He is God not of the dead but of the living. Luke 20:38
Luke 20: 27-38 is a scripture passage that conveys both scorn and happiness. Scorn because in this passage Jesus is talking to the Sadducees, Jews who do not believe in resurrection. They come to Him and try to prove that there is no resurrection. They asked Him a question about resurrection that they think cannot be answered. Instead of being faithful and believing Jesus, they disrespect Him. The Son of God, however has an answer to everything that the Sadducees use in their attempt to outsmart Jesus. This shows their lack of faith in God and that they thought they were smarter than anyone. Jesus destroys the Sadducees sinful efforts by answering them in an absolutely perfect and complete way. In response to the question about marriage, Jesus says that in heaven marriage does not exist because everyone is already in communion with one another. This symbolizes that Earthly things do not matter in heaven. He also manages to turn their question against them and use it to prove the resurrection of the body after death. This is the part of the passage that sends a message of hope and joy because Jesus then speaks of the everlasting and glorious life in heaven. He says that people in heaven become like angels and are children of God. This shows that anyone who follows God can happily look forward to the day they will be completely renewed in Christ and be able to live in perfect bliss for eternity.
In the Catholic Catechism we are taught that:
Belief in the resurrection of the dead has been an essential element of the Christian faith from its beginnings. “ The confidence of Christians is the resurrection of the dead; believing this we live.”
“How can someone of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain ... But in fact Christ has been raised from he dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. (CCC 991)
One of the Hoban core values is hope. Hope is something that keeps us going. Jesus’ message that sends us hope and joy and proves the resurrection of the body is what keeps us going and believing in the after life. In Luke 20: 27-38 we earn a sense of hope when Jesus proves the Sadducees that there is life after death. Do you hope there is life after death? Is the hope you look for encouraged by others? Does your hope encourage the hope of others?
John 11:25 is a great Bible scripture passage that truly captures the essence of Luke 20:27-28. The scripture of Luke tells about resurrection and how Jesus was sent to save all the people in the world. the Scripture prayer tells people to believe in life after death because that is the reason Jesus came to earth. He needed to teach us that there is a Heaven and that when he comes again to judge us the second time, we will all be reunited with God and all of our loved ones.
I like how this passege reminds me that no matter what happens here on earth I will be taken care of in heven aslong as I hope and belive in the resurection. It also reminds me that my hope can inspire and encourage the hope of others.
ReplyDeleteI like how this passage focuses on the core value of hope. Hope is what keeps you going in life and allows you to dream things you would never imagine possible.
ReplyDelete-Colleen Fearon