“The Living God – the God of the Living”
Original sermon given on Sunday, November 9, 2025 written and delivered by Pastor Jeff Leininger at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.
Watch the sermon live.
“The Living God-the God of the Living” Luke 20.27-38
In the name of the Living God and His risen Christ. Amen.
So there’s no marriage in heaven. Now, in my experience of pre-marriage counseling young, newly-engaged couples greatly anticipating the wonderful years of wedded bliss ahead of them, when hearing that marriage is not really “forever,” usually respond with a disappointed, “Oh…” And on the other hand, old couples having been married for years and years, upon hearing that marriage is not forever, may respond with a relieved, “Whew!”
So I guess whether you respond with a disappointed “Oh…” or a relieved “Whew!” says lot about how you view marriage. Should we test this theory? I’ll give you the answer and you respond with either a disappointed “oh…” or relieved “whew!” Ready? Marriage is not forever!
However, there is a third response to this reading from Luke 20. It’s a bit more like, “Uh???” because there is a lot of confusing stuff here. This is one of those readings that you have to teach first, before you can preach. Let’s unpack it a little bit this morning.
First, the context: Our Lord has entered triumphantly into Jerusalem, with palm branches waving and pilgrim voices shouting, “Hosana!” But underlying this messianic fervor and anticipation sounds an ominous tone. The Jerusalem religious and political establishment plot to destroy Jesus. They have planted spies, detractors, and debaters all with one single purpose: entrap him into saying something wrong, to get him arrested and killed.
This morning’s reading is but one of several encounters in and around the temple precincts meant to trip up Jesus. Today, it’s the Sadducees turn — these politically connected, priestly and privileged class of religious leaders. There are three things about the Sadducees’ theology which you have to know in order to make sense of this text: 1) They don’t believe in an afterlife. That is, when you’re dead, you’re dead. 2) They held that only the Torah, the first five books of Moses, are truly God’s inspired word: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 3) They zealously kept every rule, rite, and regulation of the mosaic law. So to review: 1) when you’re dead you’re dead; 2) five books of Moses only; 3) keep all the rules. (Got it? Great. You can all sign up to be Sadducees now.)
So these sophisticated, educated, politically connected aristocrats come up to Jesus to try to trick and entrap him. They give him this strange theological and legal hypothetical: a woman’s husband dies, but the couple didn’t have any children. According to Deuteronomy 25, the dead husband’s brother must marry the woman and give her children.
This seems so wrong to us… on so many levels. But way back in Deuteronomy, as God prepared them to enter into and possess the promised land of Canaan, it had a logic to it. In their tribal, agrarian culture it made some sense. First, it protects the woman. Remember, she only has status and can only retain her wealth and property by being able to have children. Her brother-in-law is actually helping her. By giving her children, she now can keep her land, which stays in the family; they can work it, and she can have children to care for her when she’s old. Second, this strange marriage rule keeps the land in that particular tribe. Each of the 12 tribes was given an allotted piece of the promised land. By marrying her brother-in-law, this woman’s ancestral property will stay in the family line as promised to them.
In fact, this rule was so important to the woman that if her brother-in-law repeatedly refused to marry her and give her children, she gets to drag him before the elders, pull his sandal off his foot, and spit in his face. (This is true; read Dt. 25.9 after church.)
But what happens if the brother marries her, and then he dies? Then another brother steps up (and he dies), and then another, and another, until by the end, the seventh guy in line is probably thinking, “Man, this woman’s really bad luck.” Or “I don’t think we should keep that funny brother-in-law marriage rule anymore.” Or “Here’s my sandal, go ahead and spit in my face, because marrying you is a death wish, honey!”
The Sadducees tell this story — this theological and legal hypothetical — to try and do two things: 1) Make fun of the notion that there is a Resurrection (which of the seven brothers is her husband in heaven, eh?). 2) They’re trying to trap Jesus.
But Jesus’ answer is perfect. In the first place, he dismantles their hypothetical by making it clear that “marriage is not forever!” (“Oh…” or “Whew!”) Those made worthy to receive a place in the age to come neither marry nor are given in marriage. Since there will be no death in heaven, there will be no need to propagate children, and so no need for marriage.
And secondly, Jesus proves the Resurrection to these Sadducees who deny it, by quoting from one of the five books which they actually hold to: Exodus. In Exodus 3, where Moses encounters Yahweh and the burning bush, God tells Moses, “I Am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Present tense! Not “I used to be their God, but now they’re dead, so I’m not anymore.” Not “They’re dead and gone, so that’s that.” But rather, Yahweh, the eternal One, is the great “I AM” and all who are alive in Him are truly alive forever like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And that’s the message for us today. Not so much, “marriage isn’t forever.” Nor “the history of ancient Hebrew marriage practices.” Nor “Sadducean theology made simple.” Nor “look how clever Jesus is.” No, the message for us today is that our God is the “Great I AM,” the Living One, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And if we are in him, we will live forever with him.
How do we remain “in him”? By believing in Jesus, the one who he sent, and by being baptized His name. Jesus said, “I AM the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will never die.” Jesus said, “I AM the vine, you are the branches, if you remain in me, you have life in my name.” Jesus said, “I AM the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. No one can pluck them out of my hands.” Jesus said, “I AM the bread of life, he who believes in me will never go hungry, and I will raise him up on the last day.” He is the living God, and all who are in him live forever with him. Not even the cross could keep the life and love of God dead.
This promise is for all of us — whether single, married, gone through a difficult divorce, grieving the loss of a spouse, or yearning for companionship. Being engrafted into Christ in baptism means we are engrafted into his life, death and resurrection. There’s a final estate promised beyond the worst of this world, but also beyond the best of this world. Even the most beautiful, most loving, most powerful of all our human relationships are all just a mere shadow of what is to come. This refocuses our sights, our energies, our hopes on life with Christ — no matter who we are or what our marital status. Our identity is in our union with Christ – and him alone. All our vocations flow from the Living God who gives life to all.
Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.