S153P2 – These we must accept: a change in relationships
Lk. 20:29-36
“Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
We understand what we know. What I mean by this is that understanding comes from experience. I used to work with someone who lived with a lot of his extended family. In his culture, that was not rare at all. To live with his sister and brother-in-law and their children and his mother was what everyone did. Had he gotten married, they likely would have lived with one of their families. I had a hard time understanding how it could be manageable to live with so many people. From my experience, you leave the nest then live alone or with the new family you create. For each of us, our experience showed us what normal living looks like. For each of us, that was very different.
We understand our relationships based on how we experience them. We see others as our parents or children or spouses or friends. Every relationship has a name. My cousin will always be my cousin; my aunt will always be my aunt. It just makes sense that we would expect the relationships we experience here to resemble in some way the relationships we will experience there. However, Jesus makes it clear that this is a wrong expectation. These relationships have a function and a purpose in this age, but we will change on that day. This change will be so dramatic that we will not even see one another the same way we do today. Wives and husbands will be fellow sons of God.
The resurrection brings with it a complete change to what we know and how we live. Do not be sad that your mother will no longer be your mother or that your husband will no longer be your husband on that day. Do not think that you will miss these relationship structures we are used to. They serve a purpose now, and we are to enjoy and nurture these gifts from God. However, the day will come when life will be so much different than we can imagine. On that day, we will be like the angels, which I think is more than a fair trade. Father, thank You for the great relationships You give us in this age and for every new thing we can look forward to in the next.