The notion of meriting the
resurrection through one’s ethical behavior requires no special thesis of
Gnostic origins. The tradition of Prov 10:2 makes this clear. The resurrection
could be attained through acts of charity. Hints of celibacy in Luke 20:34–35
are no objection to this (on the contrary!) and may be freely acknowledged,
since forfeiting one’s money through charity consistently contextualizes Luke’s
own interest in forfeiting marriage, as both Hans-Josef Klauck and Christopher
Hays have shown. For Luke, the eschatological ethics of money and marriage
belong together in a single, coherent ascetical paradigm of self-denial (e.g.
Luke 9:57–62; 14:25–35; 17:20–35; 18:18–30; 20:20–40).
In the context of Luke 20:27–40, of course, the connection to
wealth is neither obvious nor direct. Klauck thus sees Luke 20:34–36 as the one
exception to Luke’s otherwise regular conjunction of “Ehelosigkeit und
Armut.”
This exclusive judgment is too hasty, however, and unaware of the
significant tradition linking charity and the resurrection. Based on his
broader pattern, Luke’s continued sensitivity to the charity motif appears
likely and can be shown to operate on at least two inter-textual levels.
(1) First, the Lukan addition of καταξιωθέντες directly echoes the
Gospel’s paradigmatic text on the practice of charity. The Baptist’s call for
the fruits “worthy” of repentance meant specifically works of mercy: clothing
the naked and feeding the hungry (Luke 3:10–14). Luke adopted this ἀξιός
language from the Double Tradition (cf. Matt 3:8), but his interpretation of
the call to “worthiness” through almsgiving is his own. The theme is reinforced
in the specific Lukan form of the story of the centurion, who is accounted “worthy”
for his loving generosity towards the people (Luke 7:4) – despite his humble
protests to the contrary (οὐ γὰρ ἱκανός εἰμι; ὀυδὲ ἑματὸν ἠξίωσα, 7:6–7).46 Although
the ἀξιός word family also still carries a broader sense for Luke (cf. 10:7;
12:48), this contextualized meaning in application to good works is prominent
and clear.
(2) A second, subtler point is that Luke’s re-tuning of Mark’s Sadduzäerfrage
reinforces the view already explored in the charity text of Luke 10:25–28,
which will reappear in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (16:29–31). Specifically,
as in his exchange about “eternal life” (ζωὴν ἀιώνιον) with the lawyer,
Luke here once more reframes his Markan source to suggest that the issue is not
a matter of reading the scriptures more accurately – but rather simply behaving
as the scriptures so clearly prescribe. Thus, in Mark 12:18–27 an
adversarial, academic tone predominates as Jesus attacks his questioners’
exegetical acumen (οὐ διὰ τοῦτο πλανᾶσθε μὴ εἰδότες τὰς γραφάς, Mark 12:24).
The climax in Mark comes with Jesus’ triumphal drawing of an appropriate
resurrection proof-text from within the Pentateuch (Mark 12:26–27). Luke, by
contrast, goes another direction altogether and omits Mark’s charge about
misunderstanding the scriptures. Jesus even gives an answer that some of the
scribes can accept (τινες τῶν γραμματέων εἶπαν, διδάσαλκε, καλῶς εἶπας, Luke
20:39; cf. Mark 12:27). Luke’s construal of Jesus’ interaction with the
Sadducees effectively erases Mark’s vision of agonistic exegesis and opens
space for another focus. Namely, Luke “introduces into the Marcan rendition of
Jesus’ words a moral tone.” In Luke 20:27–40, Luke is interested in a question
of orthopraxis quite as much as orthodoxy; and in employing the phrase “worthy
of the resurrection” Jesus hints that a share in the age to come is not to
be blithely presumed upon as one’s inevitable inheritance as children of
Abraham (cf. 3:8). The question of eternal life is addressed explicitly three
times in three different ways in the Gospel. The response in each case is
consistent. As in the Good Samaritan and the story of the Rich Ruler, so by
implication in 20:35, the way to “eternal life” in Luke requires a
determined course of self-denial and charitable action – as patently demanded
by the scriptures. (Anthony Giambrone, Sacramental Charity, Creditor
Christology, and the Economy of Salvation in Luke's Gospel
[Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe 439; Tübingen:
Mohr Siebeck, 2017], 220-22)
