Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

The Sadducees said there was no resurrection, and that’s why Jesus paid attention to them, and answered their silly, make-believe marriage question. He didn’t criticize their political crony-ism, which was utterly corrupt. He didn’t chide them for hoarding their wealth and neglecting the poor, which many of them did. He didn’t even call them out for their rejection of the prophets who came after Moses. They said there was no resurrection, and Jesus wanted to make sure He addressed that, so that their Greek, New-Age style teachings would not remove the Gospel’s comforting words from the hearts of the people who truly believed in Him.

They said that death should be thought of as a good thing, a separation of a pure soul from a vile, earthly body. A resurrection that joined a soul back with its body on the Last Day, they falsely ridiculed as repulsive. God’s Word teaches that body and soul were created good together and that their separation was the result of sin and death. In this context of ancient Jerusalem, just like what happens today, evil was called good, and the good creation of God—a human body—was degraded and treated like trash. I know that Christians today have varying opinions on this, but historically speaking, you must admit, the practice of cremation did not originate from any Christian teaching, but rather it came from an idea similar to what the Sadducees held, that the body was worthless at death and worthy of nothing but to be tossed aside when you’re done with it. God says altogether different things about the human body that He specially designed and gave to you and blessed as it was to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Now that we are in the portion of the church year that follows All Saints’ Day, and the themes of the Church that emphasize the events that will take place at the End of the world, we do well to follow what Jesus is saying about the resurrection of the body, too. He knew that the ludicrous question that the Sadducees asked Him about a widow marrying seven brothers was only meant to trap Him. We today have lots of strange questions thrown at us as traps—including certain questions about marriage and using bathrooms that nobody ever thought about as a problem even 5 years ago. With regard to those Sadducees, Jesus knew He wasn’t going to change their mind, but He was, and He always is, eager to proclaim His comforting truth to you, so that you remain convinced of the truth that you have come to know and love and claim as your very own, that is, the truth of the resurrection of your body when the life of the world to come finally arrives with His glorious return.

Our Lord reminds you that you live in two distinct ages. Jesus spoke of, on the one hand, “sons of this age” and “sons of God,” even “sons of the resurrection” on the other hand. It’s like you are standing on a cosmic threshold, with a foot in one world and the other foot in a different world. This is what it’s like for you now, but sooner or later, it will become different for all of us. For now, you have relationships and obligations and contracts, and discerning what in your life is temporary and what is eternal can at times be quite confusing and complicated. But Jesus helps you sort it all out.

There was one situation, you might recall, in which Jesus had to ask a man, “Who made Me an arbiter over your dispute with your brother?” Jesus the Son of the Most High God possessed every right to weigh in as Judge on whatever decision was made, however, He had already handed over the authority to some other human judge, while He was going to stay focused on His salvation mission. In the verses just before this Gospel reading from Luke 20, Jesus gave the well-known advice, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Marriage is a truly blessed gift, but the contract parts of it are limited only to this life. God made male and female, and no amount of surgery or personal self-feelings can remove that from each of our identities. As valuable as these Biblical teachings are about the things that belong to this world, don’t allow these debates to stray your focus from the matters that impact eternal life.

Sure, you have concerns related to this age—I’m not here to dispute that, nor am I saying that you would be betraying your Lord if you were paying attention to earthly things like your work, school, family, community, and friends. In fact, God is pleased that you tend to your vocations that He has given you in these areas. The Amish are only one well-known example of people who approached daily earthly life with the same mistake in judgment that the Sadducees made about the physical body, thinking all of it was evil and needs to be avoided. Jehovah’s Witnesses think the same about celebrating birthdays and holidays. They don’t. Martin Luther as a monk at one time thought that he was entering a holy life vocation in order to avoid all that worldly sin, but later reflected that he had been deceived by a lie.

The Lutheran Christian, guided only by the truth of Scripture alone and confident of salvation by grace alone, has the privilege and also the burden, of remembering that your baptism has placed you into another age, one that lasts forever and will not fade away with this world. You have been born into the age of the resurrection even though for a while you have remained a part of the age in which the earthly, temporary things still take place. Jesus later spoke about your situation as being in the world, but not being of the world. What counts for eternity is worthy of greater attention than what is before you day to day, although for now the day to day is not totally excluded. All Saints’ Day on the Church calendar can be useful to remind us how important this age of the resurrection is for us, since we don’t always experience the death of a loved one or a national tragedy like 9/11, yet even when these things do happen, we automatically turn to the only strength that can pull us through, and that is the strength of God’s promise that we belong to Him now, and not to this temporary, passing away world.

Your loved ones whom you don’t see anymore are already fully part of that inheritance of the resurrection, and so are you. Jesus said He and His heavenly Father, together with the Holy Spirit are together the God of the living, not of the dead. I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, simultaneously at the same time as He is the God of Moses, King David, Mary and Joseph, St. Paul, Martin Luther, David Stirdivant, Paul Hall, Bill Saulnier, Dean Hickox, and Clara Riedel. He is, and He remains, their God, even though they died. It doesn’t matter how they were buried. Their sins, just like yours, don’t hold them back from any spiritual blessing, because forgiveness has conquered over sin. They aren’t married or given in marriage anymore, but something greater than that has remained for them, a permanent, eternal relationship with Christ and membership in His everlasting kingdom. The resurrection that awaits them, and you, and all of God’s saints, that resurrection at the last Day will only confirm that which is already true. Though you don’t see them anymore, they are with you, especially since the whole company of heaven fills this place every time the Divine Service with Holy Communion takes place.

How can we deny such a great blessing to those we know should be here in Church with us? How can you allow your cares for the earthly life dominate over this higher, greater gift that is the age of the resurrection that you so treasure? You must confess that it is all too easy to worry more about something temporary, to want your friends to like you, to get distraught over how our country is changing, to wonder when it will be more difficult or too costly to operate as a church as we’re used to. You aren’t like those people questioning Jesus, trying to trap Him with unbelief, but you are staring at things of this life that can cause great fear at times, and you wonder if everything really is going to be all right.

But do not fear! The crucified and risen Lord Jesus has had mercy on you. He takes your sins and shortcomings and weaknesses that died with Him on that cross and instead He creates in you a new heart. He made you worthy to attain to the age of the hope of the resurrection for your body. He gives the Word of life that each day converts your sinful heart and strengthens your soul. You were not worthy of God’s grace, yet He has chosen to make you worthy for the sake of Christ.

You truly live in Him, just as Jesus said, while for the time being you participate in the world with your neighbors whom you love and serve. He is your living God and, my friends in Christ Jesus, you are heirs of the promise of the resurrection, heirs along with all those Christians of the past who died in faith, of your loved ones who fell asleep in Jesus and the souls who await the resurrection of their bodies so that as complete persons, body and soul, we all will enjoy the presence of our gracious and living God forever. This is a real promise—not a fantasy or a vain dream that is meant only to make you feel better—Jesus said the Lord your God is the God of the living and not the dead. He will give you the victory. The Sadducees said, there was no resurrection. No, there is a resurrection, Jesus proved it by rising from the dead Himself and thanks to Him, that resurrection is yours!

In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Readings:
Ex. 3:1–15 the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Psalm 148 Praise the LORD from the heavens
2 Thess. 2:1–8, 13–17 the truth, to which He called you by our gospel
Luke 20:27-40 not the God of the dead but of the living