Dearest e-votees-
Day seventy-five of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. We have completed Luke (42 down, 24 to go). If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:
Peace,
Karl
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Day 75 Readings: Luke 20:20-John 5:47
I have always liked the encounter between Jesus and the Sadducees about marriage and the resurrection. The Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection (which is why they are sad, you see) and so decided to put Jesus to the test with their thought experiment.
Moses taught that if a man died without a son his brother was to marry the widow and help carry on the name (see Deuteronomy 25:5). They tell Jesus about a man who was married and died without a son. His brother married and also died without bearing a son. All seven brothers were married to this woman (I would think about four brothers in the other brothers would become wary and maybe even make some sort of black widow comments). After all sever brothers have died the woman dies too. The question is whose wife is she since all were married to her.
The Sadducees are trying to trap Jesus with human understanding and human wisdom about heavenly things. Jesus answers them by making the case that God is the God of the living and not the dead but that marriage will not persist as we understand it.
We do like the Sadducees. We decide what we think to be true and we try to bend and twist Jesus into our expectations. We try to make God into our own image rather than let God continue to shape us into the divine image. Just as every culture creates images of Jesus that look like them every person tries to form Jesus to think, act and respond like them. God must laugh at our folly when it isn't enough to bring forth tears.
God, help us to be open to how you are calling us to be and where you are calling us to spend eternity. Thank you so much for the resurrection hope. Continue to stir us to life and be our God oh God of the living. Amen.
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