Our scripture this week is Luke 20:27-38.
Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
Luke 20:29-33
The Sadducees pose what sounds like a riddle to Jesus, hoping to catch Him in a statement that contradicts His teaching. Jesus listens patiently, not interrupting them to protest the silliness of their question. As we shall see, He also gives them an answer that doesn’t demean them for asking, but shows how the kingdom of God really works.
There are two things we can learn from this passage. We see the Sadducees projecting human concepts and practices onto heavenly existence. We can’t conceive of what it will be like in human terms, heaven is so completely different from anything we can know that we are unable to adequately describe it.
The second is how Jesus treats and responds to them. Rather than interrupting them to say how foolish their question is, He lets them finish, and as we will learn later in this passage, He responds sincerely. Jesus is the model for civil discourse, a lesson to us all.
Gracious God, help us to treat all our brothers and sisters with respect, even when they frustrate us. May we accept that heaven is beyond our human understanding and seek to live in ways that bring us closer to each other and You. Amen.