God's Mission

Luke 20:27-40

[A marital question posed to Jesus:] In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.

~ Sadducees,
Luke 20:33

The Resurrection and Marriage

27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Pondering Point

The Sadducees, one religious branch of the Jewish faith, were asking a question about marriage in the after-life (an after-life which they ironically didn’t believe in). Jesus points them beyond marriage to a greater relationship, one with God as Father. The husband-wife dynamic ends at death. The Father-God relationship stays with us right on through death into eternal life.

The hope of marriage is beautiful – to imagine loving someone (and being loved) through the ups and downs of life, “forsaking all others,” for a lifetime of unity. And this is truly beautiful when imagination gives way to actual lived-out unity in sickness and health, for better or worse. There is sweet sorrow when a death completes these vows. But even these lived-out vows find their inspiration in the love of God poured out for us in the person of Jesus. His sacrificial love sets the tone – even for marriage. Our ability to keep such promises of love to each other are based in our relationship with God through Jesus. This is why vows are made before Him – not before an altar, but before God – whether in a church, a park, a beach or some boat at sea. To forget this is to miss the greater framework of God’s love for both people in a marriage.