Sunday 10 November 2013

Background

This is the third time that Jesus is questioned in Luke 20. Hisauthority has been challenged (Luke20:1-8), his attitude to the Roman occupation has been tested(Luke 20:20-27), and now a group of Sadduceesattempt to trap him with a trick question.

Sadducees were the conservatives among the Jewish religiousleaders. Drawn from the wealthier members of society, they onlyaccepted as Scripture the Torah (the first five books of our OldTestament) which they believed were written by Moses. They did notbelieve anything that was not in the Torah. They had no belief inresurrection, or a life beyond this one. By their question (verses28-33), they hope to ridicule and discredit Jesus.

Their exaggerated story is based on Deuteronomy 25:5-10, which made provision for awoman whose husband had died leaving no heir to marry his brotherand thus ensure the continuation of the family name. Such thingswere important to the Sadducees.

Jesus answers them firstly by saying that marriage is notrelevant for the children of God, who enter into a new kind of lifeafter death. But then he goes on to answer them on their own terms,by quoting from their beloved Torah. In the call of Moses in Exodus3:6 God identifies God's own self as the God of Abraham, Isaacand Jacob, speaking of them in the present tense. Theirrelationship with God had not been broken by death. Death may putan end to physical life, but not to a relationship with God that iseternal.

Jesus takes the Sadducees' trick question, and opens them up toa deeper understanding of God's gift of eternal life. Luke's Gospeldoes not record a reaction from them, or if their minds are changedby their encounter with Jesus. The scribes, however, are impressedby Jesus' deft handling of the sacred text (Luke20:39).

To Ponder

• If you were able to do so, what questions would you ask Jesustoday?

• How do you understand the resurrection of the dead?