Today's Gospel Lesson is one that is troubling if you care about fairness. By that, I mean, would you deliberately try to fool someone just to see if you could get that person in trouble? I am not talking about getting a brother or sister in trouble, because that is almost part of growing up. I mean really getting someone in hot water. Would you do that?

Our reading presents us with the Sadducees posing a hypothetical case intended to make the resurrection appear foolish. We must keep in mind that the Sadducees were the aristocratic party among the Jews. They were not as numerous as the Pharisees, but they held the highest offices. They did not believe in the afterlife and lived their lives for this world and this world alone.

To put this reading in context, it is important to remember t…