Luke 20.27-38, Pentecost 22C
Theme: God IS
I came across a quote awhile back. I don’t know who first wrote it, but some sayings have such a timeless quality and wisdom they cannot be pinned to one time or even to one person. It is: “One day, you are going to hug your last hug, kiss your last kiss and hear someone’s voice for the last time. But you never know when the last time will be, so live every day as it were the last time you will be with the person you love.”
Our lives are so transient. We seem to be locked in a cage called time. The boundaries of that cage seem to be measured in a line drawn from our birth to our death.
In our scripture text for this Sunday, we find a group of men (Sadducees) coming to Jesus with a word problem -- a problem somewhat like those you see in a seventh-grade math book. I will paraphrase: There is a woman who married a man who had seven brothers. According to Levitical law, when her husband died, one of his brothers was to take her as his wife. In the problem posed to Jesus, all seven of his bothers die in succession each having taken her as his wife. Then she dies. In the afterlife, who then is her rightful husband?
Jesus’ answer is quite interesting. It falls into three parts.
1) Only those who are “deserving” are “resurrected.”
2) The resurrected don’t take wives or husbands.
3) The resurrected never die.
So… what does this imply?
Jesus says: “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”
It is important to note that for Jesus, life is not defined by the “cage” of time. For him, there is only life – there is no death.
Worship with us in person at 10:30 AM as we will be meditating on the life God gives us. The service will also be streamed live on the internet -- (https://fccmaryvillemo.com) or on the church’s home Facebook page. If you missed the live stream, a recorded session is also available to view at your convenience. Want to make a comment on my blog? Click on https://fccmaryvillemosanc.wixsite.com/ftdo.