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Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife."
Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." But after that they dared not question Him anymore.
- Luke 20:27-40
Yesterday, we read that the chief priests and the scribes that very hour (after He told the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers against them) sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me? Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.
Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her as wife, and he died childless. Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." We've already read that some groups in the leadership are plotting against Jesus, and in yesterday's reading we saw how the chief priests and scribes sent spies to lay a trap for Jesus by asking a question in which either a "yes" or "no" answer would lead to dire consequences. Today it's the Sadducees who approach Him, with a question relevant to who they are. The Sadducees were a wealthy, aristocratic type of landowning class in Jerusalem. They made up a part of the Council, and as a group they died out after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. They did not generally hold to the idea of resurrection, so the question is pertinent to their views. One might also extrapolate that questions of inheritance and property would also be very relevant to their own lives and understanding.
Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." But after that they dared not question Him anymore. Jesus teaches them about the true picture of resurrection: it's not to a life identical to worldly life. My study bible suggests that Jesus is pointing out here the Sadducees' unawareness of the Scriptures, which reveal that the life to come is a complete transfiguration of worldly life -- so their questions are irrelevant. They fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even if they are physically dead. My study bible notes: "It is the clear teaching of Christ that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of resurrection." The scribes, whose job it is to know the Scriptures, are awed and silenced by Jesus' response.
It's interesting to look closely at the characteristics of life "in the age to come" and in the resurrection from the dead, that Jesus leaves us here. It's a clear depiction -- even to these Sadducees who do not believe in resurrection -- of how life is changed from worldly life to the life of the Kingdom. First of all, there is no marriage. Life is eternal. This suggest that the ties between people are no longer structured on basic family units, but given that the Scriptures teach us that God is love, relationships become those embraced through love and not through questions of inheritance or longevity. That puts the focus of the legacy of our lives -- in this heavenly place -- squarely on our own legacy of love, and not physically upon descendants or lineage. It's a focus that is really important to the gospel message, a facet of what it is to live life "in spirit and in truth." To be a "son of God" is to inherit Gods' kingdom, male and female in the worldly sense, each via faith becomes a "son of God" and "son of the resurrection." Maybe most of all in importance is the very focus on life that Jesus puts here to us. The fact that God is the God of all the generations of the faithful ("the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob") tells us something about an eternal present, life itself as an eternal reality in which we can participate by faith. It's important that this is tied to the burning bush: a symbol of flame that doesn't burn, an eternal energy, a force of love and pure life itself. In the Eastern Church, the burning bush is also considered an "icon" or "type" of the Virgin Mary, the one who was visited by the Holy Spirit and remained intact in her purity of heart. Jesus tells us plainly that all live to God; that is, it is God who not only is life and declares life, but in whom our lives exist; our true reconciliation in God therefore is true life itself. It is the reality, the presence, and the gift of life -- surpassing every limitation we know or can imagine. What's even more awesome to think about is that this life and love is the very foundation of all of creation; whatever we may think we know from a worldly perspective, the "in between" of everything is love, the burning fiery life of God in which we may be included by our faith. We worship, Jesus has said, in spirit and in truth -- and there we share His life as "sons."
