“Master, in the Scriptures Moses gave us this law: If anyone dies and leaves a wife but
no children, his brother must take the woman, and, with her, have a baby, who will be
considered the child of his deceased brother. Now, there were seven brothers. The first
married a wife, but he died without leaving any children. The second took the wife, and
he also died, leaving no children. The same thing happened to the third. In fact, all
seven brothers died, leaving no children. Last of all, the woman died. Now, in the
resurrection, to whichof them will she be wife? For all seven brothers had her as wife.”
Jesus replied, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the
Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, men and women do
not marry, but are like the angels in heaven. Now, about the resurrection of the dead,
have you never had thoughts about the burning bush in the book of Moses? God said
to Moses: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is the
God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are totally wrong.”
Reflect
“God's family.” In today’s Gospel, some Sadducees who were denying the reality of
the resurrection came and posed a question to Jesus with regard to the reality of the
resurrection. They narrated to Jesus the story of seven brothers who married the same
woman, one after the other, dying and leaving the woman behind without any child. In
the end, the woman also died. The Sadducees asked Jesus as to whose wife the woman
would be in the resurrection. They did not understand the very purpose of levirate
marriage (cf. Dt. 25:5- 10). Levirate marriage aims at building up a brother’s family.
When we reduce the reality of the resurrection to the issue of marriage alone, we may
also fail in grasping the reality of the resurrection of the dead. The reality of the
resurrection tells us of our sacred duty to participate in the building up of God’s family.
We may be considered dead once we refuse to build up each other. The God of the
living summons us to participate in the building up of God’s family.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024
