Over the last eight sessions we have discussed the high valve of marriage. Marriage is magnificent, not because of a husband or wife or the earthly benefits received in a loving marriage, but because of where marriage comes from and what marriage points to. Marriage comes from God. Created on the sixth day, marriage is God’s design and holds God’s purpose…marriage points to Christ loving the church; the Gospel. That is the reason marriage is magnificent.

As a grandfather, I know how easy it is to focus on the earthly aspects of marriage and family. I know how easy it is to be thrilled with wife, children, and grandchildren. I absolutely love my family. I love the family my wife and I have built together. So much so that it is easy to lose focus on the eternal aspects of family by valuing my relationships with wife and children and grandchildren only on the here and now.

Marriage and family, though precious, are temporary for this age; the church is forever. Being in a human family is no guarantee of eternal blessing; being in God’s family means being eternally blessed. Relationships based solely on family are temporary. Relationships based on faith in Christ are eternal. Therefore the most important aspect of our family and marriage is how well they reflect the Gospel.

Read Matthew 22:23-33

On what relationships were the Sadducees focusing? (hint: temporary or eternal?) How was their thinking affected by their value system?

Why did Jesus say they were wrong in the way they thought? (verse 29)

When Jesus said “God is the God of the living” (verse 32), what did he mean to convey to the Sadducees?

How do these words of Jesus teach us to think about our marriage and family relationships?