Pre-feast of Theophany; the Holy Prophet Malachi (5th c. BC); the Holy Martyr Gordius (313-24)
Hebrews 3:5-11, 17-19; Luke 20:27-44
Read Luke 20:27-44
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Today’s Gospel primarily addresses the question of the resurrection. Ephrem the Syrian explains that the Sadducees denied the resurrection because they ostensibly sought to love God without the spectre of reward (Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron 16.22). They considered themselves to be just because they claimed to love God without the possibility of gaining any benefit. Of course, this position is deficient in logic and leans in the direction of the Pelegian heresy. Resurrection is not a reward for our good deeds. Pelagius denied original sin and taught that we are saved by our strength alone. According to this distorted vision, perhaps it would make sense to regard the resurrection as a prize. But the teaching of the Church is plain on this point. God’s grace is always prevenient. That is to say, we are in need of God’s grace first, before we are able to perform any good act, even to pray. Everything is pure gift from God (James 1:17; CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters). Resurrection is therefore not a reward, but an unmerited gift from our Heavenly Father. It is a grace that leads to eternal life in the Heavenly Jerusalem where we await perfect union with the Consubstantial Trinity, in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In an attempt to confound Jesus, the Sadducees confronted Him with a riddle. What are we to make of the factual matrix we find in verses 29 to 32, which sets out a situation that is apparently at odds with the resurrection? If a woman has been widowed and sequentially remarried seven times, how could she possibly experience the resurrection, as this would give rise to poligamy according to one (erroneous) interpretation? Our Lord clarifies that in the resurrection we will not marry, we will not die, but rather we will be like the angels. This is a mystery that could be unpacked at length. But, suffice it to say that our Lord does not negate the continuity of relationships from earthly to eternal life. This pericope lends itself to an understanding that no trace of marriage will exist in heaven. There is an adage in the legal profession that hard cases make bad law. This insight is apropos because the Sadducees presented a hard case and it is dubious that Christ intended for us to understand that all aspects of earthly marriage will simply vanish. It is reasonable to speculate that the relationships, especially marriages, which are forged during our earthly pilgrimage will have purchase on our eternal lives. Clement of Alexandria insists that “the Lord is not rejecting marriage but is purging the expectation of physical desire in the resurrection” (Stromateis 3.87.2-3). We continue to refer to Mary as the Mother of God, to Joseph as her spouse, and to Christ as her Son. While our Lord’s teaching about angelic existence in heaven points to an important reality, it ought not to be taken as an assault on the relationships that we form on earth. After all, the bond of love that exists in marriage is an image of the relationship between God and humankind (Eph 5).
Let us be convicted of the resurrection of the body, as our Lord teaches. The very body which forms an integral part of who we are now, will truly be resurrected at Christ’s second and glorious coming. Our salvation is not only of the spirit, but of the flesh too. This truth is founded upon the Incarnation. Let us also maintain a firm hope that our earthly marriages and other familial and fraternal relationships will not be abrogated in the age to come. They will be transformed and perfected. This will involve change. But nothing will be lost, only gained. Intimacy will not decrease, but increase. This is equally true of our relationship with the Triune God and with our spouses, family, and friends.