Now the Sadducees are taking a turn at Jesus. We are told the Sadducees aren’t believers of the resurrection. They also don’t believe in angels or future rewards and punishment. So they made this scenario especially over the top on purpose trying to stump Jesus. Again, Jesus answers with such dignity, poise and wisdom.
It’s probably not often that the Pharisees and Sadducees question individuals, so that alone is interesting. It is obvious they are curious about Jesus but at the same time fearful. They fear losing their control and position of authority. If they only realized how their authority is trumped a gazillion times by Jesus, the Son of God! They shouldn’t try to fight it, but then they were supposed to. There had to be a rivalry or some other intervention of evil to allow Jesus’ sinless body to hang on the cross.
Interesting that the Bible doesn’t often speak of heaven by name, and yet we all get a picture of “heaven” from this story. We see all the brothers waiting “someplace” until the wife dies. The Bible speaks of eternal life, of the kingdom of God, the age to come, and of the resurrection. We have put those in the same box and called it heaven. It is so much more than that. We have no way to fully explain or understand God, although we sure try.
Let’s listen to what Jesus says about the marriage issue. “Marriage is for people here on earth. But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.” So there is no marriage in heaven. There is no more death, no more pain, and everything is beautiful beyond description. That’s where I want to be. We’ll all be there together, in loving relationships but not married. That evens the playing field for those that never married or married multiple times.
So many people talk about heaven, but I prefer to think of it as eternal life with Jesus. If we let our imaginations go, we can have all sorts of wild ideas about what it will be like. If Jesus is preparing a place for me, I’m confident it will be spectacular. I don’t need to spend my time with details. Rather, I want to spend my time helping others find the way to eternal life, too. We all need Jesus. He’s the only way.
Let’s pray. Father, it’s fun to dream about what life with you will like when my time comes. However, I don’t want to miss out on any of the blessings you have for me in this life. Help me never lose focus on where my eternal home will be, that is, with you. Help me live a life that glorifies you and attracts people to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
