Matthew 22:31--33
"But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read what God said
to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead but of the living.'" When the
crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
NIV
In the name of the God of the living, amen.
There are such subtleties in Holy Scripture, subtleties that are easily
missed by our imperfect and impure minds. In the Old Testament the Lord
often identified Himself as the God of the Patriarchs. In that identity
is the fact that the Patriarchs are still living. He does not say, "I
was their God," but rather "I am their God."
In Jesus' day, as in our own day, there were those who could not simply
take God at His word. They could not believe in a literal resurrection.
Many explanations exist for them. Some say we live on in other's
memories. Others say the resurrection is a renewed hope that "Lifts our
spirits out of the grave."
But in the end the truth remains unchanged, God is the God of the living,
not of the dead. The literal resurrection is an accomplished fact, and
we share in that accomplished fact. While this is astonishing, it is
also the truth. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, You are the God of the Living, You are our God.
Give us Your Holy Spirit so that we remain alive in our Savior Jesus,
amen.