The Sadducees are Sad, You See…

The word resurrection appears in the NIV exactly 45 times. It first appears in Matthew 22:23, as the Sadducees attempt to confuse and trap Jesus by presenting an unlikely hypothetical story about a very unlucky widow.

Jesus' reply is simple. We serve a God "of the living, not of the dead."

That's why Jesus' resurrection is so important. It's a reflection of the reality that humans are created in God's image, intended to live forever.