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

 

 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

 

- Matthew 22:23-33 

 

On Saturday we read that the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceive their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypcrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  they said to Him, "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."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

  The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.  My study Bible comments here that Christ confirms there will be a resurrection, but not of the kind these Sadducees are imagining.  They consider the resurrection as a continuation of earthly life (including earthly marriage), and so they mock this doctrine with an absurd scenario.  But they're ignorant of the Scriptures, which reveal a complete transformation of life in the resurrection, and therefore make their questions irrelevant.  Moreover, they also fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even when they are physically dead.  It's the clear teaching of Christ, my study Bible adds, that the souls of the faithful who have left this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection. 

 

 We first of all might look at this scene in today's reading as one that exemplifies for us a type of common problem.  That is, the problem with many who criticize Christianity without first understanding its basic principles, or having only a very fragmented or uninformed knowledge about it.  Jesus here uses the elements of faith to express to these men, who form an important class of the ruling parties in Jerusalem, that they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.   For, through the power of God, "in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven."  Moreover, the Scriptures clearly reveal this in God's word to Moses, when God revealed Himself to Moses in the mystery of the burning bush, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6).  So, from the story in today's Gospel passage, we may see quite clearly how even those nominally of our faith may remain ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.  For it takes not simply a smattering of knowledge of Scripture nor even of a basic sense of what our faith declares to truly have insight and understanding of Christ and what He offers to us.  We read Scripture in a particular way, and we come to know the power of God also through a particular kind of understanding and of faith.  We might first need to understand that the Sadducees formed a particular ruling class among those who led the temple and formed the ruling Council of the Jews.  According to my study Bible, they were a type of aristocratic body, forming a high priestly and landowning class, which controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  For their Scriptures they held only the first five books of what we call the Old Testament; that is, the Torah or Pentateuch.  In contrast to the Pharisees, they rejected belief in angels, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the dead.  After the destruction of the city and temple in the Siege of Jerusalem (in AD 70), they disappeared as a class.  So what we might first conjecture from both this scenario they present to Jesus, and also from what we know of their beliefs, they had a very materialistic approach to faith and their vision of responsibility to God.  That is, their focus was the Law and their inherited duties, positions, and properties.  They also were politically prudent, and and adapted to the presence of the Romans.  Today we live in a very secular culture, where it is possible to have a bare understanding of the values of Christian faith, and criticize on a mistaken or highly uninformed basis.  It's entirely possible to have Scripture quoted and distorted without this understanding or insight that comes from tradition and spiritual or theological understanding.  If we fail to accept the spiritual basis for much of Christ's and the Church's teachings, we will fail to understand Scripture and the Gospels.  Perhaps most powerfully, we will miss the transfiguration of the Cross, the power of Christ's Resurrection, and what it means to be offered eternal life.  Many people separate beliefs into a kind of "two-story world," to use a phrase borrowed from Fr. Stephen Freeman (who writes this blog), and so fail to understand the interconnection of spiritual reality and worldly reality, which is in fact the point of the mysteries and sacraments of faith, and to which the life of Christ points us.  Perhaps the most important focus we take from today's reading is how we can be distracted from true spiritual or theological understanding by an exclusive focus on rules, material life, and the power inherent in position and property.  Whatever way a materialistic perspective forms, with an exclusive focus only on the worldly and to the exclusion of the reality of spiritual life pointed to in Scripture, we will be missing a lot and lacking in understanding of our faith.  Neither will we have insight into Christ's teachings. As we head toward the celebration of Christ's Nativity, let consider the ways in which nominal belief in Christ can still fall short of the depth of beauty and the transformational power of faith, and the reality of the soul.  Wherever we are in our spiritual lives, let us seek to welcome Christ more truly into our hearts, where He can open our eyes more deeply to what is real and what matters for our lives.  For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  We need to consider what that really means, and all the "life" that Christ offers to fill the here and now.

 

 

 

 

For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him

 

 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, 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, after Jesus told a parable against them, the chief priests and the scribes that very hour 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, 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.  My study Bible explains that the Sadducees were members of the high-priestly and landowning class around Jerusalem, forming a type of aristocracy.  They controlled the temple and internal political affairs of the Jews, holding many high offices.  They denied the resurrection of the dead and the existence of angels, and had no messianic hope beyond earthly life.  They interpreted the Law even more strictly than did the Pharisees.  My study Bible comments that here Christ confirms that there will be a resurrection.  But it is not of the sort that the Sadducees imagine.  They think the resurrection is meant to be a continuation of earthly life (including earthly marriage), and so they mock this doctrine with an absurd scenario.  But, as Jesus says, they are ignorant of the Scriptures, which reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection, rendering their questions irrelevant.  Moreover, they don't understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even if they are physically dead.  My study Bible says that 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 the resurrection.

Today's passage gives us a bit of a glimpse into the state of religious life at the time of Christ.  Note that it includes at the conclusion of Christ's response to the Sadducees that the scribes tell Him, "Teacher, You have spoken well."  It's good to understand the difference between the different classes in the temple, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, for their emphasis and outlook differed from one another, and there were disputes over the principles of the Law and interpretation of Scripture, even among the Pharisees themselves.  So Judaism and the state of religious practice and understanding was not a monolith, but one in which there was vigorous debate over the issues of the time (notably, divorce was one of those subjects of debate).  The Sadducees, as a landowning aristocratic class, and in contrast to the Pharisees, adapted to the presence of the Romans.  Their focus was much more "earthly," indeed.  So this question about the man, his wife, and seven brothers comes in that context -- and we can see its "earthly" emphasis, and concerns with inheritance and, essentially, ownership.  There is also the matter of Scriptural understanding and interpretation.  In Matthew's version of this scenario, Jesus' first criticism of the Sadducees is about their lack of spiritual and Scriptural knowledge.  He says to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:29).  So, in this understanding, we can look at Christ's response in yesterday's reading (above), in which He refuses to be pinned down to choose between two sides of a dilemma, and see something similar happening here.  Jesus not only offers more insight about resurrection, but He also brilliantly shows a proper interpretation of Scripture, referring to the declaration of God to Moses, "I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (see Exodus 3:1-5, 15).  In the declaration of God's name (I AM) also is the present tense understanding of existence in the resurrection, "For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." It is this understanding of interpreting and reading the Scripture which the scribes praise with admiration when they say, "Teacher, You have spoken well."  It's an important lesson to understand the diversity that even existed in the temple at this time, in which many questions were debated and considered (even, if we look at literature of the period, the notion that God may have consisted of more than one Person).  But, like those in yesterday's reading (see above) who sought to trick Him said in their attempt at flattery, Jesus is one who says and teaches rightly, and does not show personal favoritism, but teaches the way of God in truth, and we are meant to emulate Him.  It doesn't matter what "sides" there are, Jesus does not give in to a dilemma, to following a political party of one sort or another, to twisting religious truth to match one side or another in a debate, or to curry favor with either Sadducee or Pharisee or scribe or anyone else.  Jesus tells the truth, and He won't skimp on His mission of bringing the gospel to the people, and the spiritual truth to the world -- and that's what He does.  Whether He is telling the Sadducees that they don't know the Scripture, or giving a concise and brilliant exegesis of what it means that God "is" the God of the living, He tells the truth, and His goal is not challenging the Sadducees nor impressing the scribes.  He tells the truth when it is the time to do so, and He says what is needed.  So let us attempt in our lives to put God first, and in that context, say and do what we need to say and do, and leave off what is unnecessary.  Let's not look for unnecessary debates, or missions that seem to have nothing to do with where God would call us, or with even being the person God calls us to be.  Let us learn to be like Him.  For what other reason did He come into this world but to teach us to do so?  Let us learn from Him, and be like Him.  If we observe carefully, Jesus is surrounded by people who feel they have a lot to lose, and so do not want to change anything.  The Sadducees hold tightly to their own inherited wealth and positions and cannot understand Scripture nor its interpretation as Christ shows them, but also the Pharisees and scribes -- who have more perspectives in common with Jesus than the others do -- cling to their own places and their hypocrisy, and Jesus will reserve His strongest criticism for them.  But Jesus asks us to resist such impulses and hold fast to what is more important, to our faith and to loving God, and follow that where it leads us, follow Him.  This applies to us today as much as it did to the ones to whom Jesus speaks, who would face such terrible losses within a generation.  Let us learn from Him, as Jesus teaches Himself, that God "is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him."  Let us be like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and live our faith, here and now.  Let us be those for whom our God is the God of the living and not the dead, for of such is the kingdom of God, and we live to Him.

 

 

 

 

Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

 

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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came again to Jerusalem.  The events in our current readings take place during Holy Week, beginning with Monday's reading.  As He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.  

 

 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.  My study Bible explains that the Herodians were Jewish political supporters of the ruling house of Herod the Great and therefore willing servants of Rome.  Therefore, this question regarding Caesar and paying taxes is relevant in the context of those who ask it.  It is designed as a trap.  If Jesus answers in the affirmative He will be seen as against the Jewish people and supporting the Roman occupiers; if He answers "no" it could bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But Christ's answer defeats the trap, and shows that a faithful person can render the state its due while serving God (Romans 13:1-7).  My study Bible comments that, as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God (see Acts 4:19; 5:29).  Moreover, my study Bible says that this distinction between things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.  God is Lord over all of life, including the secular.  But we fulfill governmental requirements that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God.  To pay taxes and fulfill similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness. 

 

 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."   My study Bible notes here that the Sadducees represent landowners and other wealthy families in Jerusalem.  They held many high offices in Israel, and controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin.  They were distinguished from the Pharisees in that they were politically prudent, adapting to the presence of the Romans.  They were extremely conservative in terms of how they interpreted the law, more rigid than the Pharisees in the sense that, unlike the Pharisees, they rejected belief in angels and in the resurrection from the dead at the end of the age.  The Sadducees completely disappeared after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.  In His response, Jesus confirms there will be a resurrection, but that its nature is something quite different from what the Sadducees can imagine.  It is not a continuation of earthly life (including earthly marriage).  Their mocking and absurd scenario is a reflection of their ignorance of the Scriptures.  As Jesus implies, the Scriptures reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection, making their questions irrelevant.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, they fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even if they are physically dead.  It notes that 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 the resurrection.

The Sadducees ask Jesus a very materially oriented question.  It would seem, if we extrapolate from Jesus' response to them, that their very worldly-grounded perspective -- with its denial of both the resurrection and the existence of angels -- limits them in their capacity to understand the things of God.  At least this seems to be the clear teaching of Jesus.  Moreover, their rigid method of understanding the law prohibits them from truly understanding the Scriptures and reading what is there.   Let us note how important each word of the Scripture is, especially from Christ's response.  Jesus quotes from Exodus 3:6 ("I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"), and we are meant to understand how very important the word am is in the quotation.  Indeed, if we understand the Scriptures properly, God is the I AM (Exodus 3:14).  God is existence itself.  Therefore the resurrection is not a continuation of earthly life, but the life of eternal existence in God, who sustains all that is.  This sense of the name of God, the I AM, is carried over into Christian iconography and symbolism.  In the nimbus (or "halo") that surrounds the head of Christ in Byzantine icons, we can read Ο ΩΝ.  This might be literally translated as "the Being" (or even the "Be"), the God who is.  In the Armenian Apostolic tradition, God is often represented by the seventh letter of the Armenian alphabet, “Է” (pronounced "Eh"), which also means "is."  From these ancient Christian traditions, we understand the power and importance of this notion of existence itself, what is -- or perhaps better phrased, Who is.  God is the One Who is.  Nothing is sustained without the One who is, life is in the One who is.  Thus, God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all those who live in God, even if they no longer live in this world.  This passage is important in that it teaches us about Scripture and how to read it.  It teaches us about the limitations of assuming that whatever we read has simply a pedestrian meaning and needs to be stripped of all of its attendant mystery and possibilities.  Jesus asks us to do quite the opposite, and flatly instructs the Sadducees that they do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God.   In our own time, there are many who would minimize the power and mystery of God, and the true richness of Scripture.  Scripture is tied to Christ, as both are "the Word of God."  If we understand it as Jesus teaches in today's reading, Scripture adds "more abundantly" to what we know of life.   In the true power and mystery of God, the Scriptures reveal to us something far beyond our imagination, an unlimited treasure that has kept on giving throughout the ancient world of Christianity to the present.  Let us pay attention to His words, and minimize nothing of what we are given.  

 

For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him

 

 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, 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 sought to lay hands on Jesus, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers 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, 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."   My study Bible explains that the Sadducees were members of the high-priestly and landowning class who controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  They represented landowners and other wealthy families in Jerusalem.  My study Bible explains taht they held many high offices in Israel, and controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin.  Unlike the Pharisees, however, they were political prudent and adapted to Roman rule.  They denied the resurrection of the dead, rejected belief in angels, and they had no messianic hope beyond this life.  So, in essence, their question as posed here reflects their interests (as inheriting landowners and aristocrats) and orientation (they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead).

 

 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.  In Christ's response, He confirms that there will a resurrection, but not of the sort that the Sadducees imagine.  They consider the resurrection to be a continuation of earthly life, including earthly marriage.  Therefore they mock what they consider to be that doctrine with an outrageous or absurd scenario.  But they are ignorant of the Scriptures, which my study Bible says reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection, making such earthly questions irrelevant.  Moreover, they do not understand how Abraham and his sons Isaac and Jacob can be alive in God even if they are physically dead on worldly terms.  It is the clear teaching of Christ, my study Bible tells us, 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 the resurrection.

 

Why do Christ's words have such power?  After His explanation of the resurrection and also citing of the Scripture in which Moses declared that the Lord was "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," the scribes commend His response, and nobody dared question Him anymore.  This is the word and power of the Logos, bringing meaning, explanation, understanding, and expression -- and even manifestation -- of the things of God.  These men are brilliant and learned enough to grasp the power of Christ's words.  They are stunned into silence, for Christ's understanding of the Scriptures expands and supersedes their own, at least as far as the Sadducees are concerned.  Let's note that this is a kind of confrontation in which all kinds of people are present in the temple to listen.  Some of the Sadducees questioned Him here, but there is also the presence clearly of scribes and others, as well as all the people who want to listen and hear debates they are usually not privileged to hear.  There are scribes present who approve and appreciate Christ's response, so no one dares question Him anymore.  Think of the impact in front of the people who listen with delight to these debates they are present to hear, for they are all afraid to speak in front of the powerful religious leaders about Jesus (John 7:13).  It's no wonder they would have to lie and manipulate Pilate in order to find a way to put Christ to death.  There is no champion of speech that can beat Jesus in dialogue and debate, for His articulation of the realities of God, and the meaning of Scriptures is naturally far beyond that of others who are in authority in the temple, and it is this that rankles, this they do not want to acknowledge, this they resent.  It is His authority when He speaks which they question and demand to deny, for He speaks not as one of them but as Logos, and as the Christ, the Son.  This is what they refuse to acknowledge.  So let us consider what it means that even those who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection.  It really teaches us that our own lives are so much more than what the world presents to ourselves -- they are so much more than our worldly perceptions.  Like a flower blooming from a seed, we contain so much more in potentials than we can even begin to understand.  But God knows our reality, and it is the power of God that sustains and develops and nurtures us along; the energies of God that feed us what we need to become that bloom that is possible and that awaits before the face of God.  It is Christ who, in point of fact, clearly comes to teach us who we are, to give us the great good news of the gospel in this meaningful sense -- that even when we live our lives in this world, we are preparing for a kind of destiny we don't understand and cannot see.  And this is His message to us, a powerful message beyond the grasp of worldly authority, and beyond even the grasp of death.  In our reading from Friday last week, Jesus asked this question in response to the religious leaders' questions about His authority to teach, preach, cleanse the temple, and engage in the Triumphal Entry:  "The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  Today this question is answered in terms of Jesus' authority by His decisive answer revealing the nature of heaven itself, as only the Logos, the Son, could reveal and manifest it.

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

 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."

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

The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

- Matthew 22:23-40

In the series of readings we encounter this week, Jesus is in Jerusalem. His first act was to cleanse the Temple. After that He was questioned as to His authority to do so, and gave several parables in response. After that, the leadership begins to test Him. In yesterday's reading, some disciples of the Pharisees and some Herodians asked Him thusly: "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" This was to trip Him up: if He answered one way He could be accused of collaboration with the Romans, another and He could be charged with revolutionary activities. But Jesus saw their motives. He said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "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." When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." The Sadducees are another party of which the Council is composed. They are for the most part an aristocratic and landowning class of people from around Jerusalem. They did not believe in the resurrection or life after death. So, the question is pertinent to them (just as yesterday's question was pertinent for both the strict Pharisees and the party of the Herodians). Here, they ask about the laws of marriage and how they would apply in the resurrection. The picture of marriage here, taken from the society albeit a rather extraordinary case, gives us a sense of the perspective perhaps of these people grounded in aristocratic understanding and the system of inheritance. It is a picture of worldly marriage as it was, with the woman becoming a part of the family into which she married, in the name of the family. By contrast, we can read Jesus' perspective on marriage and especially divorce at the time.

Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven." My study bible has a note worth quoting here regarding Jesus' answer: "There will be a resurrection, but not of the sort they think. (1) They are ignorant of the Scriptures, which say nothing about earthly laws of marriage being applicable to the future Kingdom. The resurrection is not merely life resuming where it left off, but a complete change of life. (2) They do not know the power of God, which transforms us from death to life." Therefore it is the transformational reality of the resurrection of which they are entirely unaware; all will change. God's spiritual power -- and the great wedding to which Jesus alludes in His parable of the wedding feast from Thursday's reading -- is the power that transforms all of life, even worldly life, into life abundantly. This picture of a transformed world is one in which we hope (as today's Epistle reading teaches). It is one for which a kind of faith is required that thinks beyond our assumptions and what we know. Once again, as in yesterday's reading, Jesus is calling them -- and all of us -- outside of the box of the picture of life the world gives us, and into the reality of the Kingdom.

"But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. As my study bible puts it, Jesus teaches that "the 'dead' even now are living before God." Jesus gives us a taste of this heavenly Kingdom, and its eternal nature. It is an ever-present reality. We think of the dead as passed, within our understanding of time. But in the life of the Kingdom, all are present to us, and in the communion of saints in which we understand this life. The I AM in this statement is the eternal nature of God -- ever-present, an eternal now. As such, in God's life Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live.

In this vision of heavenly life, all are included in God's life-giving embrace. We don't usually think of "rest" within the parameters of such a "lively" understanding, but this is what God's rest is all about. When we take rest in God, we take rest in life, and life in abundance, not as we normally understand it. Thereby, resting in God takes on all kinds of energies and dimensions we don't usually consider nor encounter. Resting in God infuses all with grace, with a heavenly reality. This is the transformation of the life in which we participate in faith, of which we catch glimpses through grace, and the one which we await in hope in its fullness. God's transforming power is that which adds life to the life we already know. To be in God's embrace is to be enlivened, to be added unto. When we let go of the things of this world, the limitations on our sight of what is possible, we are emptying in order to be filled with this grace, this abundance of life. Ultimately, Jesus' heavenly perspective which He brings to the world, and to the answers to the questions in the Temple, is one of tremendous freedom through grace. He takes us out of the box, out of all limitation. Life in abundance is all about opening up our eyes to what is present even to us now, even the communion of saints in a great circle of life. Through God we all live in relationship. Let us remember that in prayer we open the door to these energies of grace, this understanding of life, of true spiritual freedom. We don't know what awaits us, what we may encounter, but through faith we live in hope of that grace, that transforming power.