Luke 20:27-38
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
As we approach the end of the church year, the focus of our scheduled Scripture readings has turned to questions of what happens after death and at the end of time, the resurrection. In Luke we have a very culturally sensitive question being asked by the Sadducees. It was the tradition of the People of God that if a husband were to die without producing a child, his brother was honor bound to marry his deceased brother’s wife; any child born to him and his deceased brother’s wife would be understood to be and so would be raised as the child of the former husband. The Sadducees had no problem with this tradition; the Sadducees purpose for their question was to make the circumstances of the resurrection appear silly and confusing. They themselves did not believe in a resurrection. I, after hearing their question, would have taken up the challenge and argued that the woman would be married to the first husband, because the purpose of the tradition was to fulfill for the diseased husband his husbandly responsibilities. If I don’t say so myself, my argument makes perfectly good sense, especially since, men in that day, could have more than one wife, so the brother was free to marry another woman and raise children for himself.
Well Jesus understanding the motive, behind their asking that question and knowing that they did not believe in a resurrection, (he) did not entertain the question in the way that the Sadducees had hoped. Judging by the way that Jesus answered the question, it is clear that Jesus was telling them that they were asking the wrong question; it was obvious that they did not believe in the resurrection and did not understand the resurrection. Jesus wanted them to believe in the resurrection and so in his answer, Jesus described what the relationships would be like in the resurrection.
The question asked by the Sadducees in order to belittle those who believed in the resurrection did not trouble Jesus, but the question has stirred up a great deal of uncertainty and questions, among Christians, questions about the topic of the resurrection and being with their loved ones; I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been asked, by those in grief, whether they will see and be reunited with their loved ones in heaven. Jesus’ answer doesn’t exactly help with this. Jesus describes a very different life in his kingdom, different from the one that we now know; in his kingdom, those who are blessed to receive this new life will be like angles and who will not marry or be given in marriage. This seems to suggest an end to former relationships, but actually it does nothing of the sort; it does not mean that loving relationships will be abandoned in the resurrection, only that there will be no need for the institution of marriage, with its rules and vows. This makes irrelevant the complex question as asked by the Sadducees. Again, it does not say that husbands and wives, mothers and fathers and children will not have the loving relationships with those they loved in their lives; people will seemingly have the opportunity to be with those that they love.
And, just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can be identified as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in God’s kingdom and just as Jesus could be identified after his resurrection by his Disciples and others, so we will be able to identify our loved ones and they us. Worry not, those of you who want to resume your loving relationship in heaven! The resurrection, is for us a gift meant to be a joy for all who are blessed with it; it is to be for us a wonderful new life with opportunities to be with God and enjoy, up close the love of Jesus. And, I would suspect that in the resurrection there will be a lot more people with whom we will be able to share our circle of love, more family, additional friends, and others who may love us and we them. The promise of the resurrection is certainly something we can hold on to, in hope for a future with those we love, even after death.
Jesus was answering a question, not asked and by answering that question he gave us a peak into what it will be like in his kingdom. But there are other questions I am asked about married love and the resurrection by widows and widowers, who are fortunate to share a love with another. The question of who they might be with in the resurrection isn’t so easy to answer from Jesus’ words. Thankfully there is an understanding of Jesus that goes well beyond the words of today’s Gospel, an understanding that we glean from listening to all of his words, and watching his actions, and knowing his willingness to die for us that speaks a message to us that love will conquer all. How this will work, may not be for us to understand, but that Jesus will find a way for people who love each other to continue in the next life, that I don’t doubt. Again, much of what Jesus said and, especially, what he did was directed by his love for humanity. His healings were directed to Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles, demonstrating his love. Forgiveness like healing was liberally offered. His feedings, were for all who came and listened to him and he blessed many a meal attended by tax collectors, prostitutes and Gentiles. Finally, he taught any and all who wanted to listen to him, as a teacher and as a preacher. All of these are examples of his love, a love not restricted by traditions, prejudice or (even) religious law. Jesus seemingly even went against God’s Law, but I trust that we are misunderstanding God’s Law, and that Jesus knew the heart of God’s Law better than we could ever hope. Jesus did and will always find a way for love to continue, to grow and to be at the center of life, today in this life as we listen to Jesus, and later in his kingdom, all of the time. Again, I can’t tell you how our relationships will be renewed in heaven, only that they will be there for us and they will be centered in Jesus’ love. I truly believe that after all the war, anger, violence, deceit, bitterness, racism, prejudice, gossip, greed, injustice, envy, poverty and waste that we now experience, a love-based life in Jesus’ kingdom will be a very welcome change; one I look forward to sharing with those I’ve loved in this life.