死者的復活
那時候，否認復活的撒杜塞人中，有幾個前來問耶穌說：「師傅，梅瑟給我們寫道：如果一個人的哥哥死了，遺下妻子而沒有子嗣，他的弟弟應娶他的妻子，給他哥哥立嗣。曾有兄弟七人，第一個娶了妻子，沒有嗣子就死了。第二個及第三個都娶過她為妻。七個人都是如此：沒有留下子嗣就死了。最後，連那婦人也死了。那麼，在復活的時候，這婦人是他們那一個的妻子？因為他們七個人都娶過她為妻。」耶穌對他們說：「今世之子也娶也嫁；但那堪得來世，及堪當由死者中復活的人，他們也不娶，也不嫁；甚至他們也不能再死，因為他們相似天使；他們既是復活之子，也就是天主之子。至於死者復活，梅瑟已在荊棘篇中指明了：他稱上主為亞巴郎的天主，依撒格的天主及雅各伯的天主。他不是死人的，而是活人的天主：所有的人為他都是生活的。」有幾個經師中應聲說：「師傅！你說得好。」從此，他們再不敢質問他什麼了。
路加福音 20:27-40
在這篇福音中，撒杜塞人向耶穌提出這個疑問，是由於他們不相信死者會復活，所以故意質問耶穌，以為能為難祂。
可是耶穌身為天主子，早知道天主的救世計劃，所以這問題對祂毫無難度，反而給祂機會令撒杜塞人和經師們聽得啞口無言，從此再不敢質問祂什麼。
生活在現時短暫的生命中，人會死亡，所以必須也娶也嫁，生兒育女，以延續生命；耶穌稱這為「今世之子」。當人復活後，因天主的恩寵而獲得永生，便與本來的生命完全不同，因我們已與天主在一起，能享永恆的福樂，不用再面對死亡，不再嫁娶；耶穌稱這為「復活之子，也就是天主之子」。
撒杜塞人啞口無言，因為他們相信梅瑟五經，而耶穌正正用當中的經文反駁他們。我們相信人會復活，卻是因為基督的復活。「基督從死者中實在復活了，做了死者的初果。因為死亡既因一人而來，死者的復活也因一人而來；就如在亞當內，眾人都死了，照樣在基督內，眾人都要復活…」(格前15:20-22)
「那信天主子的，在自己內就懷有這證據；那不信天主的，就是以天主為撒謊者，因為他不信天主為自己的子所作的證。這證據就是天主將永遠的生命賜給了我們，而這生命是在自己的子內。那有子的，就有生命；那沒有天主子的，就沒有生命。」(若一 5:10-12)
你相信復活嗎？你現在的生活，有反映這個信念嗎？
這篇默想由生命恩泉文摘編輯小組撰寫，內容以下列文章為根據: Commentaries on the daily readings by Sacred Space, 常年期第三十三週星期六.
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.
Luke 20:27-40
In this gospel passage, the Sadducees questioned Jesus about resurrection because they don't believe in the resurrection of the dead, and therefore they thought this could pose a challenge for Jesus. However, knowing the salvation plan of His Father, Jesus was not challenged but instead used this opportunity to refute their beliefs, and made them no longer dared to ask Him anything.
Living in this temporal life, human beings would die, and therefore would need to marry and multiply to sustain family and lives; Jesus called these “children of this age”. However, those who rise again will live a much different life, that they're like angels and will not marry; they will no longer see death. Jesus called these the “children of God”.
The Sadducees were speechless because they only believed in the Pentateuch, but Jesus was using what Moses wrote to refute them. However for Christians, we believe in the resurrection of the dead because we believe in Jesus who already raised from the dead. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life…” (1 Cor 15:20-22)
“Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:10-12)
Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? If yes, is your current lifestyle reflecting this belief?
This reflection is prepared by the FLL Inspire editorial team as a digest of the following two articles: Commentaries on the daily readings by Sacred Space, 常年期第三十三週星期六.
聖地‧苦路‧冷知識
“Road from Emmaus” Ep041 – Death in the Catholic Sense