Nov. 9 | Pentecost 22, Year C
Hag. 1:15b-2:9 or Job 19:23-27a
Ps. 145:1-5, 17-21 or Ps. 98 or Ps. 17:1-9
2 Thess. 2:1-5,13-17
Luke 20:27-38
The wedding ring has a significance that outweighs its weight in gold. What is its significance?
On a practical level, a wedding ring announces to the world that I am married. Therefore, you can expect certain behavior from me and you should treat me in a different manner than if I were single. In the Church, as we read in the Book of Common Prayer, the ring is a sign of the vows by which husband and wife bind themselves to each other until they are parted by death. It reminds one spouse of the responsibility to the other. Because a circle is endless, the ring also symbolizes the call we are to love, treasure, and honor one another forever.
As material beings, we need such signs, evidence of invisible, and perhaps, not fully realized realities. Because our relationships are far from perfect, it’s helpful to be reminded of our vows, and the invisible bonds that hold us together.
Like speed-limit signs, symbols remind us of the reality even when we choose to ignore or doubt it. In every aspect of this life, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are invulnerable and above the rules, so we need symbols to draw our attention to our self-deception.
In view of all the symbolism in marriage, how are we to understand Jesus’ words to the Sadducees in today’s Gospel reading? What is the role of marriage in the life to come? More personally, will we still be married once the consummation of the kingdom has been accomplished? We will still be married, but our understanding of marriage will be transformed.
First, as Jesus says, marriage will not have the function of preserving our relationship to one another since in the resurrection our relationships will be perfect and eternal. Therefore, in the resurrected life of believers, marriage will no longer be needed to maintain their relationship.
Second, we will all be members of a perfected community that is married to our Risen Lord. That perfect relationship will overshadow all our interpersonal relationships. We will truly be one in Christ—not only with our earthly spouse, but with the entire community of risen believers.
Jesus takes the Sadducees’ disingenuous question about marriage and employs it to reveal to us the Truth about eternal life with God. While golden rings are very useful and important in this life, their present importance disappears with the end of this world.
We do not simply go somewhere after we die, but we are transformed (1 Cor. 15:35-58). Likewise, where we are going is not simply a cleaned-up version of this world, but a transformed world, populated by a transformed community. The resurrection of the dead is fundamental to Christianity because it is the hope on which our faith is founded. It is the assurance that God will remake us like himself (2 Cor. 5:17) and join us to himself. It is the hope that gives meaning to our lives—a meaning that transcends this life and, therefore, makes how we live this life eternally important. If we are to taste the reality of the resurrected life, we must live our lives for Jesus’ sake. As Jesus said elsewhere, “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). After all, Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
Look It Up: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
Think About It: To know the signs of the kingdom, we have been given the Word of God.
The Rev. Dr. Chuck Alley, former rector of St. Matthew’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, teaches anatomy at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School.
