Ad Jesum per Mariam

The God of the Living: Lessons from Jesus and the Sadducees: Preparing Now for Eternal Life

The God of the Living: Lessons from Jesus and the Sadducees: Preparing Now for Eternal Life We’ve all heard the phrase, . . . . . . “Life is too short; you better enjoy it.” We often use it as a reminder to embrace the fleeting moments of life—whether by traveling, tasting new foods, or seeking out experiences because, as the saying goes, “you won’t live forever.” But as Christians, as children of God, we are called to see beyond this. Yes, life is short, and we should cherish it. But we also know that eternal life is long, and we must prepare for it. While we enjoy the blessings of this earthly life, we must not lose sight of the life to come—life eternal. The Sadducees Did Not Believe in the Resurrection In today’s Gospel, we encounter the Sadducees, a group who rejected key beliefs central to the faith. They denied the resurrection, life after death, and the existence of angels. Their arguments stemmed from their strict adherence to the five books of the Torah—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—claiming these scriptures made no mention of resurrection. When the Sadducees approached Jesus with questions about the afterlife, He directly addressed their misunderstandings. He affirmed the reality of the resurrection, stating that those deemed worthy would rise and live eternally. He also affirmed the existence of angels, explaining that in the resurrection, people will be “like angels,” no longer bound by earthly institutions such as marriage. God of The Living Jesus emphasized that God is “not the God of the dead but of the living,” referencing the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who live on in God’s presence. He challenged the Sadducees to interpret the scriptures more deeply, showing that the promise of resurrection and eternal life is woven throughout God’s Word. As we reflect on this teaching, Jesus reminds us of a vital truth: while we prepare to commemorate His first coming (Advent and Christmas), we must also prepare for His second coming. The life we live now is a preparation for eternity. Let us embrace the joy and beauty of this short life while keeping our hearts and minds fixed on the eternal life to come. Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to: The God of the Living: Lessons from Jesus and the Sadducees: Preparing Now for Eternal Life ----------------------------- Image: French Painter: James Tissot: 1886 Jesus with the Jewish Leaders ----------------------------- Gospel: Luke: 20: 27-40 First Reading: RV 11:4-12

Duration:: 11m
Broadcast on:: 24 Nov 2024
Audio Format:: other

The Lord be with you, reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. Some sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies, leaving a wife, but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers, the first married a woman but died childless, then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally, the woman also died, now at the resurrection whose wife would that woman be. For all seven had been married to her, Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry, but those who are deemed worthy to attend to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels. And they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise, even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out, Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well, and they no longer dare to ask him anything." The gospel of the Lord. There is this common statement that we have heard about it, all the times that we have used it, and the statement goes, life is too short, you better enjoy it, life is too short, you better enjoy it, life is too short, you better travel and see different places, life is too short, you better taste different food because you won't live forever and all that. Remember when I got my visa that I would be here for two years, a lot of people, congratulations, that is wonderful, but don't forget, two years is not that long, you better enjoy the two years. It is good, and there is nothing wrong with that, but as Christians, as people who believe in God, as children of God, we go beyond that. Life is too short, we better enjoy it, yes, but as believers, we also know that eternal life is long, we better prepare for it. As we enjoy the short life that we have here on earth, but also we have to keep in mind that eternal life is long, we better prepare for it. In our gospel today, we hear that there are some Sadducees who come to Jesus, and these Sadducees, there were three things that they never believed in, they never believed in resurrection, they never believed in life after death, and also they never believed in the presence of angels. So these were the three things that the Sadducees never believed in, and they never believed in, in these three, because they held day to their heart, the three five books, the Torah, Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Leviticus, and they said, in these five books, there is no mention of resurrection, those were their arguments. Now they come to Jesus, and they tell him, Moses wrote to us that if a man marries and doesn't leave a child, his brother should get the woman in order to produce descendants. So what is your answer? If there is this case, this example, do each a man marries, dies without living a descendant, and then a brother takes over the woman, and that brother dies, and then they said, and then the fourth, and then the fifth, and then you take a moment and reflect and say, if I were the fifth one, out of refused, what was going on here, and then the sixth, and then the seventh, and finally the woman dies. So whose wife would this woman be? Jesus responds not only to this question, but he also addresses the beliefs that the Sadducees held. The first belief that they denied was there is no resurrection, but Jesus tells them that those that are deemed worthy, they will surely arise. And when they rise, they will be like angels, affirming that there is existence of angels, which the Sadducees denied. They will be like angels, and they will be known, marrying or giving to marriage. And Jesus calls on to also affirm that there is life after by saying, for they will never die. Those that are deemed worthy, those that are deemed worthy will rise, and they will be known, marrying or getting married, for they will never die, they will be like angels. And then he goes on to respond to them about their belief in the Torah, because they said in the Torah the five books, there is no mention of resurrection by telling them that even Moses, when God appeared to him, God taught him, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I am the God of the living, not of the dead." And Jesus is telling them, "Read your scripture well, because in there you will find that God is the God of the living, interpret the scripture well, because there is the mention of resurrection. There is a mention of eternal life there, because God is the God of the living, not the God of the dead. In our world today, we also encounter people that have the same beliefs, that life ends here. It's like a balloon, which when you pierce it and then it burns, it's over. It's like a babble, which goes off and then disappears. We have people in our midst, but Jesus tells us there is life afterwards. And the greatest thing that Jesus gives to us is his resurrection. But to know that there is life after, to know that there is resurrection, to know that there are angels, it's just the first step, it's just the first step, there is more to that. We have to prepare for that eternal life. We have to prepare for the life after our earthly life. And how good it is that we are given these readings, as we are going towards the end of EBA, that soon we are starting ESE with Advent, the season of preparation. Preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And how good is it that we also take some time. And keep in mind that yes, life here on earth is short, but eternity is long. We have to prepare for it. And during Advent, what is it that I have to change in my life? What is it that I have to adjust in order to prepare well for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, on Christmas and also his second coming. Life is short. We better enjoy it, but let's not forget that eternity is long, is forever. We better prepare for it. What is it that I am doing in preparation for this eternity as I live in this life which is short? May God help us to prepare well and may God guide us as we soon start Advent. Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]