Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to him, 28 saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’ 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. 30 Then the second 31 and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” 34 Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. 'Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” 37 That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; 38 and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” 39 Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” 40 And they no longer dared to ask him anything.
Jesus was still teaching in the Temple during His final week in Jerusalem (Luke 20:1) when some of the Sadducees, who were temple priests, questioned Him about the resurrection. The Sadducees were a Jewish sect primarily associated with the priestly class and the Temple. They accepted only the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) as authoritative and rejected doctrines not explicitly found in it, such as belief in angels, spirits, or the resurrection (Acts 23:8). The Pharisees, in contrast, acknowledged all three, creating significant theological divisions between the groups.
The Sadducees base their question on the Levirate marriage law found in Deuteronomy 25:5-6, which ensured the continuation of a family line through a child born to a deceased brother's wife. Using this law, they constructed a reductio ad absurdum argument against the resurrection. This rhetorical strategy attempts to disprove a concept by pushing it to a logically absurd conclusion. They suggested that in the resurrection, a woman who had married seven brothers in succession would simultaneously be the wife of all of them. This exaggerated scenario was designed to ridicule the notion of resurrection by making it seem nonsensical. However, their argument misunderstood the concept of resurrection life, and Jesus refuted their premise by revealing that resurrected life operates under entirely different principles from earthly life.
In the present earthly existence, marriage serves purposes such as procreation and mutual support. However, in the resurrection, the conditions of life will be transformed. Resurrected individuals "can no longer die" and are "like angels," emphasizing immortality and spiritual existence rather than physical continuity (cf. 1 Cor. 15:42-49). Jesus highlights that resurrected life is centered on perfect communion with God, rendering earthly institutions like marriage unnecessary.
The Scribes agreed with Jesus who drew from Exodus 3:6 where God said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Jesus' argument hinges on the present tense of "I am," implying that the patriarchs are alive to God.
If God is the God of the living, then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still exist in some sense, affirming belief in life after death and, by extension, the resurrection. By referencing the Torah—the only Scripture the Sadducees accepted—Jesus demonstrates that even the Mosaic Law supports the truth of the resurrection. God, as the sustainer of life, preserves His covenantal relationship with His people beyond the grave, for to Him, all are alive.
The scribes, often aligned with the Pharisees, approve of Jesus’ answer because it aligns with their own belief in the resurrection, which opposed the Sadducees' position. This exchange not only silenced Jesus' opponents but also reaffirmed His authority as a teacher and the hope of eternal life promised by God.
Almighty God, You are the God of the living, who brings life from death and calls us into eternal communion with You. Strengthen our faith in the resurrection and open our hearts to the hope of the life to come. May we live as Your children, trusting in Your promises and rejoicing in the glory You have prepared for us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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