Luke 20:27-38

Tony Campolo's sermon, "It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming," captures the essence of so much of life. Life is full of Fridays. Fridays when friends die, when jobs are lost, when parents divorce, when businesses fail, when romances fizzle, when cancer strikes. It was about to be Friday for the disciples; Jesus was headed inexorably to Jerusalem for a final time.

But it didn't look like it. Just days before, the crowds were crying, "Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." They cheered as He cleared the temple courts. It was clearly Sunday — a day to celebrate. But it wasn't to last. Friday was coming.

Advertisement

In an effort to discredit his popularity, the various enemies of Jesus lined up to ensnare the otherwise flawless teacher. The chief priests and teachers of the law questioned him about authority. The spies questioned him about taxes. The Sadducees challenged His ability to interpret the scripture.

The Sadducees severely underestimated their foe. Their cleverly devised tale of a barren wife and seven deceased husbands was supposed to show the illogic of resurrection talk. Yet Jesus demonstrated an important lesson. If we're not careful, we too may miss the point. Fridays have a way of causing that to happen.

Understanding the truth surpasses merely knowing the words.

The Sadducees limited what they knew about God to their own understanding of the Torah. There was no room for more information or alternative explanations. It's a mistake we all make. I was converted in a congregation that "had the truth". In fact, if other people read the Bible with open eyes, they would "see the truth as we do." It turned out they should have said, "if others read the Bible the way we do, they would see truth the way we see it."

The truth of the matter is, there is more to life than this life.

Sadducees explained all of eternity by what they saw today. It's a mistake we all make. When Friday arrives it so clouds tomorrow that today is all there is. We view suffering that way — something to be "solved, fixed, avoided, masked." It couldn't possibly be beneficial, preparatory, temporary. We view loss that way — something to blame for, be embittered over, angry about. You name your Friday, there's a human way to look at it.

Jesus says otherwise. He says, there is another life, where the children of God are immortal. There is another life, where the presence of God rearranges all of life's circumstances. I am learning so much from Bill and Sally (names changed). They are both widowed by cancer. They've been married just a few years and Bill has recently learned he has terminal cancer. Their faith is so vibrant. They make every day count; they fervently love Jesus and His church; they share their grief openly, yet Christianly with others. They are in the midst of Friday, but for them, Sunday is clearly around the corner.

The truth of the matter is, God is the God of the living.

Harking back to the Torah, the only scripture of the Sadducees, Jesus recalls the scene at the burning bush. There, God identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not the God of dead men, but of the living. In fact, God is the God of all the living. The disciples didn't understand it anymore than we might have. But it was a word of hope for the coming Friday. They would be lost in the grief and confusion of a dark night. Jesus would die. And it would appear that he was forever dead.

But God is not the God of the dead — He is the God of all living, including the to-be-resurrected Jesus. Once the disciples arrived at Sunday, it all made sense. Jesus was among the living. And that set the stage for hope . . . no matter what any Friday brought, there would be a Sunday.

"Ordinary time" draws to an end. In the church year it is both conclusion and beginning. While we near the end, we anticipate the beginning; Advent is coming. Life is like that. Fridays come and go, and ultimately we face a final Friday. But, just as we spend our lives with Sundays giving life and meaning to Fridays; we live in the hope of a grand, final Sunday overcoming all vestiges of a life of Fridays.

_____________

Sermon brief provided by: Chuck Sackett, Professor of Preaching, Lincoln Christian Seminary, Lincoln, IL