Breaking the Word

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless…

 That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called 'Lord' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well." And they no longer dared to ask him anything.  (Lk 20:27-40)

This present passage debates on resurrection. Jesus raised people from dead. This passage gives the views prevalent among Jews on resurrection. There were people who did not believe in resurrection (Sadducees), there were others who believed like the rule of Moses (the story of seven brothers). But the correct view is that of Jesus.

When Jews talked about resurrection they had the following view in their mind: all humans from the time of Abraham (or even from Adam) and those of the present times and those of the future would be raised from the dead by God. God would create a new world for them to live in. (This is not like what we say about the life after death).  It is a future event and as a result the dead would live again in a way different from the present one. All the wrongs would be put to right. And the Sadducees did not accept this view.

Jesus presented a view that was different from the rest. He said that resurrection life will not be exactly the same as the present one. After death it is irrelevant to speak about family line of relations. After resurrection we will be like angels (deathless, immortal state) and we will have bodies appropriate to the new world which God is making. And the God whom we believe in is God of the living (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive in God’s presence.)  

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.'" And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. (Lk 19:45-48)

The angry protest of Jesus is a solemn prophetic warning against the commercialization of temple business. His actions echoed that of prophet Jeremiah and the like. If the temple becomes a hide-out for brigands then surely it will come under God’s judgement. Now the temple is run by the brigands and hence it is about to meet the judgement.

The temple was the focal point of the national ideology. It was a sign of God’s unshakable promise to the people of Israel. Israel was asked to keep the promise safe. The promise was kept safe by faith and obedience. If the promise is not met by faith and obedience then judgement will come upon. It was as good as breaking the covenant relationship.

This message of Jesus was unpopular among the ruling people of God. Jesus action was the immediate cause for the arrest of Jesus and the following events. However the people who listened to him were many and they were eagerly waiting to hear his words. The leaders have to face up to this situation as well. Whatever be the judgement was imminent.