November 9th ~ Remembrance Day / Aim as High as Heaven... to Make Life Better on Earth

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Job 19:23-27a

Psalm 17:1-9

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon by Pastor Joel

The Levirate marriage that is described in the gospel this morning has a long history across religion. In this tradition, as it is laid out in the Old Testament, a widow marries her husband’s brother. In part, it was meant as protection, since women could not inherit property, and widows were often left in poverty with the death of a husband. If there were no children, the first son born in the new marriage would become the heir to the first husband – thus securing the family inheritance.

There was an out: the couple could perform the Halitza ceremony, in which the widow would remove the brother’s shoe, and spit in his face before the people of their community, as a sign that he was choosing not to marry his deceased brother’s wife. But choice was gender specific: whether the marriage went ahead was determined by the brother and not the widow. 

So that is the context for the scenario that is brought before Jesus – a riddle from skeptics to get him to clarify how the resurrection works. Jesus is presented with an unlikely scenario: a woman loses her husband, and by tradition, the dead man’s brother agrees to marry her. He dies, and his living brother does the same. It happens seven times. The question put to Jesus is this: in heaven who is the woman’s husband?

Now, when I first read this gospel, believe me, it was not lost on me how sexist this story is – that a widow would be passed from brother to brother by marriage. But we also have to add the historical framework – that in that time, without the support of a male family member, a widow would be cast off, without social and financial support. But how far have we truly come? In patriarchal parts of the world, where women have no property rights, it is still practiced. And even here in Canada, we tend to forget how recently our own laws changed. Until the late1960s – that is, about 60 years ago – women who wanted to divorce their husbands had to meet a high bar of proof – abuse or rape, for instance – and even if it was accepted, there was no guarantee that they would receive a fair share of the household assets, or future support. It wasn’t until 1968, that the reasons required for divorce were made the same for men and women. And it took at least another decade, for women – the one still most likely to be at home with the kids – to have a legal guarantee of a fair share of the household wealth, and support. Even so, relationship break-ups typically result in women’s being worse off than men. Single mothers are more likely to live in poverty than any other segment of the population. So, in the sweep of history, it’s been a fairly short period of time since the law changed - even here in a progressive country. And, for many women --  widows and mothers -- , there is still inequity.

We need to remember that. 

But look at the answer Jesus gives. On first glance he appears to dodge the question.  He says: “Those who belong to this age – that is, this life -  marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of a place in that age – that is, heaven – and in the resurrection from the dead – neither marry now nor are given in marriage.” That’s a bold statement. Jesus is saying that in God’s world, people are not caught by earthly law and tradition -- they are set free to be individuals in their own right. And isn’t that a tacit rejection of the laws as they are designed on earth? 

It is subtle, to be sure: why doesn’t Jesus just come out and challenge the law itself?   I think there is a lot of evidence that Jesus was a feminist ahead of his time – but in this case the story is a riddle, one based in law but meant to challenge the idea of the resurrection. Jesus uses the question to make a different point. His response is, inherently, a statement of value for the widow in question – that in God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter what happened on earth. Those rules don’t apply. Why, he asks indirectly, should they exist on earth? 

Perhaps one of the most seemingly backward stories also has a most modern resonance.  Because what is our position as Christians—as followers of the gospel – but to try to recreate God’s vision of our own humanity on earth? If God, as Jesus says, sees everyone as individuals, valued in their own right – then it is also our job to aim for a society that does the same. We certainly aren’t there yet. We are actually living in a time that is becoming more unequal, where the gap between rich and poor around the world, and in our own cities, is growing. 

We must also remember the past to live in the present and change the future. 

This week especially, the week we remember those who sacrificed for our freedom, is a good moment to take stock. We cannot forget what came before, how recently times were different, and the struggles of so many. The men and women who fought in uniform against tyranny so that others could work in our streets and our parliaments to change the law to grant individuals value in their own right. 

We must remember this when we consider the freedom we now enjoy, because of the sacrifices and choices of those who came before us.  This freedom is not ours to claim like some personal victory.  Freedom is something for which to be thankful.  It is ours to help others experience. Freedom is the gift we need to protect.

The gospel reminds us, even in our outrage for the widow’s plight, how recently our own world was not so very different. And it reminds us, as well, to aim as high as heaven to make life better. The gospel represents a freedom beyond our understanding, to live in community and feel supported, to believe and debate and feel safe, to be ourselves and to be loved. This is the freedom that so many people throughout history have fought for and have been willing to die for.  It the freedom that Jesus stood for.  May we remember to stand firm and fight for it.   Amen