Jesus concludes by saying to the Sadducees' understanding of the resurrection: “You are greatly mistaken” (Mark 12:24.27). The catechetical texts suggest that no one before Jesus had ever proclaimed a clear teaching on the resurrection of the dead, and the implications of Jesus' answer are profound and accurate.
Jesus' words about the resurrection speak about a dimension of history commensurate with God's wisdom and power, not human knowledge and ability, and of the fact that human beings are bodies alive with God's life.
In the Old Testament, Israel rejected many mythological gods. Over a long period, it gradually transmitted a worldview derived from faith in God, with different expressions in different places. The resurrection comes from the power of God, something beyond death, and the logic of the world as we know it is insufficient. We have to ask, “What does this mean for me?”
When a human being faces death, his or her very existence becomes the great question. Meet Job, who asked the classic questions “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from and Where am I going?” in the face of his suffering. Job was a righteous man who had not committed any great sin and was wealthy and powerful.
The first test he received was about his possessions, and the second was about his existence after he became ill. Job was not shaken when he lost his house, livestock, and precious children. He praised God with each loss, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. You gave me and you have taken away; blessed be your name!” (Job 1:21).
After losing everything he owned, he became ill. Now he was faced with his existence, not his possessions. The incredible pain he feels gives him despair, and he blames his life: "Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?" (Job 3,11). His friends, who come to comfort him, tell him to ask God for forgiveness because, according to traditional teachings, suffering and misfortune are punishment for sin. But Job doesn't accept their advice and doesn't kneel down anymore, but questions God. “Why?” The pain of his illness becomes a doorway to a new relationship with God. He realized that questions about his existence could only be asked of God and that only God could answer them. "Why am I dying, and where am I going?"
God speaks out of the storm, as if he has been waiting for Job to ask these questions. “Where were you when I founded the earth?” (Job 38,4b). This means, “Where were you when I formed you, and what have you done? The wise Job understands the meaning of the question and confesses. “Now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42,5) ‘To see’ means to be in personal communion with God. The question he asked with his whole being in the face of his suffering was a call to God, the author of existence. He called, he met, he knew, and confessed that he had come out of love and was returning to it.
The Sadducees' error was that they tried to understand the Bible from their own world and language. Like Job's friends, they mistakenly thought it depended on their merit. Resurrection is an encounter with the power of the living God and the life given.
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