A Teachable Moment - December 8
Today’s Readings - Psalm 25; Amos 7:1-9; Rev. 1:1-8; Matt. 22:23-33
The dialogue between Jesus and the Sadducees in this morning’s gospel reminds me of scenes in courtroom dramas where attorney’s barrage a witness with questions. The way the questions are framed it’s as if they don’t really seem interested in getting to the truth but instead, their goal is to trip them up so that they’re no longer credible. This must be so frustrating because isn’t it the truth what we all want?
The Sadducees seem to be playing this same game. They don’t appear to care about the woman in question. All they care about is tripping Jesus up, ruining his credibility or better yet, have him arrested. I can only imagine what the widow’s life must have been like as she was passed from brother to brother solely for the purpose of producing an heir. I guess in some ways this was seen as a compassionate solution, a means to provide for widows. During that time widows had no rights, they couldn’t own property, they inherited nothing after the death of their husband. Their only means for survival was to beg or to glean from the fields what had been left after a harvest.
Jesus resists the temptation to argue his case. Instead, he speaks to them about the nature of God. He seizes the moment to try to teach them something about the love of God. At the heart of Jesus’ reply is his desire to speak directly to who God is, what the nature of God is and what relationships are like in the Kingdom of God - now and in Heaven. He tries to explain to them that the way relationships work in the present don’t apply to life after death. The one thing that will never change, however, is the nature of our relationship with God. We will always be God’s children and will always remain in relationship with God. For in God, we are never dead; as Paul says in his first letter to the church in Corinth, “Death has lost its sting.”
What Jesus is teaching is that nothing concerning our sociopolitical structure, the racism that exists, the sexism, none of the prejudices that exist today will exist after death. Every child of God, regardless of class, or age, sex, race or abilities will be freed from the dehumanizing ways we treat our brothers and sisters. All will be restored to the fullness that God’s children are meant to have. The words of the spirituals written by slaves speak to the hope that their faith secured for them, the belief that heaven would be their reward for all they had endured.
Our relationship with God, with one another, with our demons and our treasures, these all speak to our humanity, to one of the most essential aspects of life. The anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood was yesterday, Dec. 7th. When asked why I wanted to be a priest most times, my first response was “it’s about relationships.” I still feel that way and I pray I always will. Jesus exemplified a life of relationships that reflected his love for God. May we all learn from his example, loving others as God loves us.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection and Challenge – During the season of Advent, create a goal to increase the ways you show your love for God. What might you do to accomplish this? Here are just two ideas: Saint Stephen’s is collecting food for food pantries. We’re also collecting items for Pathways, a shelter for women and children, in our Outreach Alcove.