LUKE LESSON 49


     We will begin this lesson in Luke 20:21 "And they asked him,
saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither
acceptest thou the person [of any], but teachest the way of God
truly:"

     In the last lesson, we learned that the people who asked these
questions were the spies who had filtered into the disciples and were
trying to trap Jesus.  They are buttering up Jesus by telling Him that
He taught rightly and that they knew He was not a respecter of
persons. If they really believe He teaches the truth of God, why are
they trying to trap Him?

     Luke 20:22 "Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or
no?"

     This question was to trick Jesus.  If Jesus said no, He would be
in trouble with Rome.  If He said yes, the Hebrew people wouldn't like
it.

     Luke 20:23 "But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto
them, Why tempt ye me?"

     Jesus knows what is in their hearts and minds.  They cannot trick
Him.  He lets them know that He is aware of their trickery.

     Luke 20:24 "Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath
it? They answered and said, Caesar's."

     Jesus really does not answer them with a specific answer.  Jesus
knew that it would be Caesar's picture on the penny that was in
circulation at that time.

     Luke 20:25 "And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar
the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's."

     Jesus does not say to pay taxes to Caesar.  He just says give
unto Caesar the things that are Caesars.  What is God's?  Everything.
What is Caesar's?  Who knows?  Perhaps, this penny that has his
inscription.  We are advised to obey the laws of the land, however. I
do not believe that Jesus answered them at all here, because they
still had to determine what was Caesar's.

     Luke 20:26 "And they could not take hold of his words before the
people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace."

     The real reason they had asked Him this question, you remember,
was to trap Him.  Had He given them an answer either way, they could
have accused Him.

     Luke 20:27  "Then came to [him] certain of the Sadducees, which
deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,"  Luke 20:28
"Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having
a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his
wife, and raise up seed unto his brother."

     Look carefully at this as we go, because you must remember these
Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection.  This is just a trap
they are trying to set before Jesus.  In the law, if a man die and his
brother marry his wife, the first child will bear the name of the dead
brother and receive his inheritance.  The rest of the children would
belong to the brother who is alive.  These Sadducees believed only the
Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.

     Luke 20:29 "There were therefore seven brethren: and the first
took a wife, and died without children."  Luke 20:30 "And the second
took her to wife, and he died childless."  Luke 20:31 "And the third
took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no
children, and died." Luke 20:32 "Last of all the woman died also."
Luke 20:33 "Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she?
for seven had her to wife."

     This Sadducee has brought forth this hypothetical situation,
because he does not understand the difference in the flesh and the
spirit.  This woman was their's in the flesh on this earth.  Her
spirit was her own, as we will see Jesus explain in the next few
verses.

     Luke 20:34 "And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of
this world marry, and are given in marriage:"  Luke 20:35 "But they
which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:"

     We will shed this old body when we die.  The new heavenly body
that we receive will not be of this earth and will not be designed to
create children.  The reason for earthly bodies now is for husband and
wife to populate the earth.  There will be no flesh in heaven.  We
will have bodies, but they will be a celestial (heavenly nature), not
terrestrial (of the earth).  I Corinthians 15:40 "[There are] also
celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the
celestial [is] one, and the [glory] of the terrestrial [is] another."
Also I Corinthians 15:50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption."  You see, there is a different form of life in
heaven; far more wonderful than this old flesh here.  It is similar to
this because Thomas could still feel the nail prints in Jesus, but it
is different, too.  It doesn't age or know any pain any more.  This
Sadducee had no knowledge of the spirit, at all.  Many people have
this problem today.  They relate everything to the flesh (which will
pass away).

     Luke 20:36 "Neither can they die any more: for they are equal
unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of
the resurrection."

     The reason these resurrected don't marry is because they are not
male and female.  They are like the angels in heaven.  Angels are not
subject to the problems of this world and neither is the resurrected
body.  Angels are something else that these Sadducees do not believe
in, so Jesus is careful to bring them in on this, as well.  We are
God's family.  In fact, we are His children.

     Luke 20:37 "Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at
the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob."  Luke 20:38 "For he is not a God of the
dead, but of the living: for all live unto him."

     What Jesus is saying here is that if Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
were not alive in heaven at the time Moses saw the bush in the desert,
then God could not have been their God.  God is the God of things that
exist, not the God of things that do not exist.  Jesus is saying, they
are still alive in heaven, and God is their God.

     Luke 20:39  "Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master,
thou hast well said."

     These scribes were of the group who believed in life after death.

     Luke 20:40 "And after that they durst not ask him any [question
at all]."

     There was no use for them to ask, because He trapped them with
every answer He gave.

     Luke 20:41 "And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is
David's son?" Luke 20:42 "And David himself saith in the book of
Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand," Luke
20:43 "Till I make thine enemies thy footstool."  Luke 20:44 "David
therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?"

     We see, here, something that flesh cannot understand.  On the
flesh side of Jesus, His ancestor is David; but in the Spirit, Jesus
is David's God.  The Spirit of Jesus is eternal.  He was there at
creation day with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus, here, is
quoting from Psalms the very same thing.  The only way that we can
believe the verses above is to believe in the virgin birth.  We must
believe that God the Son (Jesus) took on the form of flesh and dwelt
among us.  The flesh was descended from David, but the life within
that flesh was Eternal God, the Son.

     Luke 20:45  "Then in the audience of all the people he said unto
his disciples,"  Luke 20:46 "Beware of the scribes, which desire to
walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest
seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;"  Luke 20:47
"Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the
same shall receive greater damnation."

     Jesus is describing someone who is highly conceited.  His belief
is just a show, it is not way down deep in his heart.  His praying is
not even done to God, but so man can hear.  He really has no faith in
God at all, it is all show.  There is little to say here except their
religion is a religion of convenience, not a deep, heart warming
through the Spirit religion.  Their end is total destruction.  Our
Matthew lesson goes into greater detail on this.


















































                           Luke 49 Questions

1.  In verse 21, the spies say that Jesus teaches what?
2.  What name did they call Jesus by?
3.  What question did they ask Jesus to try to trick Him?
4.  In verse 23, we find that Jesus -------their craftiness .
5.  What does Jesus tell them to show Him?
6.  Whose picture was on it?
7.  Render unto ---- the things that are -----and unto -------the
    things that are ------.
8.  Verse 26 tells us that they ------at His answer.
9.  Which group denied there is a resurrection?
10. Whose writing do they bring before Jesus?
11. What are the only books these Sadducees accepted?
12. In this hypothetical story, how many brothers married this woman?
13. Who would she be married to in heaven?
14. What did Jesus tell them about marriage and about heaven?
15. What is a heavenly body called by?
16. What is an earthly body called by?
17. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we learn that flesh and blood cannot
    do what?
18. Verse 36 says the resurrected are equal to what?
19. What else, besides the resurrection, do the Sadducees not believe
    in?
20. In verse 37, Jesus says Moses proved what at the burning bush?
21. God is not the God of the ------- but of the -------.
22. Who said "Master thou hast well said?"
23. Why did they stop asking Him questions?
24. Explain how Jesus could be David's and God's Son at the same time?
25. Who did Jesus tell the disciples to beware of?
26. Why ?
27. Why are they destroyed in the end?