A Note From Rob ...

     The theological and political controversy of marriage is not a recent one. Jesus was asked questions of the law and God on several occasions. Our text today is one of those times. In the Message it reads this way:

     Some Sadducees came up. This is the Jewish party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, "Teacher, Moses wrote us that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to take the widow to wife and get her with child. Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. The second married her and died, then the third, and eventually all seven had their turn, but no child. After all that, the wife died. That wife, now - in the resurrection whose wife is she? All seven married her." Jesus said, "Marriage is a major preoccupation here, but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!' God isn't the God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive." Some of the religion scholars said, "Teacher, that's a great answer!"

     This comes in a section in which Jesus is being asked questions designed to trip him up and entrap him, in short, to further their agenda. Does that sound familiar?

     Jesus kept the primary issue as on one’s relationship with God. Perhaps that might be in the forefront of our discussions about relationships and marriage, too.

     I hope to see you Sunday!

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