40 Days of Faith: Day 37

Hebrews 11:35 – Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

Part of the fun of this journey together has been the walk through the stories of the Old Testament. We’ve gone back to the beginning, to Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, and as we have made it through these in the hall of faith, it’s as if the writer of Hebrews is accelerating to the days of Jesus. His statements are now summations, referring to a few stories along the way, and getting his reader toward a crescendo of faith.

In verse 35, the resurrection of the dead is the fruit of faith. These women who received back their dead were the widow who served Elijah from 1 Kings 17, and the Shunamite woman who served Elisha in 2 Kings 4, both receiving back their sons.

The second part of this verse speaks to those being tortured for their beliefs. Many believe that this section of the verse is widely understood to point to Jewish martyrs during the Maccabean period (2nd century BC). The clearest historical parallels are found in the Apocrypha, particularly 2 Maccabees 6–7, which recounts how the elderly scribe Eleazar was tortured to death for refusing to eat pork (2 Maccabees 6:18–31),[1] and how a mother and her seven sons were executed one by one by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes after refusing to renounce their faith and eat forbidden food (2 Maccabees 7:1–42).[2] Each of them faced death with hope in the resurrection, declaring that God would raise them to eternal life.[3]

 As you look at the belief in the resurrection in the Old Testament, you see this belief in bits and pieces, starting with Hosea. One writer states, “The first specific mention of the hope of a resurrection is found in Hosea, where the prophet’s words are rather of the nature of an aspiration than the distinct announcement of a future event (6:2, cf. 13:14).”[4]  The Psalmists speak of it, Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones conveys God’s ability to bring resurrection forth, and Daniel most clearly articulates the doctrine of the resurrection in the Old Testament. Daniel 12: 2 states:
“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

As you speed to the time of Jesus, you see the emerging doctrine of the resurrection during this Maccabean period. These extra-biblical works don’t clearly articulate a standard doctrine of the resurrection but instead convey a variety of views of it. The resurrection of the dead is written about in the Book of Enoch, the Psalms of Solomon, and 2 Maccabees.
In 2 Maccabees, one writer declares, “A very definite doctrine of the resurrection is taught in this book, though the author expressly denies its applicability to the Gentiles (7:14, cf. 2 Es 7 [79f]). The resurrection of the body is strongly held, as affording a powerful incentive and a glorious hope for those who underwent a cruel martyrdom (14:46, 7:11, cf. 7:9, 14).”[5]
By the time we get to the New Testament, we know that the Pharisees teach and embrace the resurrection of the dead, and that Martha, the sister of Lazarus believes deeply in the resurrection. John 11:24 states, “Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’”  In Acts 23:6, the Apostle Paul declares that it is because of the belief in the resurrection that he is on trial. Acts 23:6 states, “Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’”

The point that I am making is the sense that the doctrine of the resurrection was ripening so that by the time of Jesus and his resurrection, the Christian church could preach that Jesus was the very resurrection and the life of God available to all humanity. The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone doctrine of our faith because, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins,” (1 Corinthians 15:17). It is this truth that we preach, stand upon, and celebrate. The reason we do this is because of the last part of Hebrews 11:35, which states, “…so that they might rise again to a better life.”

The reason Jesus came to die was to conquer sin and death, and to bring us to God. The promise that God makes to us is that we will rise again to a better life. This better life—the city where God is the architect and maker—the new heaven, earth, and New Jerusalem, is what will enable the believer to both endure violent persecution, and severe hardship, which we will see in our final few days together.

In the meantime, the hope of the resurrection steadies us in the face of fear, loss, and even death itself. The women who received their sons back, the martyrs who endured torture, and the apostles who stood on trial all clung to this truth: this life is not the end. Because Jesus is risen, we too will rise to a better life with Him. That hope fuels courage, sustains endurance, and gives us strength to live faithfully in a world full of trials.

Today, fix your eyes on the risen Christ. Let the promise of resurrection give you courage to endure hardship, faith to stand firm, and joy in the face of suffering. Live with confidence that the best life—the better life—is yet to come.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you that You are the resurrection and the life. Because You live, I have hope beyond the grave. Strengthen me when I am weak, steady me when I am afraid, and remind me daily that this life is not the end. Help me endure hardship with joy, and give me courage to share the hope of Your resurrection with others. I look forward to that better life in Your presence forever. Amen.

[1] 2 Maccabees 6:18–31; 2 Maccabees 7:1–42 (NRSV Apocrypha).
[2] 2 Maccabees 7:1–42, NRSV Apocrypha.
[3] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 321–323; William L. Lane, Hebrews 9–13, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 47B (Dallas: Word, 1991), 361–363.
[4] Hastings, J., Selbie, J. A., Lambert, J. C., & Mathews, S. (1909). In Dictionary of the Bible (p. 791). Charles Scribner’s Sons.
[5] Hastings, J., Selbie, J. A., Lambert, J. C., & Mathews, S. (1909). In Dictionary of the Bible (p. 792). Charles Scribner’s Sons.