Whose wife will she be?

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark (12, 18-27)

And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, "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.  There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife." Jesus said to them, "Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And 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'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong."

This is the word of the Lord.

There are at least two reasons why one asks a question. First, a person wants to learn and asks questions in his search for wisdom and truth. Second, a person might want to trick another into a trap and asks malicious questions.

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This is the context of today’s gospel selection. Before the selection we have just read, Mark tells us about some Pharisees and Herodians who went to Jesus “to trap him in what he said” as the evangelist states expressly. “Should we pay taxes to the Emperor, or should we not?” they asked. Then the Sadducees went to him with a tale about the woman who married seven brothers without having any offspring from them. “In the resurrection whose wife will she be?” they asked.

Following these debates with Christ’s enemies, Mark tells us about the scribe who, seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him: “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus dialogued with him and the scribe told the Master: “You are right, Teacher”, and Jesus answered: “You are not far from the kingdom of God”, for the scribe had answered wisely.

In His debate with the Sadducees, Jesus told them: You are quite wrong for you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God!

The subject the Sadducees falsely wanted to discuss with Jesus was ‘Resurrection’.  Jesus told them that they did not know the scriptures for these are always pointing forward towards a face to face encounter with God in eternity. The Bible is not about coming back. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. He is not about a coming back, but a going forth, and resurrection is not about coming back to the sort of life we know on earth. It is a being born again into eternity, and an inkling of what resurrection really is, is given to us in the gospel stories of the meeting of the witnesses with the risen Christ.

Jesus told the Sadducees that they did not know the power of God because they imagined that God did not have the power to do what they could not understand. They forgot that God is a creator God who made everything that exists from nothing.

It might seem that today’s gospel reading is about resurrection. In a way it is! However we can apply Christ’s response to the Sadducees to many other themes that are the subject of our discussions. I am sure that when we have questions to ask about any important subject, we have to think about Christ’s words and ask ourselves: Do we know the Scriptures? Do we believe in the power of God?

When asking about knowing the Scriptures we do not necessarily mean: Have we read the Bible? How many times? How much of the Bible do we know by heart? No! The question is: How ready am I to let the Scriptures inspire my way of living? Is the Word of God a light on my way? Or do I think that I do not need God? Do I trust only my word, my way? The devil knows the Bible well but he goes his way and tries to trick us into following him, into trusting him because he knows how to present himself as full of common sense and as being reasonable, and he knows how to embellish things so that what is bad might seem to us good and enjoyable.

When asking about knowing the power of God do we try to limit it to what we think is possible? Do we find it easier to believe in the power of the human mind which, through science, tries to understand the workings of nature and the world around us, and the universe in which we are immersed? Do we believe that what science cannot explain is beyond the power of God? Perhaps we might think that there is no God because we cannot explain Him!

Many a time we are quite wrong, especially when we put God aside and we try to take His place! Do we learn from our mistakes? Do we not see that when a human being tries to take the place that belongs to God huge disasters are caused? History should be our teacher!

Yes today’s gospel is about resurrection. Is it not also and perhaps more about conversion? Isn’t Jesus telling us: Listen to my Father’s words and let Him guide you? Isn’t He telling us to believe in God’s power which is beyond our imagination for it is eternal and all-embracing?

How I would like to hear Jesus telling each one of us what He said to the Scribe: “You are not far from the kingdom of God”. This is real wisdom!