Constructing on last Sunday’s Gospel, this week we’re prompted to reflect on life and death once more. The readings are reminders that some beliefs, particularly belief in resurrection, were difficult for people to know or adopt. Today we gain insights into a number of the philosophical and theological debates on the time when Luke was writing.
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just isn’t God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive” (Lk 20:37-38).
Liturgical day
Thirty-second Sunday in Abnormal Time (C)
Readings
2 Mc 7:1-14, Ps 17, 2 Thes 2:16-3:5, Lk 20:27-38
Prayer
What role does the resurrection play in your prayer life?
How do you respond when people disagree with you?
Do you search for common ground when having complex discussions?
The Gospel begins with Jesus encountering the Sadducees, a Jewish sect who was energetic in and across the Second Temple before its destruction. Unlike the Pharisees who feature more prominently in Luke, the Sadducees are mentioned only in today’s text and on a number of occasions in Acts of the Apostles. The Gospel notes that they didn’t consider within the concept of resurrection, which sets the stage for the discussion that follows and divulges a number of the perspectives on resurrection that were outstanding on the time.
The Sadducees approach Jesus with questions on a girl who’s married multiple times, following the practice of levirate marriage during which a brother or next of kin married a girl once her husband died (Dt 25:5-10, examples in Gn 38:1-11 and Ru 4:1-6). The Sadducees use the instance to press Jesus to clarify who the girl could be married to after her death prone to spark a debate and to check whether his considering on resurrection might contradict Jewish teachings.
Jesus responds not with explicit statements on levirate marriage or marriage generally but with statements on life. Relatively than drawing on legal traditions related to Moses, he reflects on Moses’ encounter with God on the burning bush, knowing that will resonate with the Sadducees. This tendency shows a method on the a part of Luke in how Jesus engages in complicated debates. Jesus doesn’t criticize the Sadducees or their understanding of Mosaic law, but as an alternative he gives them a unique perspective and avenue for exploration that’s rooted of their shared Jewish tradition.
Reflecting on Moses’ encounter with God within the burning bush, Jesus says that God is the God of the living. He argues this was made known to Moses when he encountered God and called him “Lord,” identifying him because the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. Jesus says that this God just isn’t “the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Jesus’ midrash on the burning bush draws on the divine name which is often translated as “Lord.” The name itself is said to the Hebrew root hayah intending to be or to exist. With the divine name Yahweh in mind, which is rendered as “Lord,” Jesus draws on the name’s connection to being and existence to indicate that it’s the living God who’s intimately connected to all things.
Jesus’ response to the Sadducees can offer us a number of points for reflection. His emphasis on the God of the living gives us a strategy to take into consideration Jesus’ resurrection and our own understanding of everlasting life. Likewise, Jesus’ strategy might help us as we encounter individuals with differing views. Jesus models openness when he listens to the Sadducees’ views, and moderately than being led right into a contentious debate, he draws on shared traditions as foundations on which to have open dialogue.
