God Of The Living

Luke 20: 27-40

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ There came to him some Sad′ducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, ²⁸ and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; ³⁰ and the second ³¹ and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. ³² Afterward the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; ³⁵ but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him.” ³⁹ And some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

As we approach the end of this liturgical year, our Gospel passages reflect on "the end themes":  life after death, all being made new, reward and punishment.  All very sobering.  Where do I stand?  Do I believe in life after death, eternal life?  It boggles our limited imagination to grasp a life without time, an endless NOW.  It can be scary or exciting, threatening or consoling.  At the very least it can be motivating for us to live what we have been taught and learned from our own reflection on what Jesus has told us.  Certainly our Loving God wills what is best for us, being all Good, he cannot wish evil; That's our choice.  May we listen attentively and act trustingly on what the "God of the living" teaches us.

Bro. Rene