The Sadducees approach Jesus with a question about the afterlife. They do not believe in the resurrection. So, the question may have been a trap or a genuine curiosity. At face value, the question is appropriate.
They ask whether the marriage commitment extend to the afterlife. They use an example of a man with six brothers each marrying the same woman after the death of each man. The example is a little preposterous, which may indicate satire in the question. However, the preposterous nature of the question does not offend me because law school uses them to illustrate precise principles.
Jesus says that in the resurrection, the men and women will not marry, but be the like angels. Angels do not marry, so the humans in the resurrection will not.
Jesus goes one step further and addresses their skepticism of the resurrection. He points out that God called himself the God of living while talking with Moses. in particular, God said that he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, in the context, Jesus is saying that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still alive, at least in some fashion.
The question remains is what exactly did Jesus mean that essentially these Patriarchs are still alive? Note, this question is with regard to the "resurrection", which itself is a little hard to pin down. Does mean that the souls Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive in the same manner as the way Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus?
It is also interesting that Abraham also showed up in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Perhaps Jesus was saying that the parable should be read more literally.
These questions remain.
Whether or not their motives were pure, the question asked by the Sadducees was a fair one and if I had been there, I would have asked Jesus what he was talking.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment