Mark 12:20-25 "There were seven brothers; the first took a wife..."

Comment:

Dear Friend,

I must admit, I'm a bit confused about the passage you're requesting, since it doesn't encompass Jesus' full thought. Let's put it in proper perspective before we turn to its deeper meaning. This is Mark 12:20-25:   "'There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be?  For the seven had her as wife.'  Jesus said to them, ' Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.'"   This attempt to back Jesus into a religious corner came from Sadducees, who did not believe in resurrection at all.  It was one of the chief bones of contention between Sadducees and Pharisees. So they were trying both to make fun of the Pharisees and their belief, and to force Jesus to choose between two conflicting beliefs.   Jesus replies that the question is based on a false reading of scripture and an attempt to apply human limitations to the realm of eternal spirit. In terms of scripture Jesus quotes from the passage in Exodus when God is speaking to Moses out of the burning bush: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." God does not say he was the God of Abraham; he is the God of Abraham. And, as Jesus notes, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."   In the realm of Spirit we are all one—one heart, one mind, one Christ energy in expression. Human ideas of separate identities, contracts, relationships are only relevant in this mortal domain. They are based in a sense of duality, and they will dissolve into the greater, infinite Truth as our journey continues. Further, death is simply a human illusion disguising that ongoing spiritual journey, which never ends.   Metaphysically, the Sadducees represent those thoughts in our own consciousness that try to cross-examine our intuitive spiritual understanding in terms of limited human experiences. We must always be willing to "know what we don't know," and allow the infinite Light and Love of God space to work in our lives.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed