Guy Walks into a Joke...

AM Psalm 145 • PM Psalm 104
Exod. 13:17-14.4 • 2 Cor. 4:16-5:10 • Mark 12:18-27

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him a question....

The Sadducees have got me thinking of my youth and my youth pastor when I was just a squirrelly little junior higher. If those tricky little Sadducees ever showed up in a bible story, Pastor Roger would always, always tell the same, lame joke.

It went a little something like this:

“In today’s passage Jesus is talking to the Sadducees. Remember, the Sadducees were ‘sad, you see’ because they didn't believe in life after death.”

Oh, what a groaner! Boy, did we eat that up!

It’s such a punchline that’s no good at producing actual laughter. Whatcha gonna do when you're working with kids? Roger’s joke has been an excellent mnemonic device. I never get the Sadducees mixed up with those other guys, the Pharisees, who sure as shootin’ believed in life after death.

But that’s not all!

This specific passage from Mark also reminds me of Pastor Roger’s dear wife, Jean. On a church choir trip down to Texas she told us very matter-of-factly, “Even though Jesus said there was no marriage in heaven, when we die,” and then paused and dropped her voice conspiratorially, “Roger and I are still going to live together.”

Now that's good stuff—I don't care how old you are.

And if a little shot of levity in a morning reflection is not to your taste, I do apologize. There is a lot of serious biz popping up on my screen and I have to admit I'm a bit of a Stresseducee these days. I’m stressed, you see—not because I don't believe in life after death,* but because I don't know what’s coming next. I’m very, very uncertain. Like other Stresseducees, we don’t get together and come up with tough questions for the rabbi, we just stew on things and breathe shallowly.

I do think The Rabbi’s answer to the Sadducees could be given a positive twist to a group of Stresseducees. It might go something like this:

You are right. You are uncertain. At times you need to remember that.
Get to know what the scriptures say about uncertainty.
Get to know the power of God.

I could take a deep breath and dwell on that.

Or I could just keep it light and tell more jokes.

* I do! I do! Jesus says so at the end of the passage!

Written by Troy Schremmer

Troy works with preschool age children as an enrichment teacher in music and movement. He and his wife Jonny are both safe at home with their fifteen-year-old son and a seven-year-old dog.