Memorial of Saint Cecilia

Today's Mass Readings

Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus interacting with representatives from some of the various schools of Judaism of His day (of course, we must remember that Jesus was a Jew who observed the requirements of the Jewish Law). Since Jesus was known as a rabbi (or teacher), it would have been customary for him to debate the interpretation of the law with other Jewish leaders. Not surprisingly, these debates often included attempts to undercut and outsmart the other, especially if the authority of opposing party was suspect. In today’s gospel we see a dialogue between Jesus and some Sadducees. In order to understand this particular exchange between some Sadducees and Jesus, it is important to notice that the Sadducees are described as “those who deny that there is a resurrection” (Lk 20:27). While it didn’t have a long history in Judaism, many contemporaries of Jesus (including the Pharisees) believed in resurrection after death. Such a belief led them to orient their lives toward an ultimate union with God, especially in the face of harsh Roman rule. The Sadducees styled themselves more practical than their Jewish contemporaries. They sought accommodation rather than resistance to the Romans and thought belief in the resurrection to be “superstitious.”

In this particular encounter with Jesus, this group of Sadducees hopes to mock belief in the resurrection by offering an uncanny example of a widow who married seven brothers (Lk 20:29-33) in accordance with the written law. The reference to the written law is important; for the Sadducees rejected the oral law (accepted by the Pharisees) that accompanied the written law (i.e. what we have as the first five books of the Old Testament). Jesus wisely escapes from their grips by undercutting their understanding of the resurrection as too simplistic – they’re worried about marriage, a this-worldly institution (Lk 20:34-35) – and by evidence in the written law for resurrection (Lk 20:37-38).

So what does Jesus’ conversation with the Sadducees have to say to us today? First, we can say that at least one reason the Sadducees rejected belief in the resurrection was their satisfaction with the Roman Empire; they were concerned with accommodating to Rome in this life, not in preparing for the next. This led them even to miss key aspects of the law that suggested the resurrection. They seem to have read the law in light of the current political order instead of evaluating the current political order in light of the Scriptures. We should learn, as Jesus reminds them, that Scripture should be primary and should shape our vision of everything in this life.

The second point is related to the first. Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead leads us to hope for greater things to come. We are always a bit unsettled in this world, which is not our ultimate home. This should not lead us to a rejection of this world, but exactly the opposite! Because of the imperfections of this world, we are called to be the Body of Christ in it, that is to be instruments of Christ’s love, which, when enacted, brings little glimpses of Heaven into this world.

- Tim Gabrielli