Austin's Blog

Oftentimes, Jesus’ enemies attempted to catch him in a trap with their questions. In Matthew 22, we are told a story of the Sadducees coming to Jesus asking a question about who will be married to a woman who had previously been married to seven different brothers one after the other died. They are attempting to either get Jesus to affirm an absurdity or something immoral. How does Jesus respond? They did not understand the Scriptures, God’s power, marriage’s lack of eternal permanence, or resurrection itself.

Because the Sadducees only accepted the first five books of the Bible and rejected belief in resurrection, spirits, or angels, Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6, where God says, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” What’s his point? I am the God of Abraham…” He did not say, “I was their God back when they were alive.” This implies that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still alive in some form when God speaks to Moses, long after their physical deaths. Jesus bases His argument on the tense of the verb, highlighting that God remains in an active relationship with them. Jesus’ logic is that God’s covenant faithfulness isn’t limited by physical death. For God to be their God implies they are still living in His presence. His love is stronger than the grave and they are presently experiencing it.

Why does this matter? People can become uncomfortable when the grieving talk about their loved ones, post pictures or memories about them on social media, and continue to acknowledge their deceased child, spouse, parent, or friend. They can begin to assume, “They’re living in the past and not moving on.” The reality is the opposite. Yes, there are beautiful and profound memories of them in the past that are worth celebrating, extolling, and remembering. But, if they knew the Lord, they didn’t just live in the past. They live in the present now in His presence. Moreover, each day is one day closer to them, not away from them. The reality is they often aren’t living in the past but living for the future.

Can people be “stuck” in their grief? Of course. There are, in fact, unhelpful and hurtful ways to grieve. But continuing to remember the “dead” is not unhealthy in light of the fact that they are alive in Christ. Do we truly believe what Jesus says about eternal life, Heaven, and what it means for Him to shepherd us through death is true? The grieving are not stuck at the grave, perpetually looking backwards, but hopefully and faithfully looking forward to the longest chapter with their loved ones. Remembering is an act of defiant faith in the face of death and tenacious hope in the coming resurrection dawn. Their grief can teach the Church not how to “just get on with it” or “get over it” but how to really believe what Jesus says about Heaven and our resurrection hope