with the Sadducees.

It says in chapter 20, verse 27,

there came to him some Sadducees,

those who deny that there is a resurrection.

The Sadducees were Jewish aristocrats,

and they denied the resurrection of the dead.

Most other Jews, including Pharisees,

believed in the resurrection of the dead,

but the Sadducees believed that both body and soul

ceased to exist after death.

And so they believed in what modern people

would call annihilation of the soul.

And the Sadducees differ from the Pharisees

on a number of other points as well.

The Pharisees wanted to reform Jewish religious life.

The Sadducees wanted to preserve the status quo.

The Pharisees supplemented the written scripture

with oral tradition,

the teachings that have been passed through orally

by the Jewish rabbis.

However, the Sadducees denied,

rejected oral tradition,

and only revered the written scripture.

And not even all of the Jewish scriptures,

they held the Torah, the law,

the first five books of our Old Testament.

They held that in the highest esteem.

So they were kind of the almost fundamentalistic,

most conservative Jewish sect in that time.

And not only that,

they're kind of rationalistic,

they not only denied the resurrection,

they also denied the existence of angels,

as we see in Luke 20, verse 36,

Luke 20:36

or in the book of Acts as well.

And the Sadducees, it says in verse 28,

asked Jesus a question,

saying,

Teacher,

Moses wrote for us

that if a man's brother dies,

having a wife but no children,

the man must take the widow

and raise up offspring for his brother.

They're alluding to passages like Deuteronomy chapter 25,

Deuteronomy 25 · chapter mention

which stipulates levirate marriage.

The levirate marriage is where if a man dies without a son to carry on his name,

it was his brother's duty to produce a son for him by taking his widow as his wife.

This was important in Israel,

among the Jews in particular,

because their inheritance in God's promised land was tied to their genealogy.

And so if their descendants ceased,

they would effectively be cut off and permanently removed from their inheritance in God's kingdom,

in the promised land.

And so they practiced levirate marriage.

And the Sadducees, their argument here uses that as the premise.

And then they construct a hypothetical scenario for Jesus in verses 29 to 33,

with having seven brothers and one of them taking a wife,

but he dies without children,

and then marries the next brother and the next and the next and the next,

until all seven have had this woman as their wife,

lawfully wedded wife,

and have produced no children.

Obviously, they've given this question a lot of thought.

And to them, this hypothetical scenario reduces the doctrine of the resurrection to absurdity.

Because we know from Scripture that marriage is between one man and one woman.

It says in Genesis 2, verse 24,

Genesis 2:24

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife,

and they shall become one flesh.

But this woman was legally married to seven different men during her lifetime.

So in the resurrection, then, will God allow her to be married to seven husbands,

despite his revealed will, God's revealed will,

that marriage be between one man and one woman?

That's absurd.

At least that's what the Sadducees thought.

But they're unaware of their own erroneous assumptions.

They assume that legally formed marriages in this life would continue in the afterlife.

They assume that there is such a thing as marriage in the first place in heaven,

assuming that life in the resurrection is essentially the same as life here on earth,

in the present earth.

But they were wrong in all of these assumptions.

And many people, I think, nowadays are like the Sadducees also.

When the teachings of Scripture confound our reason,

when it seems difficult to us, doesn't make sense to us, doesn't seem reasonable to us,

we, instead of submitting humbly to God's Word,

instead we question the truthfulness of God's Word.

We question the soundness of God's Word instead of questioning the soundness of our reasoning.

And then some people try to finagle God's Word to say what they think it should say,

instead of submitting to God's Word and conforming their lives to it.

And Jesus exposes this about the Sadducees, their faulty assumptions, in verses 34 and 36.

The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.

But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead,

neither marry nor are given in marriage.

For they cannot die anymore because they are equal to angels and are sons of God,

being sons of the resurrection.

So Jesus' point here is that this life and the resurrection life are not the same.

Marriage doesn't even exist in the resurrection

because the sons of the resurrection are equal to angels and are sons of God.

So notice that he's challenging here.

Not only do the Sadducees believe that there is no resurrection,

but also do they believe that there are no angels.

He's saying that you're wrong on both of those counts.

There are angels in heaven,

and in fact the sons of the resurrection will be like the angels,

and they will neither be married nor be given in marriage.

Now this is not saying that we become angels when we die,

as some people, I think, wrongly think.

It doesn't say that.

It says we become like them.

We become equal to them.

And the phrase,

and so because the sons of the resurrection will be like the angels of heaven,

there will be no more death.

And this is another reason why there is no marriage in heaven.

Jesus says in verse 36,

that marriage will no longer be necessary,

for they cannot die anymore.

This reveals that at least one of the purposes of marriage is procreation.

Marriage exists in part to perpetuate humanity.

It exists to ensure that people who are created in God's image

continue to populate the earth and bring glory to Him.

But in the absence of death,

there is no more need for progeny,

for sons, for fathers.

Instead, there is one Father in heaven,

that's God the Father and all of His children.

We find another purpose of marriage in other passages of Scripture,

and it says in Ephesians 5, verse 31,

Ephesians 5:31

that a man and a woman join together in marriage through self-giving love.

They point to the real, eternal, spiritual union

between Christ and the church.

And that reveals God's intention for humanity.

God's intention from the beginning of creation

was to marry a people that He chose for Himself,

to be their eternal bridegroom,

and for the church to be His holy bride.

And so marriage was created by God

to be a picture of that reality,

to foreshadow that eternal reality.

But in the kingdom of God,

the fullness of God's kingdom,

in the resurrection,

there will no longer be need for these pictures,

because the reality will be present.

Because our relationship with Christ

will have been consummated.

There will no longer be any need for brides and grooms,

because Christ will be the one bridegroom,

and the church will be His bride.

So the resurrection, Jesus is saying,

is an altogether different age.

That's why the Sadducees' objection,

their hypothetical scenario, doesn't hold.

The woman who had had seven husbands in this life on earth

will not have to worry about how many husbands she has.

She will have none.

She will be part of the church

and be the bride of Christ.

But notice that Jesus says

that not everyone will get to partake in this age

and in the resurrection.

He says in verse 35,

But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age

and to the resurrection from the dead,

only those who are worthy to attain to that age will do so.

This actually gives us a clue

as to what exactly Jesus means by the resurrection.

We know from other passages of Scripture

that in fact, all people, including good,

those who do good and those who do evil,

will be resurrected.

For example, John chapter 5, verses 28 to 29 says this,

John 5:28–29

An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs

will hear His voice and come out.

Those who have done good to the resurrection of life

and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

So we know from other parts of Scripture

that all people will be raised.

They'll be resurrected.

Evil and good.

Good people to the resurrection of life,

those who belong to God

and those who have done evil

and have refused to believe in God,

will be raised to the resurrection of judgment.

So, but this is different

from the kind of resurrection that Jesus is talking about.

We know that because in John 5,

Jesus mentions people being raised from the tomb.

He's talking about the resurrection of the body,

which Paul also talks about in 1 Corinthians 15.

But before the resurrection of the body,

there is for believers what we call the intermediate state.

When our souls leave our deceased bodies

and we're raised to be with the Lord.

That raising, that resurrection,

seems to be what Jesus has in mind here.

And we see examples of that in 2 Corinthians 5, 6, 8,

where Paul says,

we know that while we are at home in the body,

we are away from the Lord.

For we walk by faith and not by sight.

Yes, we are of good courage

and we would rather be away from the body

and at home with the Lord.

So there's that intermediate state

before the final resurrection of the body,

when believers who have passed

are raised to live eternally in their souls with God.

That seems to be what Jesus has in mind here.

And only those whom God considers worthy

will attend to that resurrection.

So then, speaking of the resurrection of the soul,

in a way,

and that's what he spoke of earlier in Luke 16,

when a poor man named Lazarus dies

and then is carried by the angels to Abraham's side.

That's his raise to that life.

But the wicked rich man, in contrast,

in that same parable,

he dies and he was buried

and he remains in Hades,

in the realm of the dead.

He's not escorted by the angels

to raise to that resurrection life.

And so Jesus is challenging here

the Sadducees' belief

that death is the end of all existence.

There is life after death

and only those who are worthy

will be raised to heaven.

And then having stated his point,

Jesus proves it from Scripture

in verses 37 to 38.

But that the dead are raised,

even Moses showed,

in the passage about the bush,

where he calls the Lord

the God of Abraham

and the God of Isaac

and the God of Jacob.

Now he is not God of the dead,

but of the living,

for all live to him.

Jesus could have gone to a number of other

more obvious passages

that speak of this afterlife,

of the resurrection.

But Jesus goes here intentionally

to Exodus 3, verse 6,

Exodus 3:6

because he knows that the Sadducees

hold the Torah,

the first five books of the Bible,

in highest esteem.

Jesus knows that this will be

the most persuasive for them.

And in that passage,

Moses encounters God in the burning bush,

and God says to Moses,

I am the God of your father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob.

And this is hundreds of years after

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

have all passed away.

And yet God says to Moses,

in the present tense,

I am the God of your father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob.

My grandfather passed away

almost two decades ago.

If one of his former friends

were to approach me

and introduce himself to me,

he would say,

I was your grandfather's friend.

Right?

He wouldn't say,

I am your grandfather's friend.

If he did, I'd be like,

what do you mean?

Are we talking about

the same grandfather?

But God said to Moses,

I am the God of your father.

He declared himself to be

the God of the patriarchs

who were long dead,

three generations of them.

And this is implicit proof

of the reality of the resurrection.

If they were not living,

God would not say this.

So Jesus explains in verse 38,

Now he is not God of the dead,

but of the living,

for all live to him.

Though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

were dead to Moses,

they were alive to God,

for their souls were raised

to dwell with him.

They died without having seen

the ultimate promises of God fulfilled.

And if they were dead

and they ceased to exist,

then God would have failed

in his promises to them.

But he's saying here,

he's protecting God's honor.

No, God did not fail in his promises.

He kept his covenant promises

to Abraham, Jacob,

and Isaac and Jacob

because they are living,

they are experiencing

the fulfillment of God's promises

in life.

So the Sadducees

were very mistaken.

Heaven is a reality.

By denying the resurrection

and denying existence

of life everlasting,

they were really cutting the cord

of the hope

that God offered to his people.

Think about it this way.

All the disappointments,

the dead dreams of your life,

all of your mistakes,

all your misfortunes in life,

all the travails,

the tribulations of life,

all that the people of this world

say about you,

all that is written

in your obituary,

they are not the final word

on your life.

Because if you belong to Jesus,

death is not the final chapter

of your life.

There is life everlasting.

There is resurrection.

The God you serve

and worship

is not the God of the dead.

He is the God of the living.

That gives us so much hope.

This life is not all there is.

And after this compelling response,

it says in verses 39 and 40

that some of the scribes answered,

Teacher, you have spoken well,

for they no longer

are the ones that asked the question.

Notice who the subjects

of these verses are.

It was not the Sadducees

who complimented Jesus

for a good answer.

They are the ones

that asked the question.

It is the scribes

who, like the Pharisees,

believed in the resurrection.

They are the ones

that are complimenting Jesus.

So they are kind of,

they are a little bit giddy

that Jesus just kind of

trounced these rivals of theirs,

theological rivals of theirs.

Oh, Jesus,

for the first time

you are saying something I like.

You just silenced my rivals.

And so they think

they have scored a victory

against the Sadducees.

And it says in verse 40,

generally,

that they,

probably referring to

all the different factions

that have come to question

Jesus up to this point,

that includes the chiefs,

the Jewish nationalists,

the Pharisees,

the Sadducees,

all of them have failed

to stump Jesus.

And now they all

no longer dare

to ask him questions,

any question.

So Luke's point

in this narrative is clear.

Who is the authoritative

teacher of God's truth?

Not the Pharisees,

not the Sadducees,

not the scribes,

not the chief priests,

not the elders.

Jesus,

he is the true

divine representative.

He possesses God's wisdom

and authority.

And he's the one

that you all

should listen to

and follow.

That's Luke's point.

God of the living.

And then now the narrative

at this point

shifts naturally

to the identity of Jesus.

If he is so authoritative,

who is this person?

So we get to

the Lord of David

in verse 41 to 44

of chapter 20.

Jesus addresses

the people around him

in verses 41 to 44.

How can they say

that the Christ

is David's son?

For David himself

says in the book of Psalms,

the Lord said

to my Lord,

sit at my right hand

until I make

your enemies

your footstool.

David thus calls him

Lord.

So how is he

his son?

It was widely known

among the Jews

that the Messianic king

would come

to save God's people

and that he would

come from the line

of David,

King David,

because that was prophesied

in 2 Samuel chapter 7

2 Samuel 7:12–14

verses 12 to 14.

And Luke himself

acknowledges this

because he said

in chapter 1

verse 27

that he explicitly

mentioned that

Jesus' genealogy

through his father Joseph

goes to King David.

And he said,

and the angel Gabriel

who came to

announce Jesus' birth

and his conception

in Mary's womb

in chapter 1

verses 31 to 33

said this,

he will be great

and will be called

the son of the Most High

and the Lord God

will give to him

the throne of his father

David

and he will reign

over the house

of Jacob forever

and of his kingdom

there will be no end.

So this was explicitly

promised

in the angel's

announcements

in Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

You're denying

the fact

that he is

the son of David.

He is the promised

son of David.

He's the messianic king

but he's trying

to make the point

that he is much

more than that.

He's no mere

mortal king.

He's not merely

a biological

descendant of David.

He is the son

of the Most High God.

That's what he's

trying to prove here

by quoting from

Psalm 110

Psalm 110 verse 1

Psalms 110:1

which is explicitly

ascribed to David.

David's the author

of the psalm.

And yet

this king of Israel

prophetically describes

an enthronement

scene

where a king

is being enthroned

by God.

It says

the Lord

and this is the proper

name of God

Yehovah

the Lord

says to my Lord

this is referring

to a human king

sit at my right hand

until I make

your enemies

your footstool.

this is a picture

of God

appointing someone

who will rule

over his people

as his representative

and this king

will reign

until God

himself

reduces all

of his enemies

to become

his footstool.

Now with that

background in mind

Jesus' logic

is fairly

straightforward.

If David

the king

perhaps the

greatest king

in Israel's history

the forefather

of the Messiah

if he calls

this messianic king

Lord

Master

then he must be

greater than David.

He must be

more than a simple

earthly king

because if he's

simply a human

royal descendant

of David

David would

never

humble

and lower

himself

to calling

his predecessor

Lord.

Jesus is

not just

another David

he is

the greater

David

the ultimate

David

the ultimate

messianic king

that all the

kings of Israel

had pointed to

and foreshadowed

he's the

fulfillment of

all of the

the royal

promises

the prophecies

of that

that God

had given

and throughout

chapters 19

to 20

the factions

questioning

and challenging

Jesus

have all

referred to

Jesus

as

teacher

but Jesus

is not

a teacher

like them

he's not

just one

of many

Jewish rabbis

he's the

teacher

the teacher

of God's

way

and in

chapter 19

verse 38

Jesus'

own disciples

hail Jesus

as king

but Jesus

is not

like the

Israelite

kings of

old

he is

the king

of kings

he is

the lord

of David

himself

more authoritative

than them

more powerful

than them

more faithful

than them

my question

to you

is do you

have a

proper

understanding

of who

Jesus

is

and have

you pledged

your ultimate

allegiance

to him

he claims

to be

the lord

of all

have you

submitted

to him

all of

his enemies

all who

oppose him

resist him

will be

in due

time

subdued

and reduced

to his

footstool

so have

you submitted

to him

or are

you resisting

him

it might

seem to

you

like there

are people

who in

your lives

are more

powerful

and important

than god

than christ

in your

life

think about

that for a

moment

who are

some of

those people

maybe it's

your

parent

a president

a boss

a bully

a spouse

a professor

it might

feel

more urgent

for you

to please

them

rather than

please

the lord

jesus

but luke

assures us

in this passage

that a day

is coming

when it

will be

made

plain

to all

that jesus

is lord

and it

is in

your best

interest

to submit

to him

now

pledge

your allegiance

to him

now

and he's

full

of glory

and grace

no man

deserves

the allegiance

that jesus

calls for

no man

deserves

the glory

that he

deserves

he's

worthy

of all

the praise

that we

can give

him

he's

worthy

of our

very

lives

because he's

the lord

of david

and having

seen the

god of

the living

and the

lord of

david

we now

come to

the sons

of the

resurrection

in the

rest of

the passage

jesus said

earlier in

chapter 20

verses 35

to 36

that those

who are

considered

worthy

to attain

to that

age

and to

the

resurrection

from the

dead

neither

married

nor

are

given

in

marriage

for

they

cannot

die

anymore

because

they

are

equal

to

angels

and are

sons

of

God

being

sons

of

the

resurrection

that begs

the question

how can

we attain

to the

resurrection

what kind

of people

are the

sons

of the

resurrection

and jesus

addresses

that very

question

in chapter

20

verse 45

to chapter

21

verse 4

first he

tells us

what kind

of people

are not

worthy

to attain

to the

resurrection

from the

dead

and then he

tells us

secondly

what kind

of people

are worthy

to attain

to the

resurrection

and

less people

wrongly

conclude

remember

that the

scribes

were

congratulating

patting

jesus

on the

back

for

silencing

the

sadducees

jesus

wants

to make

sure

that he

doesn't

get

associated

with

the

sadducees

and so

look at

what he

does

here in

chapter

verses

45

to 47

and in

the hearing

of all

the people

he said

to his

disciples

within

earshot

of the

scribes

beware

of the

scribes

who like

to walk

around

in long

robes

love

greetings

in the

marketplaces

and the

best seats

in the

synagogues

and the

places

of honor

at feasts

who devour

widows

houses

and for

pretense

make

long

prayers

they will

receive

the greater

condemnation

Jesus

take

no

prayers

first

Jesus

denounces

the

scribes

because

they like

to walk

around

in long

robes

this is

not because

short

robes

are more

ethical

than long

robes

the scribes

wore long

fancy

flowing

robes

that were

a symbol

of status

for them

they like

to show

off their

academic

and religious

credentials

by the way

they dress

to tell

the watching

world

hey

we're

kind of

important

Jesus

condemns

that

practice

second

describes

loved

greetings

in the

marketplaces

and the

best

seats

in the

synagogues

and the

places

of honor

at feasts

describes

like the

Pharisees

who were

denounced

for this

very same

reason

in Luke

11

43

they competed

for the

most respected

positions

I think

I've told

this story

to some

of you

before

in 2010

I volunteered

to serve

at the

third

Lausanne

congress

for world

evangelization

and it was

in Cape Town

South Africa

and there

were 4,000

Christian leaders

from 198

countries

attending

really

anyone

you would

say

would be

in the

who's

who

among

Christians

were there

now

and one

evening

however

at the

conference

there was

a bit

of a

stir

because

there

was

a

bishop

who

refused

to sit

down

because

he was

given

an

ordinary

chair

like

the

rest

of the

conference

attendees

mind you

there were

archbishops

that were

sitting

on the

same

chairs

he

demanded

a

special

chair

that

befitted

his

exalted

status

as

a

bishop

it

was

a

disgraceful

expression

of

human

pride

that

directly

contradicts

the

spirit

of

Jesus

his

teaching

and

that's

what

these

scribes

were

like

they

wanted

the

best

seats

in

the

synagogues

places

of

honor

at

feats

and

there's

a

word

play

here

that

is

not

apparent

in

the

English

translation

the

Greek

word

for

best

seats

is

literally

first

seats

and

the

Greek

word

for

places

of

honor

is

literally

first

places

so

there's

a

reputation

of

the

word

first

here

the

scribes

are

people

who

are

consumed

with

being

first

they

don't

want

to be

second

and

so

they

loved

greetings

in the

marketplace

Jesus

is not

condemning

normal

day-to-day

pleasantries

he's

referencing

the

formal

elaborate

greetings

that

Jews

used

whenever

they

came

across

important

and

respected

personages

describes

vast

in those

formal

flattering

greetings

of the

people

oh

peerless

scholar

of the

law

the

doctor

of

theology

the

champion

of

piety

you

wise

one

how

generous

and

merciful

you are

to

grace

me

with

your

presence

they're

engaging

in this

kind of

popularity

contrast

and

Jesus

rebukes

them

for

this

and

not

only

this

it

says

in

verse

47

that

they

devoured

widows

houses

and

for

pretense

make

long

prayers

widows

the

widows

and

to

provide

for

them

and

in

that

time

were

unable

to

get

jobs

for

themselves

provide

for

themselves

they

were

some

of

the

most

impoverished

and

vulnerable

members

of

this

Jewish

society

and

yet

these

scribes

had

the

nerve

to

take

advantage

of

these

widows

they

devoured

their

houses

we

don't

know

how

they

did

this

but

whether

they

took

advantage

of

these

widows

hospitality

or

whether

they

took

their

house

as a

pledge

for

a

debt

that

they

knew

that

these

widows

couldn't

repay

so

they

could

use

that

to

enrich

themselves

they

did

these

things

because

they

didn't

actually

care

about

people

they

only

cared

about

what

they

could

do

for

them

they

only

cared

about

the

praise

that

they

money

that

they

can

give

to

them

and

for

this

Jesus

says

in

verse

47

they

will

receive

the

greater

condemnation

let's

humble

ourselves

now

and

honestly

examine

our

lives

in

light

of

this

teaching

are

you

consumed

like

these

scribes

by

desire

to

be

first

in

your

life

do

you

want

to

be

seen

by

others

as

important

successful

godly

do

we

like

to

pray

long

flowery

prayers

to

impress

people

rather

than

focusing

on

talking

to

God

do

we

despise

humble

service

in the

background

and seek

only the

prominent

positions

on the

stage

do

we

insist

that

all

the

post

nominal

letters

be

attached

to

our

names

to

indicate

our

academic

degree

accreditation

office

military

declaration

honor

or

religious

ordination

do we

seek

the

approval

of

men

or

the

approval

of

God

are we

really

living

for

God's

glory

or are

we

living

for

our

own

glory

are we

putting

God

first

or are we

putting

ourselves

first

in life

there's

a

Christian

multimedia

campaign

that

John

Buckley

told me

about

called

I Am

Second

where

they

interview

famous

Christians

like

Olympic

gymnast

Shawn

Johnson

or

the

reality

TV

show

stars

Chip

and

Joanna

Gaines

from

Fixer

Upper

or

the

Robertsons

from

Duck

Dynasty

they share

their

personal

testimonies

in these

video

interviews

of how

Jesus

saved

them

and

transformed

them

and

then

they

conclude

the

video

interviews

by

looking

into

the

camera

and

saying

my

name

is

so

and

so

and

I

am

second

implying

Jesus

is

first

that's

true

for

every

Christian

Jesus

is

God

we

are

not

Jesus

is

Lord

we

are

servants

Jesus

is

King

we

are

his

subjects

to

be

a

Christian

is

to

be

second

and

after

the

negative

example

of

the

scribes

Jesus

gives

a

positive

example

in

chapter

21

verses

1-4

he

says

Jesus

looked

up

and

saw

the

rich

putting

their

gifts

into

the

offering

box

and

he

saw

a

poor

widow

put

in

two

small

copper

coins

Jesus

contrasts

the

rich

who

are

putting

their

lavish

gifts

into

the

offering

box

with

a

poor

widow

who

puts

in

two

small

copper

coins

a

copper

coin

is

worth

about

1

128th

of

a

denarius

which

is

in

this

day

and

age

the

daily

wage

of

a

common

laborer

so

let's

say

an

average

laborer

in

Cambridge

makes

$16

an

hour

in

an

8

hour

day

that's

128

dollars

that's

the

daily

wage

a

denarius

now

divide

that

by

128

that's

$1

so

a

copper

coin

is

about

a

dollar

this

poor

widow

is

literally

putting

in

$2

into

the

temple