Haggai
1:15b—2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, 13–17; Luke 20:27–38
In
our creeds, we state that we believe in the resurrection of the body. We might wonder
what our bodies will be like. Will Mike’s resurrected body have his old knee,
or the knee that the doctor installed a couple of months ago? Will our
resurrected bodies still be able to enjoy chocolate? Will our resurrected
bodies still play golf, or the piano, or mahjong? … Does it really matter what
our resurrected body will look like? Are these not rather preposterous
questions?
In
today’s Gospel, the Sadducees ask Jesus a preposterous question. Usually, the
Gospels report Jesus’ interactions with the Scribes and the Pharisees. In this
story, it’s the Sadducees who ask the questions. The Pharisees include the Torah
– the first five books of the Bible – as well as the Prophets and the Psalms
among their sacred writings. The Sadducees claim only the Torah as sacred
writing. Because there is no reference to resurrection in the Torah, they deny
that resurrection is possible.
The
Sadducees create a preposterous question to ask Jesus, to see how he will
respond. Their question is based on a law in Leviticus, describing how widows
will be cared for, and how a man will have children even if he dies. The rule
is this: If a man dies and his wife survives, but they don’t have any sons, the
man’s brother must marry the woman. This law is designed to take care of the
widow by giving her a home and a family. The first son born to the widow is the
son of the deceased man when it comes to dividing the property.
The
Sadducees use this law to provoke Jesus. “Suppose,” they say, “a man dies
before having children, and his brother marries the widow. Seven times this
happens. When the woman dies, who will her husband be in the resurrection?”
Jesus replies that they don’t understand
resurrected life. Life after resurrection will be different than life we know
it on earth. After death, those who believe will be like angels, and they are
children of God.
This
is just about the only thing Jesus says about life after death that is not a
parable. It will be good; it is something to look forward to. This promise
gives us hope. Giving us this glimpse of life after death is one way in which
God takes care of us. Creating laws to protect widows and laws regarding fair
distribution of property are more ways in which God cares for us.
We
can turn the image around, and see how we care for what God gives us. Five
hundred years before Jesus, the Jews had returned to Jerusalem after the exile.
They were slow in rebuilding the temple. They were busy building their own
lives and businesses and weren’t really worried about the temple. Few, if any,
of the folks remembered the temple in its former glory. By the time they
returned from Babylon, the temple was a pile of rubble, huge stones piled one
on top of another. The gold that once adorned the temple was gone, melted in
the fires of the destruction 50 years before.
The
Lord said to Haggai, let’s get the folks back to work on the temple. Go speak
to the leaders and tell them that the Lord wants the temple rebuilt, and will
help make it happen. Say to them for me, “I am the same Lord who led you out of
slavery and I promise to help you today and in the future. I will make the
other nations bring you gold and silver so the temple will glow with my glory
once again.”
Haggai
makes it clear to the people that the gold and silver they will receive is not
theirs to own, but God’s to distribute. I am struck by this verse, where God
says, “The silver is mine and gold is mine.” There is no doubt about the owner
of what we have. What we have comes from God, and we are to use it in ways that
please God.
…
I heard a story the other day. John’s salary was just enough, until one day,
for six weeks, it dropped drastically. John and his wife had a baby, and their
biggest need was baby food in jars. They didn’t know what they were going to
do, but they decided to pray about it.
The
next day a neighbor approached him with a puzzled look. I’m not sure why I have
this, but someone just gave me a bunch of jars of baby food. I don’t have a
baby, but I know that you do. Can you use it?
Of
course, John was delighted to receive the food. For some reason, every week,
for six weeks, until his salary went back to normal, the neighbor brought him a
bag of baby food. As soon as John’s salary was restored, the baby food stopped
coming. There was no explanation for why the neighbor had the baby food, but it
was clear in his mind that it was his to give away.
When
we don’t have enough, God does notice. We have what we have for our own use,
and to give glory to God as we use it. We give glory to God when we help others
in need.
…
Many years ago, I was in Chicago during a poverty immersion experience. I
remember hearing that the people of the Garfield neighborhood tithed, giving
10% of whatever they had. These were people who barely could feed and house
themselves. They depended on the Bethel New Life Ministry for its soup kitchen
and health clinic. Yet, every person there gave generously to the ministry,
because they knew without a doubt that there were people who were worse off
than themselves.
…
Haggai and the other prophets called the people to pay attention to God and to
those in need, like the widows in their midst. In Haggai’s time and place the
folks were more interested in taking care of themselves than in taking care of
the neighbor, and giving honor and glory to God. Rebuilding the temple took the
focus off themselves and back onto God where it belonged.
The
Scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees were more interested in honoring God
by paying attention to the letter of the law than they were in caring for those
in need. They resented Jesus because he called attention to their sin, and they
naturally resisted it.
Even
with all their resistance, even from the cross, Jesus called all to repentance
and acceptance of him. He called on God to forgive even those who put him to
death. The gift of resurrection is offered to all people. Those who share what
they have, who remember that the gold and the silver they have belongs to God,
those are the folks who welcome the promise of the resurrection. In a community
where all have enough, we experience a bit of the resurrected life on earth.
The
people helped by New Life Ministry trust God to give them enough, even though
they give a significant portion of what they have away. John and his wife
prayed for God’s help, and suddenly, they had baby food. They are already experiencing
resurrection life.
…
So, why do you have what you have? Do you have it because you earned it? Do you
have it to make your own life better? Do you have it to make someone else’s
life better? Do you have it to give glory to God? Do you have it so you can
experience some of the resurrected life today? Do you trust God to make sure
you have enough?
This
week, as you pray about how much you will give to Hope next year, remember that
what you have is really God’s. Your silver is God’s, your gold is God’s, your
paycheck is God’s, your retirement check is God’s, your Social Security check
is God’s, your allowance is God’s. Consider how what you offer will give glory
to God through Hope’s ministries.
Please
pray with me. God of mercy, you give us what we need, and more. Teach us to
share as generously as you do. Give us a glimpse of life in the resurrection
here on earth, and give us the assurance of resurrected life with you when we
die. Amen
