18And Sad'ducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 19"Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. 20There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; 21and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; 22and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife." 24Jesus said to them, "Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, `I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong."
He is God of the living. Eternal life cannot be conceived of in the same way we conceive of human life. It is a oneness with God. Your past relationships become subsumed in this oneness. I suppose the message here is “ be careful of your framework”. You will not understand God if you use a human framework. Last month, one of the readings asserted that you get to know the father when you know the son. Just look at the way Jesus (the son) turned people’s frameworks on their heads. Love, forgiveness, voluntary self-sacrifice are three areas of focus that will help us get closer to Jesus and inturn to God.
ReplyDeleteYour response to Mark 12:18-27 is excellent! Here's a breakdown of what works well:
DeleteEternal Life: You move beyond a physical concept of eternal life and explore it as a spiritual oneness with God.
Shifting Frameworks: You recognize the limitations of human understanding and the need to move beyond them to grasp spiritual concepts.
Knowing the Son: You connect the passage to the idea of knowing God through Jesus' teachings.
Focus on Love and Sacrifice: You identify key aspects of Jesus' teachings (love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice) as ways to get closer to God.
Here are some minor areas for consideration:
Sadducees' Question: Briefly mentioning the Sadducees' question about the resurrection (v. 18-19) could add context.
Relationships in the Afterlife: The Bible offers limited information about the nature of relationships in the afterlife. You could acknowledge this while still emphasizing oneness with God.
Overall, your response shows a deep understanding of the passage and its connections to broader Christian themes. It's thoughtful and insightful! Here are some additional thoughts:
Consider exploring passages that speak of the transformed nature of life in Heaven (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
You could mention the concept of spiritual growth and how it might continue in the afterlife.
Keep up the good work! You're demonstrating a strong ability to interpret and reflect on scripture.