As an Army chaplain, I heard a wide spectrum of theological perspectives. For example, I worked with chaplains who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. One was even a Southern Baptist. He once said in a sermon that the only resurrection we will ever see is the smile on a child’s face. That is where we see the risen Christ.

There is an implication in such a statement. The chaplain thought it was ridiculous to believe that our bodies will rise from the grave. He felt that was an impossibility.

But there is another consequence of such a belief. If it is true, the works we do in this body do not matter. At death, our bodies will go into the grave and decompose to dust. That will be the end. It would be insane to think that anything done in these bodies will have any eternal value. Logically, it would be stupid to do anything unpleasant in this life if we can avoid it.

The Sadducees had a very similar view. They did not believe in the physical resurrection of our dead bodies. They thought it was ridiculous to believe that decomposed dead bodies would rise from the ground.

Not surprisingly, they thought it was stupid to do good works, especially if those good works caused any kind of discomfort. As we might expect, they lived for this world. In Israel, they were the most powerful and rich men in society.

In Mark 12:18-27, they ridicule the Lord because He believes in a bodily resurrection. They speak of a hypothetical situation that proves, in their minds, that there is no way dead bodies will rise from the grave. In their hypothetical story, they make fun of people who believe in a resurrection.

In their story, because of their belief in the resurrection, seven brothers go out of their way to obey the Lord by taking care of a helpless widow. They pay a heavy price to do so. One can almost hear the Sadducees laughing at such stupidity, even though it was a fictional story.

Our Lord, as you might expect, takes a completely different view. The brothers were not stupid. There will be a resurrection from the dead. All believers will be in the kingdom in resurrected bodies. What those brothers did with those bodies in this life will matter. They acted righteously, and the Lord will reward that righteousness. The Lord made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That covenant requires a bodily resurrection. He has made similar promises to all believers. Believers will rise from the grave.

I don’t know if my fellow chaplain found any comfort in his belief that a smiling child is the only resurrection we will see. I find none. I find much more comfort in the words of the Lord. Every person who has believed in Him for eternal life will live with Him forever.

But there is more. This will not be a mystical kind of eternity. We will have bodies. Our bodies, whatever state of decomposition they are in, will rise. He will change them into glorified bodies that will never experience disease or death again.

But there is even more. In this life, we can do things that have true value. What we do for Him really matters.

I love smiling children. But I am much more excited about seeing the Lord in a resurrected, glorified, body.