No Marriage in Heaven

September 5

(Luke 20:27-35 NIV) ““Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. {28} “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. {29} Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. {30} The second {31} and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. {32} Finally, the woman died too. {33} Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” {34} Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. {35} But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.”” 

(Deuteronomy 25:5-6 NIV) “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. {6} The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.”

(Galatians 3:26-28 NIV) “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, {27} for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. {28} There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

What will we do in eternity? There is one thing we know for sure that we won’t do. We won’t be married. For many people, this may bring some angst and confusion. Marriage and family are part of God’s creation package -- building blocks of godly culture here on Earth. Essential values are learned there. This is so important that God said if a husband died, having no son to carry on the family name, the dead man’s brother was to marry his widow (if he wasn’t already married) in order to carry on the family name. The question from the Sadducees was, who would the woman be married to in the afterlife? Jesus said the question was moot because there will be no marriage in the age to come. Gender and marriage are earthly constructs. In eternity, we will live an asexual existence, like the angels. The physical will have given way to the spiritual. The flesh will count for nothing. Hallelujah! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day