For All Live to Him

In Luke 20:28, Jesus says "Now He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."

I read through this verse several times as I began to ponder my sermon for November 10, where this verse from Luke 20 is part of the Gospel pericope.  I had initially seen this verse in the NIV which translates the last phrase like this "for to him all are alive".  This struck me with one of those eyes wide open moments.  From God's perspective, all are alive!  Jesus says this in the context of God's Words to Moses at the burning bush (see Exodus 3) where God is called "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."  Even though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were long dead (400+ years) in Moses' time, God was still their God for they were alive to Him at that very moment.

As I think about this realization in hindsight it may be one of those things where I think "well, I guess I've always known that."  You know, its kinda like Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi when Luke reveals the truth of their brother/sister relation and she thinks about it and says "somehow, I've always known."  But it was one of those things that just never hit the front burner where the mind actively thinks "wait a minute, that's really true!"   From God's perspective, all are alive to him.  All of those who are dead and long gone to us from our earthly perspective, still live from God's perspective.  Their souls rest with the Lord in heaven, very much alive to Him.  This is comforting when we think of those loved ones who are missing from all around us in this life.  When we've gone through loss like that it is common to feel a part of us is now missing.  We're not the same person without them.  And yet, they're not really gone.  At least not for eternity.  We must anxiously await that blessed reunion that is to come which is God's gift to us by grace through faith.