He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living

Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this? They said to Him, "Caesar's." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him.

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. the first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."

- Mark 12:13-27

Jesus is in Jerusalem, after His Triumphal Entry. Every day in the temple, He is being tested by the authorities. In yesterday's reading, the chief priests, scribes and elders asked Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" They are referring to the cleansing of the temple, which -- in Mark's gospel -- is His first act after coming to Jerusalem. Jesus challenged them with His own question, which they failed to answer. He later told the parable of the wicked vinedressers against them.

Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" This question is a test, and it is also a trap. If He answers "yes" the people will be upset and scandalized; if He answers "no" He may be charged with treason against Caesar. There is a careful delineation here. We remember that Jesus' questions in yesterday's reading were all about authority. By what and whose power is authority granted? Is it from heaven or from men? Here the question centers around what is lawful. And the question will be, whose law are we talking about? Especially in the context of the temple worship, and the Pharisees' authority, this is crucial. And at the same time, the Herodians are Jewish political supporters of the ruling house of Herod the Great -- and thus willing servants of Rome.

But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this? They said to Him, "Caesar's." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him. But, we are told, Jesus knows their hypocrisy; this isn't an honest question, but a trap. What kind of authority are we talking about, and what is lawful? Jesus answers with a kind of clever trap of His own, and they can't refute Him. As in yesterday's testing, He refuses to fall into the trap, and neither does He provide the answer they supposedly seek. Instead, He confounds them in His own way -- and they marvel. My study bible says, "They are dealing with God in the flesh, their long-promised Messiah, but they are blind to that fact because of the hardness of their hearts." It adds, "Civic and religious duties need not necessarily clash. While each has its own sphere there is no separation between God and Caesar, because God is Lord over all. However, obedience to God takes precedence over obligations to the state, should conflict arise." In a similar sense, we understand that we may be "in the world" as Christians, but not "of it."

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. the first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." The Sadducees are a party of aristocrats and landowners, and hold many powerful offices, with controlling interest in the temple and the Sanhedrin. They adapted politically to Roman rule, unlike the Pharisees. But they rejected the existed of angels, and the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age. Their interpretation of Mosaic Law was even more strict than that of the Pharisees. They would entirely disappear after the destruction of Jerusalem. The question reflects their perspective, but it is still an attempt at a trap for Jesus.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken." In Jesus' answer, there is a great beauty, a fitting poetry to their question. This is because His answer not only addresses the question and the religious or spiritual "facts" involved, but we also get down to the assumptions about power, and where power comes from, that are couched in its language. These men believe in property, essentially. Their power and controlling influence comes from owning land - and their sole focus is on the literal, in some sense, what can be seen (including a very rigid interpretation of the Law). Again, Jesus' answer reflects an understanding of that which is from heaven, so to speak, and the nature of heavenly things which they do not understand and so fail to see. This is again a return to their "hardness of heart" -- a lack of spiritual perception.

To say that God is the God of the living and not the dead, therefore, becomes a powerful indictment of the ways in which these various parties approach their faith. It is the Spirit that gives life. Jesus will refer to Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. It all goes back to the notion of authority -- and that which they fail to perceive as giving authority. Jesus' answers push us to understand the living and vital nature of spiritual reality -- that this kingdom is here, breaking through, it is among us. And that it calls us to spiritual sight and hearing. We live in the world but are not "of it"; that is, we are called to a higher, deeper authority that is more than words on a page, but that lives with us in the here and now. The eternal presence of the Kingdom is a reality that permeates our daily lives, and that would include the burning bush, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Christ Himself and the entire reality of this heavenly kingdom. It is here and now, it is present, and it is present to us. St. Paul will remind his readers that they are citizens in a heavenly kingdom. So, all these questions of authority and power boil down to one thing: where does it come from? Is it from heaven or from men? Christ demands of us that we always keep the former in mind, that it lives in us and among us, even as we also live in the world of the latter. But our hearts must always discern where they belong. When we fail at that, the "here and now" becomes only that which is passing, and not that which is truly present in an eternal "here and now." We lose the truth of who we are.