Resurrection Life

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 Luke 20:27-38

Some background:

The question in this passage revolves around levirate marriage: Levirate marriage, as this system was called, was to enable children to be born to the dead husband, in order to continue the family line.  In an era where a woman would be destitute without a male – father, brother, husband or son – it meant the family of her husband would look after her. All this is theoretical, we don’t know if it actually happened. But the fact that the Sadducees use this as an example means people would have understood what they were talking about.

Some people, particularly politicians like to demand a return to traditional or Biblical family values.  

Next time someone mentions Biblical family values, think about what that might mean – a woman being handed to her brother in law when her husband dies; or the story of Leah and Rachel, and Jacob. Jacob worked 7 years for Rachel, and Laban tricked him into marrying Leah, so he gets to marry Rachel as well, and works for another 7 years.

I admit I find it difficult to see anything positive about returning to Biblical family values.  Most of what we read in the Bible has women being treated as a commodity; marriage was about family alliances and maintaining the family line.

….

Once again, Jesus is discussing Torah, or law. We see this happen quite often in Luke’s gospel. A question, like this one, set to trap Jesus. Often Jesus answers with another question, or with a parable. But this time is different. For starters Jesus is talking with Sadducees rather than Pharisees – two different religious groups. The Sadducees only recognised the first 5 books, the books of Moses, as scripture; the Pharisees included the prophets and psalms as well as the 5 books of Moses. These groups were not on friendly terms, but they united against the common enemy Jesus.

One of the theological differences is in their understanding of resurrection – the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, as it is not in the Pentateuch; the Pharisees do believe in resurrection of the dead. While the Sadducees were Jesus, some Jews and some Christians did not accept them as Jews, such was the importance of the resurrection.  

This also led to differences in understanding about justice: Sadducees, with no resurrection, thought God’s covenant would be worked out here on earth; the Pharisees thought God could, and would, enact justice and keep the covenant beyond this earthly life. During the Roman occupation the idea of justice in the afterlife was a comfort, as it is for many people living under oppression today.

Often Jesus would answer with a question, but here, not a question, or even a parable, but teaching. Teaching about the nature of resurrection life.

If I asked each of you what you thought of when I said the word resurrection, my guess is there would be a variety of answers. This is not about the resurrection of Jesus.  In the apostles creed we say:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

What do we mean by resurrection of the body, or resurrection of the dead?

Jesus covers a few areas in his response:

The first thing to note is that Jesus does not deny the validity resurrection theology,  he doesn’t say don’t be a fool, this is the only life you have. In fact his answer assumes that resurrection is real.

Secondly – resurrection life is substantially different to this life – in resurrection life relationships will be different, the systems and structures of society will not exist. Marriage will not exist, treating people as property will no longer happen. Resurrection life is nothing like our current existence. Resurrection life is completely new, it is not a continuation of our current life.

Thirdly – resurrection life is about life, not death.

“Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." [Luke 20: 38]

Jesus uses an argument from Moses, because the Sadducees only accepted the first 5 books, that is the books of Moses.  In Exodus chapter three we read of Moses’ experience of the burning bush and God speaking to Moses. Moses heard God speaking to him, and saying: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”  Notice it is not ‘was  the God of your father’  etc., but is – present tense, which infers that in some sense Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are living; therefore resurrection is real.

This leads to another topic – will we recognise family and friends in resurrection life? Jesus doesn’t deal specifically with this question, but from his quoting of Moses experience, it would seem that in resurrection life, we will be in relationship with God, and likely with each other. For me, this reading reminds me that my primary identity and relationship will be with God, this does not mean other relationships will not exist, but I like to think we will see each other as God sees us.

Resurrection is not the same as being immortal, we do actually die. There is no suggestion that we hover around like ghosts. We die, and we live with God in a new relationship.

None of us has experienced resurrection life, and while there are several passages of scripture which touch on this topic, none gives a clear and definitive answer to all our questions. If you have any questions or concerns from any of what I have said, please make a time for me to meet with you, to hear your concerns.  

“God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." [Luke 20: 38]

[thanks to Richard Swanson and David Lose of Working Preacher for many of these ideas]