Is this life on earth all there is? Or do some of us believe that life continues as usual even after life here on earth has ended? It seems that there are people who believe that this life is all there is and they would try to maximise their pleasure and enjoyment of this life as much as possible, because they think that death is the end, they cease to exist, there is nothing else after that, life is finished, they are history, finito. On the other hand, some people believe they would continue the ways of this life when death comes. We have seen how the pharoahs of ancient Egypt were buried with their possessions, wealth and even personnel, as they thought that they would continue living life as usual after death, but as we have seen, the tombs of the pharoahs have been looted, their wealth and possessions sold, and some of their mummified bodies can now be seen in museums in some part of the world. But what sort of life do we Christians believe in?
In today’s Gospel, we come across the Sadducees (an older padre once remarked that the Sadducees are also known as “Sad U see”) who did not believe in life after death or the resurrection. Because of their way of thinking, they became preoccupied with living only life on earth and were convinced that should there be life after this life on earth, there would be confusion and chaos, as mentioned concerning the woman and her seven husbands. But Jesus replied: “Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.”
Jesus was basically saying: wake up, there is more to life than here on earth, and our life is ultimately to be with God. Life with God is not merely a continuation of life on earth, since life with God is far better and far more satisfying than anything here on earth. That is why we need to make every effort to be in good relationship with God, so that we would later be with Him in eternity. Are we making effort today to grow in our relationship with God?