HOW TO LIVE AS PEOPLE OF THE RESURRECTION

In the Holy Bible, we encounter groups & institutions such as the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducee's, etc.

1. The SCRIBES:

These are the experts of the Law. They know the Law & they teach others to observe it.

2. The PHARISEES:

They Pharisees were entirely a religious body. They had no political ambitions & were content with any government which allowed them to carry out the ceremonial law. They believe in angels, spirits & the resurrection.

3. The SADDUCEE'S:

The Sadduceess were few, but wealthy. The Priests & the aristocrats were nearly all Sadducees. They were the governing class & they largely collaborated with Rome, being unwilling to risk losing their wealth, comfort & place. They accepted only the written Law of the Old Testament & only stressed the Law of Moses with no reference to any prophetic book. Unlike the Pharisees, they do not believe in angels, spirits or the resurrection.

Note that before the ministry of Jesus, these institutions regulated the activities of the people. When Jesus came to the scene, the tables were now turned upside down. People were flocking to Jesus & the popularity of Jesus was soaring. The question was very simple: what should we do to make Him (Jesus) irrelevant, so that we could be relevant in the eyes of our people? To achieve this, they employed a number of tactics.

1. In Matthew 12:24, Jesus heals a blind & dumb demoniac. Instead of the people to praise Him, they refer to Him as a demon. Call it Round I.

2. In Luke 20:19-26, which is the immediate passage before today's Gospel text, the Scribes try their luck on Jesus with the payment of taxes to Caesar. Jesus defeats them. Call it Round 2.

3. In today's Gospel (Luke 20:27-38), the Sadducee's also try to bring Jesus down with a dicey question. Call it Round 3. If we want to understand this, we need to situate it within the culture of the Jews. This question bothers on what is known as the Levirate marriage.