Mark 12: The Faith Confession of the Markan Editor Embedded in the God of the Living

Chapter 12: The Faith Confession of the Markan Editor Embedded in the God of the Living

24 Jesus said to them, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?

27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"

What is the relationship between the resurrection and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? New Testament scholars consider verses 25 and earlier to be common material in the Gospels, while verses 26-27 are seen as additions by Mark. Therefore, this question reflects Mark's intent. Why did Mark connect the resurrection with the incontestable Jewish confession of faith, namely the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

In verse 27, Mark reveals his view that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of the living. Why is this coherence possible?

The God of the living transcends biological death because not only is there Abraham but also his brothers, not only Isaac but also Ishmael, and not only Jacob but also Esau. The Bible does not exclude the dead from God's care.

The God of the living is not confined to the Jewish realm of faith because the Bible includes God's care for Ishmael. God saved Ishmael and his mother Hagar from death. Ishmael and Esau belong to the line of Cain according to Jewish confessional tradition—and likewise in our own theological reflections—with God having given Cain a mark so that he would not die. Therefore, limiting the resurrection to those in the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is to misunderstand the broader biblical context.

Let us understand the God of the living as the unchanging will of God that continues from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let's not reduce Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to mere lineage. Like Mark, let's understand it as the omnipotence of God's hand that raises all the dead. The Apostle Paul connected the event of Israel crossing the Red Sea with baptism, implying a death and subsequent resurrection. Let's interpret the God of the living, added by the Markan editor, as the Adam-Christ typology. Thus, let's expand the boundary between the dead and the living to encompass all humanity. The God of the living is understood through His faithfulness that continues from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and even to today. As confessed in the Gospel of John, God loves the world (all of creation). Therefore, resurrection is essential for humanity. The Markan editor concludes the resurrection debate between Jesus and the Sadducees by adding his own faith confession (testimony).