Thursday, December 23: Luke 20- An unpopular wondering..

   My wonderings this morning (and I call them wonderings because I am not sure if my wonderings are accurate and true or not…)

Whenever I read the discussion between Jesus and the Sadducees about heaven and whose wife the woman will be in heaven (vv 27-39), I wonder what heaven will be like. Particularly I wonder if we will know the people in heaven we have known on earth? Common belief is that we will know our families and our loved ones and it almost seems as if we will live in our families forever in heaven. Yet, verses 34-36 cause me to wonder if that is accurate? Here’s what the text says, Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.

Okay, it doesn’t say anything about knowing other people but it does imply that marriage doesn’t exist in heaven. And if there is no marriage, are there families in heaven like there are families here on earth?  I just don’t know, which is why I call this a wondering.

Where I am much more secure in my thinking, is that heaven will be such a glorious place with God so present and knowable that my earthly understandings of life will not matter.

Another thing that set me at ease is that God created us as humans to live in relationship with other humans (Adam and Eve in the garden and this was before The Fall!!!). So, somehow our relational needs will be completely and totally and perfectly fulfilled in heaven. How that will happen is God’s design and God’s decision and I am comfortable with that.

I hope my wonderings haven’t created problems for you. When I have wonderings spawned from the text like this, I rest in the understanding that God’s ways are higher and better than my ways.  I am willing to wait until I see God face-to-face to find out the answer.

Lord, I am so blessed that You, God, have revealed Yourself to me. I know I cannot fully know You this side of eternity. My mind simply cannot fathom all You know and have revealed. I am a flawed and limited human being. I trust You for my ultimate salvation and I trust You will the specifics of my future this side of eternity and forever. I love and trust You. And I will follow You no matter what You ask of me and no matter the path You want me to walk.

Lord, I am blessed, too, by the family members and friends that You have placed around me. You have always taken care of me and I know You always will.

May Your name be praised… In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment