路加福音20：27-40
“我信……罪得赦免，肉身复活，并且永生，阿们！”
我们在无神论环境中长大的，认为人死了一了百了，不仅身体烂了，没了，而且灵魂也没了。或者顶多认为，灵魂应该有个好的去处吧，至少不用受苦了吧，再有或许按照佛教的轮回观念，这辈子积点德，下辈子投个好胎，重新做人吧等等。这些都是错误的。
无神论之所以否认死后的事，并非是因为不知道，研究不出来，所以就不谈论，好像孔子说的：“未知生，焉知死呢？”（论语-先进篇）意思就是说，活着还没弄明白，管他死后的事干什么。其实啊，这种态度是恐惧死亡以及死后的审判。圣经上说，“按着定命，人人都有一死，死后还有审判。”（希伯来书9:27）
佛教徒认真对待死亡和死后的事，包括审判。他们以为修行高的可以去极乐世界，差一点儿的可以投个好胎、不至于做牛做马，恶人要下地狱，地狱还分等级，甚至有十八层。但是他们把人的出路放在积德行善上，总结说来，就是靠自己得救。这种审判的观念是天然的，是永生的上帝放在人的良心里面，但是人离开福音，离开神的救赎所启示的道路，人只能靠自己去摸索，靠善行得救。
殊不知，善行是人本分该做的，你做了也是应该的，并不能弥补抵消所做的恶事，或者本该做却没有做的事（统称为罪）。就像，你上班本来就需要工作八小时，你八个小时充足干活，也干好了，你怎么可以说这能够弥补上星期偷懒亏缺的工作呢？你说，加个班吧，弥补一下总可以吧，工作可以加班，但人的生命加不了班，。你整个一生都是神给的，人这一辈子，分分秒秒都需要按着上帝的旨意行出完全的善，你拿什么额外的时间和善行去弥补过错和罪恶呢？这个赎罪需要一位完美的人来代替我们成全，并且借此能够得到赦免，而能够做到这个的只能是我们世人的救主耶稣基督。
好，我们回到今天的主题，我们基督徒所信的，也是上帝所启示出来的，就是靠着耶稣基督的十字架救赎，让我们罪得赦免，并且肉身复活，以及永生。我们每一个主日都在神面前用使徒信经或尼西亚信经一起宣告我们的信仰。我们靠着耶稣得赦免，成为圣洁无瑕疵，不仅如此，他还把复活和永生应许给我们信靠他的人，就像我们的救主耶稣自己从死人中复活，并且永远活着一样。复活是我们信仰和生命的根基，就像保罗在罗马书4:25说：“耶稣被交给人钉死，是为我们的过犯；复活，是为叫我们称义。”
我刚信主那会儿，非常感动的是主耶稣赦免我的罪，赐给我良心的平安，并且让我有能力过一个新生命，对付罪和私欲，为主而活，不再为自己。但是在刚开始学习的时候，对复活和永生啊并不感兴趣，觉得这些没那么重要。后来聚会学习越来越多，认识也就越来越清楚。原来，神不仅仅要赦免我们，洗净我们，还要用复活和永生来填满我们，以弗所书3:20“神能照着运行在我们心里的大力充充足足地成就一切，超过我们所求所想的。”列王记上3:13“你所没有求的，我也赐给你。”我们今天也藉着福音经文来珍视主的救恩所带来的全备福分，尤其是肉身复活和永生。
在今天的福音经文中，撒督该人来试探耶稣，他们是犹太人中间的一个宗教派别，所信的圣经只有旧约的摩西五经，不相信灵魂不灭、肉身复活和天使的存在。他们来找耶稣，并不是求教，而是试探，要耶稣难堪。他们以为自己很聪明，拿圣经来试探耶稣。用的经文是摩西所颁布的条例：“人若有妻无子就死了，他兄弟当娶他的妻，为哥哥生子立后。”（参考申命记25:5-10）这个条例本来是出于神的怜悯，不让一个本该继承产业的家室没落，因为没有儿子，就没法继承产业，也是为了这位寡妇的生计。
但是，撒督该人因为不信复活和永生，虽然口头上也说自己信神，敬畏耶和华，其实他们并不真的信，他们的宗教信仰都是作秀给人看的，是为了谋财，为了政治利益，这也是为什么他们抵挡耶稣，要试探他，抓把柄陷害耶稣的原因。撒督该人并不用心钻研主的话语和摩西的条例，他们并没有藉着这条例认识神的怜恤和恩惠，照看孤儿寡妇。以致于啊，他们不惜给了一个极其残忍的例子，哪怕是假设的场景。
什么场景？就是有七个弟兄，第一个死了，而且没有儿子，第二个要按着摩西的条例娶他哥哥的妻子，但是他也死了，没有留下孩子，一连七个，全死了，一个孩子都没有，最后寡妇也死了。弟兄姐妹们，我们能够想象这凄惨的画面吗？虽然是一个为了试探耶稣而假设的场景，但是我们发现没有，如果人没有真正认识神和他的慈爱怜悯，他的救恩，死亡是我们的人生的主旋律。我们先不说撒督该人怎样没有怜悯的心，竟然举这样一个凄惨的例子，就拿我们世人所有人来说，这不是真实的场景吗？
简单说来，死亡不就是弥漫在一代又一代的世人中间吗？死亡送走上一辈，死亡迎接下一辈，你们想过没有，人一出生就注定要死的，人一出生就踏上走向死亡的路程。虽然今天的人不愿意提死亡，尤其是华人朋友忌讳谈论死，甚至今天的人对死亡是视而不见，但死亡仍然是世人的常态。现在殡仪馆都太体面了，小孩儿很少有机会能够亲身体会、面对面地观察到人的死亡。我记得小时候，经常有机会参加葬礼，即使不常看见死人的面孔，但也常常看见棺材，自己家里人去世，一般大人都会刻意安排小孩儿看最后一眼。但今天的人啊，很少有机会，都把死亡隔离了，从医院到殡仪馆，到最后送行，几乎没有多少直接接触死亡的机会，过去村里都是棺材放在堂屋，正厅，持续好几天。所以我们有机会就要多带自己的孩子参加葬礼。传道书不也是说：“往丧家去，强如往宴乐的家，因为死是众人的结局，活人必将这事放在心上。”（传道书7:2）
我们再看，撒督该人所举的这个假设例子。他们对死亡已经习惯了，麻木了，视而不见听而不闻了。他们对永生已经不抱任何希望，他们所信的神也不再是真神耶和华，而是他们的肚腹，他们今生的富足和快乐。所以，他们为了试探耶稣，举了这样一个凄惨的例子，并不觉得有什么不妥的。他们不觉得这样一个假设是冒犯和侮辱那位怜悯人、看顾人的神。七个兄弟，一个寡妇，就这样一个挨着一个，最后全死了，没有一个后代。而且，我们进一步想一下，“七”很多时候是指很多，一直持续下去。神会让这样的事情发生吗？圣经中有记载这样凄惨的画面吗？我们身边有这样的真实例子吗？很显然没有。就拿前几周我们讲到拿俄米和路得的故事，两个弟兄死后，神就介入，实行怜悯，极大的怜悯，并没有让这样的凄惨情况持续下去。神是怜悯人的神，他不愿意死亡成为我们人的终点站，他不喜悦人死亡。他要以自己的死亡打败死亡，赐给我们复活和永生。
这个复活不是投胎转世，不是只有灵魂的不死，而是我们自己的肉身复活。我们明白这一点吗？死亡只是把身体和灵魂暂时分开了，将来要复活重新联合在一起，活在神面前。基督降世为人，取了我们的肉身，并且带着肉身升天，作为人永远活着掌权，这个事实就告诉我们，我们的人性和肉身是极其尊贵，配得神的大尊荣的。神造人的时候，虽然是用尘土造人，但却将祂的灵借着吹气放进人的身体里（创世记2:7）,人就因此成为有灵的活人。他还在圣餐礼中借着这普通的饼和酒将他的真身体和血赐给我们，让我们分享他的永恒生命。这属地的要成为属天的。保罗论到死人复活的事说：“这必朽坏的总要成为不朽坏的，这必死的总要成为不死的。”（哥林多前书15:53）将来复活的形体是什么样子？就像你种到地里的麦子或者其他种子一样，长出来的跟埋在地里的种子虽然也是一类，但不完全一样，对不对？现在的身体是会朽坏腐烂的，是亏损的，而将来复活的身体是不会朽坏，是荣耀无比的（参考哥林多前书15:35-49）。
主耶稣怎么反驳撒督该人呢？现在有嫁娶，将来人要跟天使一样，没有嫁娶，没有婚姻，没有生养了。我们要记住，是跟天使一样的生活，但不是拥有天使的身体，因为天使是灵，没有身体，我们不是变成天使，主耶稣是说，我们要像圣洁的天使一样永远活着，不再有死亡。到那时候，我们是神的儿女，活在他的家中，活在他面前，享受天父的同在和祝福。他活着，我们也要活着，我们同有一位父，就是永活的神。
主耶稣还用摩西所记载的话来反驳他们。摩西不是记载，主是亚伯拉罕的神，以撒的神，雅各的神？（出埃及记3章，我们今天已经读到）。当主耶和华在荆棘中向摩西显现的时候，亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各都已经离世，雅各下埃及到摩西带领以色列人出埃及已经过了四百年。但是当摩西问主耶和华名字的时候，主说：“我是自有永有的，耶和华，就是亚伯拉罕的神，以撒的神，雅各的神。”什么是自有永有？就是他是创造主，是不依赖任何其他事物而自我存在的，而我们都是受造物，是依靠其他的事物存在的。万物都依赖主耶和华存在，而且我们生活也是彼此依赖，对不对？
第二点，就是神是有关系的，他是藉着人来启示他自己，来定义自己，来宣扬自己，他是亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的神，神活着，他们也活着。神不需要我们，因为他是自有永有的；但神需要我们，因为他是藉着我们来在地上继续为他作见证，我们活着就是基督，他没有差派天使来传讲他天国的道，而是把这个使命给了我们。别人很多时候怎么认识主耶稣？首先是看你们基督徒的行为，有没有爱心，是不是真的跟圣经所说的爱人如己，带着敬畏神的态度活在人群当中，其次才会认真听你所讲的圣经话语和福音。彼得前书3:13-15“你们若是热心行善……只要心里尊主基督为圣。有人问你们心中盼望的缘由，就要常作准备，以温柔、敬畏的心回答各人。”你的好行为吸引人来听你所信的，反之，你的糟糕行为会拦阻人听你所信的，对不对。
你们是带着复活和永生的盼望活在当下，还是跟世人一样，都是为了今生的享乐，都是为了吃吃喝喝，生怕错过了享乐的机会。弟兄姐妹们，别人都在看我们，看我们怎么说话，怎么做事，怎么待人。保罗不是说，“我们成了一台戏，给世人和天使观看。”（哥林多前书4:9）歌罗西书3:17“无论做什么，或说话，或行事，都要奉主耶稣的名，藉着他感谢父神。”马太福音5:15“你们的光也当照在人前，叫他们看见你们的好行为，便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父。”奉圣父、圣子、圣灵的名。阿们。
Luke 20:27-40
“I believe... in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
The Certainty of Resurrection and Eternal Life
Those of us raised in an atheist environment often believe that death is the final end—that not only the body rots away, but the soul is also extinguished. At best, some might think the soul simply goes to a good place, free from suffering. Others might cling to the concept of Buddhist reincarnation, hoping that by accumulating merit in this life, they might secure a better next life. All of these beliefs are incorrect.
Atheism denies life after death, not because the truth is unknowable or unsearchable, but because there is an underlying fear of death and the judgment that follows. The attitude, similar to what Confucius expressed, "Not yet understanding life, how can one understand death?" (Analects 11.11), essentially means, "If we haven't figured out how to live, why bother with what happens after we die?" The truth is, this attitude stems from a dread of death and the judgment that comes after. Scripture clearly states: "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27, ESV).
Buddhism takes death and the afterlife, including judgment, seriously. They believe the highly spiritual and holy may attain the Western Pure Land, while others might secure a better reincarnation to avoid being reborn as animals. Wicked people are destined for hell, which has various levels, even "eighteen levels." However, their path to salvation is based on accumulating merit and performing good deeds, which ultimately means they rely on self-salvation. This concept of judgment is innate, placed on the human conscience by the eternal God. Yet, when people turn away from the Gospel and the path of redemption revealed by God, they can only risk their way forward, seeking salvation through good works.
They fail to realize that good works are merely what a person ought to do; doing them does not compensate for or negate the evil acts committed or the good deeds neglected (all of which are collectively called sin). For instance, if your job requires eight hours of work, diligently completing those eight hours does not make up for the work you slacked off on last week. You might suggest working overtime, but while work allows for overtime, human life does not. Your entire life is a gift from God, and every moment of it requires acting in complete goodness according to God’s will. With what extra time or good works can you possibly make up for past mistakes and sins? This atonement requires a perfect person to fulfill it on our behalf and, through that perfect substitute, grant us forgiveness. The only one capable of this is our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Fullness of Christian Hope: Forgiveness, Resurrection, and Life Everlasting
We return to today's theme: what we Christians believe, and what God has revealed to us—that through Jesus Christ's redemptive work on the cross, we receive the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Every Sunday, we stand before God and declare our faith using the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed. Through Jesus, we are forgiven and made holy and blameless. Moreover, He promises resurrection and eternal life to all who trust in Him, just as our Savior Jesus Himself rose from the dead and lives forever. Resurrection is the foundation of our faith and life, as Paul states in Romans 4:25: "who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (ESV).
When I first became a believer, I was deeply moved by the Lord Jesus forgiving my sins, granting me peace of conscience, and empowering me to live a new life—to fight against sin and self-indulgence, and to live for the Lord rather than myself. Initially, however, I wasn't particularly interested in the resurrection and eternal life; they seemed less important. But as I attended more gatherings and studied more, my understanding became clearer. God not only forgives and cleanses us but also intends to fill us completely with the blessing of resurrection and eternal life. As Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" (ESV). And 1 Kings 3:13: "What you have not asked, I will give you." Today, through this Gospel passage, we cherish the complete blessings of the Lord's salvation, especially the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
The Error of the Sadducees and the Truth of the Word
In today's Gospel reading, the Sadducees come to test Jesus. They were a Jewish religious faction that only accepted the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch) as Scripture and denied the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the existence of angels. They came to Jesus not to learn, but to challenge and embarrass Him. Thinking they were clever, they tested Him using Scripture, specifically the Mosaic law: "If a man dies leaving a wife, but no child, his brother shall take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother" (See Deuteronomy 25:5-10, ESV). This law was rooted in God's compassion, preventing a family line—and its inheritance—from failing due to a lack of a male heir, and ensuring the widow’s livelihood.
The Sadducees, because they did not believe in resurrection and eternal life, did not truly believe in God, even though they professed faith and fear of the Lord. Their religious practice was merely for show, aimed at financial gain and political influence. This is why they opposed Jesus, seeking to test Him and trap Him. They did not diligently study the Lord's Word or the Mosaic Law; they failed to see God's pity and grace in the ordinance, which was intended to care for orphans and widows. Consequently, they presented an extremely cruel, albeit hypothetical, scenario.
What was the scenario? There were seven brothers. The first died without a child. The second married the widow according to the law but also died without a child. This continued through all seven brothers, none leaving an heir. Finally, the widow also died. Brothers and sisters, can we imagine this miserable scene? Although it was a hypothetical scenario to test Jesus, we discover that if a person does not truly know God, His mercy, and His salvation, death becomes the dominant theme of human life. Setting aside the Sadducees' lack of compassion in raising such a tragic example, isn't this the reality for all people in the world?
In short, isn't death pervasive among generations of people? Death sends off the previous generation, and death awaits the next. Have you ever considered that a person is destined to die the moment they are born? A person's birth marks the beginning of the road toward death. Although people today, especially in Chinese culture, avoid talking about death, and even pretend not to see it, death remains the norm for humanity. Funeral homes are now so professionalized that children rarely have the opportunity to personally experience or face death. I remember as a child often attending funerals. Even if I didn't frequently see the face of the dead, I often saw the coffin. When a family member died, adults generally made sure the children had a final seeing. Today, people rarely have this opportunity, as death is isolated, from the hospital to the funeral home, to the final send-off—there is almost no direct contact. In the past, coffins were placed in the main hall of the village house for days. Therefore, when we have the chance, we should bring our children to funerals more often. Does not Ecclesiastes 7:2 say: "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart" (ESV)?
Let us look again at the Sadducees' hypothetical example. They had become accustomed to death, numb to it, seeing and hearing nothing. They held no hope for eternal life; the "God" they served was no longer the true God, Yahweh, but their own appetites—their pursuit of worldly wealth and pleasure. Therefore, they used this miserable scenario to test Jesus and felt no impropriety in doing so. They did not think such a hypothesis was an offense or insult to the compassionate and caring God. Seven brothers, one widow—dying one after another, all without an heir. Furthermore, let's consider that the number "seven" often denotes a large number or something that continues indefinitely. Would God allow such a thing to happen? Is such a tragic scene recorded in the Bible? Do we see such real-life examples around us? Clearly not. Just a few weeks ago, we studied the story of Naomi and Ruth. After the death of two sons, God intervened and showed great compassion, not allowing the misery to continue. God is a merciful God; He does not want death to be our final destination, nor does He delight in the death of people. He defeated death with His own death and grants us resurrection and eternal life.
The Resurrection of the Body
This resurrection is not reincarnation or merely the immortality of the soul; it is the resurrection of our own body. Do we understand this? Death only temporarily separates the body and soul; they will be reunited in the future, resurrected to live in God’s presence. The fact that Christ came into the world as a human, took on our flesh, and ascended to heaven with His body, reigning forever as a man, tells us that our human nature and body are extremely precious and worthy of God's great honor. When God created man, He used the dust of the ground but breathed His Spirit into the body (Genesis 2:7), and man became a living being. In the Sacrament of the Altar, He gives us His true body and blood, through the ordinary bread and wine, allowing us to share in His eternal life. The earthly will become heavenly. Paul says concerning the resurrection of the dead: "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:53, ESV). What will our resurrected body look like? It will be like a seed planted in the ground—the plant that grows is the same type as the seed buried, but not completely identical, correct? Our current body is perishable and lacking, but the future resurrected body will be imperishable and glorious beyond measure (See 1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
Jesus's Response and the Witness of Faith
How did the Lord Jesus refute the Sadducees? He said that while there is marriage and giving in marriage now, in the age to come, people will be like the angels—without marriage, without giving in marriage, and without procreation. We must remember: the life will be like that of the angels, but we will not have angelic bodies, as angels are spirits without bodies. We do not become angels either. The Lord Jesus means that we will live forever like the holy angels, with death no longer a factor. In that time, we will be sons of God, living in His house, in His presence, enjoying the Father’s presence and blessing. He lives, and we also shall live; we share one Father, the eternal God.
The Lord Jesus also refuted them using the words recorded by Moses. Did not Moses record that the Lord is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? (See Exodus 3, which we read today). When the Lord Yahweh appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had already passed away—four hundred years had elapsed between Jacob's descent into Egypt and Moses leading the Israelites out. But when Moses asked the Lord Yahweh for His name, the Lord said, "I am who I am," the LORD, "the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6, 14-15, ESV). What does "I am who I am" mean? It means He is the Creator, existing by Himself, independent of all else. We are all created beings, dependent on other things for existence. All things depend on the Lord Yahweh for existence, and we also live in mutual dependence, correct?
The second point is that God is a relational God; He reveals and defines Himself through people, and proclaims Himself through them. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God lives, and they also live. God does not need us, for He is self-existent; yet God needs us, for He continues to bear witness on earth through us. To live is Christ. He did not send angels to preach the Word of His kingdom, but gave this mission to us. How do others often come to know the Lord Jesus? First, by observing the behavior of you Christians: Do you show love? Do you genuinely love your neighbor as yourselves, living among people with a reverence for God? Only then will they seriously listen to the scriptural Word and Gospel you speak. 1 Peter 3:13-15: "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ... but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (ESV). Your good conduct draws people to hear what you believe; conversely, your poor behavior will hinder people from hearing what you believe, correct?
Are you living in the present with the hope of resurrection and eternal life, or are you like the rest of the world, living for this life’s pleasures, for eating and drinking, fearing you might miss out on enjoyment? Brothers and sisters, others are watching us—how we speak, how we act, and how we treat people. Did not Paul say, "For we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men" (1 Corinthians 4:9, ESV)? Colossians 3:17: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (ESV). Matthew 5:16: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (ESV).
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.