I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob

The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses said, “If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.” Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.’

Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’ And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

- Matthew 22:23-33

Before now, we've had questioners come to Jesus from various parties: the Pharisees, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the Herodians. The party represented in today's reading are the Sadducees. The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead; and so, it is this particular doctrine they try to ridicule in their approach to Jesus. The Sadducees were comprised primarily of wealthy landowners who formed a kind of aristocracy, among them many priests. They held strongly that the authoritative books of Hebrew scripture were the first five (the books of Moses), and dismissed many later interpretations as human invention (particularly the oral laws advocated by the Pharisees). Their emphasis, then, is on the here and now, and the rewards therein.

They put the question to Jesus: "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her."

Jesus' answer is once again one that does not accept the premises of the questioners. Just as he has in the previous questions posed to him in the temple in Jerusalem (see the readings from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), Jesus turns the notions presented to him on their heads. Instead of accepting the questions as they are framed, Jesus presents his own startling answers in straightforward and dazzling language. He not only undercuts the assumptions behind the questions posed to him, but vividly illustrates his own perspective that is not pigeonholed into any trap set by the questioners. He begins his reply: "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." The Sadducees fail in their comprehensive awareness of scripture, which says nothing about earthly laws of marriage being applicable to the future kingdom. My study bible notes: "The resurrection is not merely life resuming where it left off, but a complete change of life." "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." Significantly, Jesus teaches here about the world of the afterlife, and it's important for us to understand the glimpse we're given in these words. The "power of God" transforms us - wholly and fully - from death to life. Who can put God in a box or limit God's power? The life in the kingdom is one in which those who appear to us to be dead are living in an eternal present. "And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living." It's important, of course, to note the tense of the verbs here: as in so many of the pronouncements told to Moses, the statements from the Divine are in present tense: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." From this scriptural understanding given by Christ, we know that there is a communion of saints, an eternal present kingdom wherein those who appear to us as dead are living in the present. We understand resurrection to be into a different reality, with added dimension to that which we are able to perceive. We are timebound, the kingdom is eternal. The living are in communion with us through this spiritual perception that comes in the heart, for which we need the eyes and ears of spirit to see and hear - and the "mind in the heart" to understand.

Once again, as this is an Advent reading, we have to consider these words in terms of the Light that will come into the world and dwell among us. When we begin again with the gospel of John, we will note the important language about this Light coming into the world. We read John 1:14 to remind us: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." In the Greek, the word for "dwelt" is ἐσκήνωσεν. The root of the word is "tent" or "tabernacle" - he made his "dwelling" (his tent, or tabernacle) among us. We have to recall the scene of the Transfiguration, in which Peter suggested building tents or booths for Moses, Jesus and Elijah, as was practiced in the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the feast of the coming kingdom. The light of the Transfiguration gives us the great hint of what is to come; or should we say, that which is eternal and always present to us, and which "dwelt" incarnate among us in our world to live among us as we do. Jesus' words that he continually used and advised his apostles to use as they were sent out to new cities were, "The kingdom of heaven has come near." We live in communion with that kingdom, we also wish to dwell in it and bring it into the world, to work for it and to be a part of it. It is ever-present to us as we "remember God" and focus on prayer and the relationship in our hearts. It will always expand the rules, take us out of our boxes and assumptions based on our own ignorance and limitation. And it will always create new forms of holiness in order to expand our vision and understanding. Think about awaiting that light, that tabernacle of the kingdom that will manifest itself to us, and make itself vulnerable to the vicissitudes of worldly life as we are. How does the light come to you and beckon you to open your eyes today, as we wait for its coming once again? How do we help to bear that kingdom among us and within us and serve it in the world?