After Jesus taught about what to give to Caesar and what to give to God he was approached by the Sadducees.  This story is recorded in Mark 12:18-24.

The Sadducees were a group of people who said there isn’t a resurrection.  They all asked Jesus about marital relationships on earth and at the time of the resurrection (which they didn’t even believe in).  Interesting that they would ask about that isn’t it?  They knew the rules of marriage on earth and they challenged Jesus by asking him a question about marital relationship after death.

Jesus’ answer is quite surprising to some people – Jesus states that the dead will be like the angels in heaven – there will be no marital relationship.  You see there were rules about who took care of the childless widow – the brother of the husband was to marry the widow back then to be certain she would be well taken care of.

Again, Jesus told the Sadducees they lacked understanding because they didn’t know the Scriptures.  He reminds them about a Scripture in the Book of Moses where God said he was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He told the Sadducees that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.

And so as Christians we believe that those who are alive in God, those who are alive with God in Christ, will rise and live with them.

But isn’t it interesting that the Sadducees were more interested in their questions about life in earthly terms and relationship after the resurrection than they were with their relationship with God?

What are you interested about in regards to your life after the death of your earthly body?  Jesus had other teachings about this – I think the most clear example of what he taught is found in the Gospel of John, Chapter 17 where he prayed that all people who came to believe would be united with God and Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Were the Sadducees trying to trap Jesus, or were they sincere in their questioning?    Are you sincere when you ask questions and are you willing to turn to the Scriptures or someone who can help you find answers through the Scriptures?  Do you have questions about matters of life and death and resurrection?  Answers can be found and the church is a good place to come and find some answers from Jesus’ point of view.

Lord God, thank you for this teaching about the resurrection and our relationship with you at that time.  Please unite us with your Holy Spirit that we too may rise when our earthly lives are over.  AMEN