The God of the Living

Luke 20:27-38 (November 9, 2025)

Have you ever heard the term YOLO? You Only Live Once. Maybe it’s not something you use in your vocabulary much anymore, but the attitude behind it? That mindset that life is short and unpredictable, so we’d better squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of this temporary existence?

That’s still everywhere. We hear it in music, we see it plastered across social media, and we feel its pull in our culture. This life is all there is, so you better make it count.

But if we have placed our faith in Christ, we know that YOLO simply isn’t the whole story. Our entire belief system, our hope, our reason for getting up in the morning, hinges on the certainty of something more—a future age, a resurrection, a renewed and immortal life.

During His final week, Jesus confronted skeptical leaders who held a "YOLO" philosophy. In Luke 20:38, however, Jesus declares, "Now he is God not of the dead but of the living, for to him all of them are alive." This statement reveals our God is defined by life, and death doesn't have the final say. We'll explore three core ideas from this passage.

1. The Trap of Temporal Thinking

The Sadducees, a wealthy and powerful elite, tried to trick Jesus. They controlled the Temple and held high court seats. Theologically, they denied the resurrection, life after death, angels, and demons, believing the soul ceased to exist upon bodily death.

The Sadducees, referencing the ancient law of Levirate Marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), propose an absurd scenario: if seven brothers successively marry the same childless widow to produce an heir, whose wife would she be in the resurrection? This law mandated a brother marry his deceased, childless brother's widow to preserve his name and lineage.

Then comes their "gotcha" question: "In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife" (vs 3).

They believed they had trapped Jesus. If He chose one husband, it would be unfair; if He denied marriage in the resurrection, He would contradict the Law of Moses. This cynical riddle, driven by denial, exemplifies temporal thinking. It was a smokescreen to dismiss the afterlife as nonsensical, complicating their earthly lives.

And aren't we all tempted to fall into that same trap? We get so wrapped up in the logistics of this life that we start asking God the wrong questions — hypothetical puzzles and spiritual what-ifs that completely distract us from the eternally significant realities right in front of us.

Imagine you had one chance, just one, to ask Jesus a question about the resurrection, and you used it to ask something trivial. The Sadducees were essentially asking Jesus questions from what we could call the "Resurrection Wish List." Questions like:

• "Will I have to get a haircut in the resurrection, Jesus? I find haircuts really annoying; I’d like to just pick a style and have my hair stay that length perfectly forever."
• "How much golf will I get to play, and will I automatically shoot under par?"
• "How old will I be? Can I pick my physical peak? I was really feeling it at 28."

These hypotheticals might be harmless to wonder about, but they miss the entire point. The fundamental question shouldn't be about the particulars of resurrected life, but about obtaining the resurrection itself. Jesus is warning us: Don’t get so lost asking the wrong questions about the resurrection that you miss the resurrection entirely because you missed Him.

2. The Reality of Resurrection Life

Jesus sees through their earthly view, stating they are wrong by not knowing the Scriptures or God's power. He corrects their assumption that resurrection is merely an improved version of this life. Furthermore, Jesus says, "People in this life marry, but those worthy of the resurrection neither marry nor die, for they are like angels and are children of God" (vss 33, 34).

Jesus establishes a crystal-clear distinction between two realities: This Age (the age of death) and That Age (the age of resurrection).

In this age, marriage is essential. It's the God-given context for procreation, made necessary precisely because human beings die. Marriage fulfills purposes required in a mortal, fallen world—providing companionship, intimacy, and a structure for continuing the family line.

But in that age, the rules that govern our mortal lives become obsolete. Jesus points out two massive discontinuities: First, there is no death. We "cannot die anymore" (vs 36). Immortality is achieved. Second, there is no marriage. We "neither marry nor are given in marriage." Why? Because procreation is no longer necessary when death itself has been defeated.

For some of us, especially those in wonderful, life-giving marriages, the idea of marriage ending might sound a little... sad. Is heaven a downgrade in that department? Absolutely not. Jesus is revealing that the relationships in the age to come will be infinitely superior.

Let’s use an analogy: “The Shadow and the Substance.”

Imagine you have a photograph of someone you love more than anyone in the world. When they are far away, you cherish that photo. You look at it, you remember them, you hold it close. It’s a precious, two-dimensional representation. But what happens when that person finally walks through the door? Do you ignore the person and keep staring at the picture? Of course not! The picture—the shadow—gives way to the real person, the living, breathing substance.

Earthly marriage, though beautiful, is a temporary signpost. It points to the ultimate, eternal union of Christ and the Church. The perfect intimacy, satisfaction, and unity in God's family will far surpass even the best earthly marriage, making the shadow unnecessary once we have the substance.

Now, Jesus says this incredible resurrection life is for "those who are considered worthy" (vs 35). So who are they? Does this mean we have to earn our way in? No. Scripture is clear that none of us are worthy on our own. Our worthiness comes solely through faith in Jesus Christ. When we trust in Him, His perfect righteousness is credited to our account, and God sees us as worthy of that resurrection. And because of that, we become "sons of God, being sons of the resurrection" (vs 36)—fully adopted heirs in our Father's house.

3. The Certainty of the Covenant God

Finally, Jesus establishes the absolute certainty of the resurrection. He pivots from the details of eternal life to the very foundation of who God is. And He does it by using a proof text the Sadducees had to accept, because it came directly from their playbook, the Torah—specifically, from Exodus 3.

He says, "And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (vs 37).

Think about this. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead and buried for about 400 years. Yet God did not say, "I was the God of Abraham." He used the present tense. "I AM the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

This single word—"AM"—is Jesus' mic drop moment. It confirms two profound, unshakeable truths.

First, God is timeless; from His eternal perspective, the patriarchs are alive, not dead. It would be absurd for God to be the God of non-existent beings.

Second, God is a covenant-keeping God. Jesus referenced the patriarchs because they are the foundation of God's promises. God covenanted with Abraham, promising him land, countless offspring, and a universal blessing—the Savior.

The patriarchs died without fully receiving God's promises. Abraham, a sojourner, didn't possess the whole Promised Land, see countless offspring, or witness the promised Savior's arrival. If death were final for them, God would have broken His covenant and been unfaithful.

The only way for God to be faithful to His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is if He resurrects them from the dead so they can finally receive their promised inheritance.

Imagine receiving a scholarship to your dream university, but the check is post-dated for 20 years in the future. Even though you can't cash it now, the university's unbreakable promise—their covenant with you—guarantees that money is yours. You trust they will honor it when the time comes.

God's covenant with the patriarchs is the ultimate unbreakable promise. Because God is who He is—faithful, true, and alive—He must raise the dead. The resurrection isn't just a hopeful idea; it's a certainty rooted in the very character of God.

Living for the God of the Living

This is why the scribes, who believed in the resurrection, chimed in, "Teacher, you have spoken well" (vs 39). Jesus had silenced the Sadducees so completely that they didn't dare ask Him another question.

So, what does this ancient debate mean for us, right here, right now? Everything.

If God is the God of the living, and if the resurrection is a certainty, then we are called to live for the age to come. The Sadducees lived with a YOLO mindset, grabbing for all the power, wealth, and pleasure this life could offer because they thought it was all there was. But we know better. Because we have a guaranteed inheritance, we should be living for eternal consequences.

What does that look like?

• Focus on true treasures, not worldly anxieties or fleeting pleasures. Our choices here lay up unseen, yet real, treasures in the world to come.
• Discipleship calls us to obedient lives reflecting God's character, making us "counted worthy" for eternal reward. Follow Him, trusting the substance is worth more than the shadow.
• Since the resurrection is a certainty, it's the greatest news ever. We must share Christ with everyone so they can share in that glorious future.

Brothers and sisters, the resurrection is not an "if," but a certainty. Christ defeated death and rose again as the firstfruits, the guarantee, of our own resurrection. May this profound reality radically change how we live every single day of this present life, for the glory of the God of the living. Amen?

Message Prayer:

Heavenly Father, You are the God of the living, for whom all who believe are eternally secure. Help us trust Your promises and renounce temporal worries. Empower us to live faithfully now, certain of the glorious, immortal life awaiting us in Christ Jesus, our resurrected Lord. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.