Luke 20:27-40 Full Readings
In God We are Alive
Brethren, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body, whereas the Pharisees did. Thus, the Sadducees asked Jesus about the resurrection of the body using an almost unheard-of example to make the resurrection look ridiculous, and meaningless to those who believed in it and in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that marriage is not destined to exceed earthly existence. People are transformed when they die. He also taught that resurrection is real after this life and that God is the God of the living and not of the dead. Those who live according to the will of God will be rewarded with eternal life. Since the Sadducees did not believe in all of these, in tricking Jesus, they referred to the levirate law found in Deuteronomy 25:5ff which states that if a married man dies before having children, the brother of that man must marry his wife and provide descendants for his brother. Thus, the Sadducees presented the scenario where seven brothers die, each one subsequently taking the same wife. The question they posed was, “Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus retorts by dealing with the fact of the resurrection by using prophet Moses whom they trusted most. In Exodus 3:6, when God manifests his presence to Moses in the burning bush, the Lord tells him that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He shows that the patriarchs who died hundreds of years previously were still alive in God. Jesus defeats their arguments by showing that God is a living God of a living people. God was the friend of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they lived. That friendship could not cease with death. As Psalm 73:23-24 states: "I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory."
Do we believe in resurrection too, or we are like the Sadducees? Without belief in resurrection, our faith is bottomless. The life to come is far different from this life and it is very beautiful; we should always long and work for it. No common businesses that we do here, including marriage, for we are transformed, with no death hence no need of procreation. Some spouses have a hard time with this teaching, in that they love their spouse and desire to remain married in Heaven and at the time of the final resurrection. For those who feel this way, rest assured that the bonds of love we form on earth will remain and even be strengthened in Heaven. And when the end of the world comes and all of our bodies rise and are reunited with our souls, those bonds of love will remain stronger than ever. However, marriage, in the earthly sense, will be no more. It will be replaced by the pure love of the new life to come. We shall see God as truly he is.
Reflect today on Jesus' teachings on resurrection and the life to come. Do you long to enjoy the life to come with all its goodness? Always live in this anticipation of the life to come and this will make you prepare for it well so that together we see the God of the Living.
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus, you are God of the living and not of the dead. You are alive in my heart, in your Church, in our world today. Though others may be indifferent to you, though I myself often am, today I do not wish to be so. Today, I wish to open my heart to receive your word and welcome your invitation to be more closely united to you. Amen
Be blessed
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