I was the Baptist preacher for a small, country church when I was in college. The church also had a Presbyterian preacher. Two Sundays a month, they were Baptist. The other two Sundays, they were Presbyterian. On fifth Sundays, they stayed home. 

This church was known for having the neatest, tidiest, most well-cared-for cemetery in that part of Texas. I spent some time one day capturing photos of the church building and grounds. 

An old gentleman happened to be working in the graveyard that day. It was summertime and yet he was covered from head to toe to protect against the sun. He wore a broad-brimmed hat, gloves, long-sleeve shirt, overalls, and boots. You cannot see one spot of skin in the photo. All you can see are the angles of the tilt of his head, his hands and arms working the hoe with precision in eradicating unwelcome weeds.

It really is a pretty cemetery.

In the story today’s text comes from, there is a debate about whether there is any such thing as the resurrection of the dead. One group of religious leaders said Yes. The other said No. A test case was presented to Jesus. He pointed out the flaw in their thinking. God is. He is the Eternally-Present One. We are. We are here for a while and then we return to the dust. 

As Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” When we die, we do not disappear forever. We are alive with God or apart from him. 

No doubt the debate raged on after Jesus spoke the truth. A few days later, come Sunday morning just after dawn, Pharisees and Sadducees would discover that what Jesus said was true. Resurrection happens. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). 

Our Father in heaven is not carefully tending a cemetery. He is not the master crypt keeper. He is the giver of life. He offers each of us an eternal kind of life. We will be with him forever in all his loving goodness or apart from him stripped of anything considered good away from him. Join Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus by receiving God’s good gift today.