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. Then the second  and the third married her, …

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)

 

 

Moses wrote rules and regulations for earthly living. His writings were guidelines as to how to live a peaceful, helpful life in a family and in a society. These rules were not for life after death. Moses would not have known about the life after death and he never meant to write rules for a life after death. His rules could not be applied for a life after death.

 

Moses also wrote about God and he wrote only what he received in revelation. It was not the result of his investigation or his search or research. It was purely a revelation. And the revelation was that God was a God of the living and not of the dead. In God all are alive and the dead are not in him.

 

‘Life in God’ be it in this world or in the next, is totally a different thing. Our human mind cannot understand the things of the other world. We cannot impose the system of this world into the next and expect that we will so. There is no giving in marriage or getting married in the next life. What we will be or how we will be in the next world is known only to God. But we are sure that we will be in God. It is a ‘life in God’ and this God is the God of the living. 

 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)

 

 

Temple was the focal point for the people of Israel. It was the national identity and ideology. It was the sign and symbol of God’s unshakable promise that he would be with them and keep the safe. This promise of God had to be met with faith and obedience of the people. In short it was a symbol of covenant relationship. When people reject this presence and promise the they would face judgement and punishment.

 

But Jesus witnesses a commercialized temple. His action is a prophetic warning. Because the temple has become a hide-out for brigands, and brigands are running the show. Jesus is not so much angry with the traders, though they do make extra money in their business, rather Jesus is angry with the priests and the structure that make the commercialization of the temple possible. And his is one of the main reason on which the priest accuse Jesus for death.

 

The ruling group, both clerical and lay, see an immediate reason in his action in e temple, to put Jesus to death. Jesus’ reaction is in coincidence with his own preaching. This is how God’s plan of salvation is achieved. Jesus entered temple as true God finally returned  to Zion.