The revolt of the Maccabees against the Greek overlords of Judea in the second century BC changed all of that. Antioches Epiphanes attempted a “cultural revolution” — the destruction of Jewish customs and religion and their replacement with Greek culture. Their world seemed to be turned upside down. Those who were faithful to God and the Law were being slaughtered and persecuted, while those who faithlessly embraced the new cultural order were thriving. This provoked a crisis of faith. Was God trustworthy and faithful? Did the covenant mean anything? They were challenged to think “outside the box.” The answer: God is definitely reliable. God will raise the dead for a final judgment. Those who have been faithful will be rewarded, while those who have turned their backs on their people and the covenant will be punished.

In this story and its contemporary the Book of Daniel we have the first appearance of the belief in the resurrection of the dead. It answers an age-old question: why does life seem so unfair at times? Why do the good suffer and the wicked seem to have such an easy time? Inspirational writings such as the Book of Maccabees are basically lives of the martyrs. There is an element of pious fiction in them because they are meant to edify and encourage rather than to report straight historical facts. The message is clear: stand fast, be faithful, God will not abandon you. The drama is not over yet — the most interesting portions are still to come. Learn to think beyond the immediate situation and see the big picture. This is good advice for any age but especially our own. The loss of hope can be devastating and many have wondered if being a person of faith in our time has any meaning or significance. The author of Maccabees would answer with a ringing affirmation of the moral and spiritual nature of human life. The life we choose matters not only to ourselves and others but to God.

The unknown author of 2 Thessalonians would agree wholeheartedly. His prayer was that amidst struggle and persecution, God would give comfort, hope, strength and grace to continue doing what was right. Resistance, opposition and outside pressures can be deadly things for our faith for they provoke moments of doubt and weakness. The letter was adamant: the Lord is faithful and with you at all times. Be strong and steadfast in your faith.

Not everyone bought into the idea of the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees were not on board — they rejected the resurrection and looked upon it as a human innovation without scriptural basis. Then as now there are those who find it difficult if not impossible to think in new ways. A group of the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with an impossible hypothetical problem. A woman was married consecutively to seven brothers — all within the Law — and then she died. At the resurrection, whose wife will she be? On the surface, one is faced with an impossible situation that would render belief in the resurrection ludicrous. Jesus challenged them to think in transcendental terms rather than familiar and comfortable human concepts. The resurrection is not a mere resuscitation of a corpse but a transformation and exaltation to an entirely new level of existence. In the parable, Jesus explained that in the world of the spirit inaugurated by the resurrection, marriage and sexuality (along with many other things) will no longer be needed. What we will be given will far outshine anything we have left behind. Jesus hinted at this in His cryptic statement about the burning bush. God is God of the living not the dead — those whom we believe to have died are in reality the only ones who are truly alive. Life in the world to come is beyond what we can ever imagine.