27 Then some
of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and
asked Him, 28 saying:
“Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife,
and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring
for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers.
And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the
second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the
third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children,
and died. 32 Last of
all the woman died also. 33 Therefore,
in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as
wife.” 34 Jesus
answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry
and are given in marriage. 35 But
those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the
dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor
can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being
sons of the resurrection. 37 But
even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are
raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob.’ 38 For
He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Commentary
Vs. 27-33 27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”
Having silenced those sent from the chief priests to entrap Him in His Words, Jesus now must face some from the party of the Sadducees; that is those wealthy and powerful religious Jews who had control of the Temple, it’s priesthood, and its affairs. Now these claimed this right and privilege through ascendancy, that is, that they were the decedents of Zadok, the high priest of the first Temple during King David’s reign. However, it must be stated during the time of Christ not all priests who served in the Temple were Sadducees, just those who ruled it, and oversaw its affairs. As well unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees denied that there was a resurrection of the dead, (that there is eternal rewards and punishments, and so for them everything was here and now). They even denied angelic beings, including the Angel of the Lord. For they only held to the first five Books in the Bible (what Jews call the Torah) as being the Authoritative Word of God, for which they applied its judgments harshly and without mercy through the Sanhedrin council. Now because the Sadducees were in control of the Temple and its affairs their influence and power was basically located there in Jerusalem (the center of Jewish life and religion) as well as the surrounding area of Judea. Outside of that region it was the Pharisees (and their scribes) who had the respect of the people, (for many rightly believed that the Sadducees were corrupt, and had corrupted the priesthood), and though Rome was generally hands off when it came to the Jews religious affairs, the Sadducees at times “Hellenistic” views of life would’ve aligned them with a Romans view of life, which maybe why in “Herod’s Temple” they were the rulers of it. Anyway, that’s a lot of information to digest and we don’t want you to lose sight of God’s Word and what now transpires between Jesus and the Sadducees who came to Him, who were seeking to publicly undermine Him with a seemingly unanswerable question.
And so, the Sadducees who denied that there is a resurrection of the dead, now come to Jesus with a loaded question about the resurrection of the dead, in order to make a public spectacle of Him. Therefore they begin by recalling to Jesus what Moses wrote in the Law of God that a brother is to do if his own brother being married (and sharing the same household) dies without leaving any offspring to carry on his name, saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.” vs. 28 Which is a precept given in Deut. 25:5 that requires an unmarried brother to take is deceased brothers widow and marry her and raise up upspring to preserve his brother’s name. Therefore, having reminded Jesus of that passage in the Law they now present their case to Him, saying: 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.” Vs. 29-32
First thing to note is that they choose seven brothers for their hypothetical case, seven being a perfect number. Next thing to note is that each of the seven brothers all followed the Law and did what was required of them in taking the widower as their own wife. However, the catch in all of this is that when all the brothers die childless, and the widower herself likewise dies, they now ask Jesus in the resurrection whose wife will she be, because all seven had her. And so clearly, they have reasoned this out so as to make the resurrection of the dead incompatible with the Law of God, for by their reasoning all seven then would be her husband in the resurrection of the dead, which would only make them all adulterers in the resurrection of dead, something that is completely incompatible with it!
Vs. 34-38 34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Now in answering them, Jesus first points out that their basic debased mind premise is flawed, saying, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Therefore, in the resurrection of the dead men and woman no longer marry, nor are the earthly marriage bounds anymore applied, for their will be but One Marriage there, the Lamb of God with His bride! For Jesus also tells them that in the resurrection of the dead people no longer die, thus such a precept is no longer warranted or needed. As well in the resurrection of the dead men and woman are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection, thus it is there that we bear our eternal bodies being permenetly separated from sinful flesh. Finally, then in defense of the resurrection of the dead Jesus now cites to them undeniable proof of it from the Law of God by saying to them, “But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Therefore, when Moses called the Lord, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, he was doing so in the context of their being alive with Him at home in heaven. For as Jesus says, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him. Which is the whole point of Jesus Christ’s Coming so that everyone who believes in Him will be granted eternal life forever with Him and God the Father in heaven!
Scripture Quotations
Commentary
Vs. 27-33 27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”
Having silenced those sent from the chief priests to entrap Him in His Words, Jesus now must face some from the party of the Sadducees; that is those wealthy and powerful religious Jews who had control of the Temple, it’s priesthood, and its affairs. Now these claimed this right and privilege through ascendancy, that is, that they were the decedents of Zadok, the high priest of the first Temple during King David’s reign. However, it must be stated during the time of Christ not all priests who served in the Temple were Sadducees, just those who ruled it, and oversaw its affairs. As well unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees denied that there was a resurrection of the dead, (that there is eternal rewards and punishments, and so for them everything was here and now). They even denied angelic beings, including the Angel of the Lord. For they only held to the first five Books in the Bible (what Jews call the Torah) as being the Authoritative Word of God, for which they applied its judgments harshly and without mercy through the Sanhedrin council. Now because the Sadducees were in control of the Temple and its affairs their influence and power was basically located there in Jerusalem (the center of Jewish life and religion) as well as the surrounding area of Judea. Outside of that region it was the Pharisees (and their scribes) who had the respect of the people, (for many rightly believed that the Sadducees were corrupt, and had corrupted the priesthood), and though Rome was generally hands off when it came to the Jews religious affairs, the Sadducees at times “Hellenistic” views of life would’ve aligned them with a Romans view of life, which maybe why in “Herod’s Temple” they were the rulers of it. Anyway, that’s a lot of information to digest and we don’t want you to lose sight of God’s Word and what now transpires between Jesus and the Sadducees who came to Him, who were seeking to publicly undermine Him with a seemingly unanswerable question.
And so, the Sadducees who denied that there is a resurrection of the dead, now come to Jesus with a loaded question about the resurrection of the dead, in order to make a public spectacle of Him. Therefore they begin by recalling to Jesus what Moses wrote in the Law of God that a brother is to do if his own brother being married (and sharing the same household) dies without leaving any offspring to carry on his name, saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.” vs. 28 Which is a precept given in Deut. 25:5 that requires an unmarried brother to take is deceased brothers widow and marry her and raise up upspring to preserve his brother’s name. Therefore, having reminded Jesus of that passage in the Law they now present their case to Him, saying: 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.” Vs. 29-32
First thing to note is that they choose seven brothers for their hypothetical case, seven being a perfect number. Next thing to note is that each of the seven brothers all followed the Law and did what was required of them in taking the widower as their own wife. However, the catch in all of this is that when all the brothers die childless, and the widower herself likewise dies, they now ask Jesus in the resurrection whose wife will she be, because all seven had her. And so clearly, they have reasoned this out so as to make the resurrection of the dead incompatible with the Law of God, for by their reasoning all seven then would be her husband in the resurrection of the dead, which would only make them all adulterers in the resurrection of dead, something that is completely incompatible with it!
Vs. 34-38 34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Now in answering them, Jesus first points out that their basic debased mind premise is flawed, saying, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Therefore, in the resurrection of the dead men and woman no longer marry, nor are the earthly marriage bounds anymore applied, for their will be but One Marriage there, the Lamb of God with His bride! For Jesus also tells them that in the resurrection of the dead people no longer die, thus such a precept is no longer warranted or needed. As well in the resurrection of the dead men and woman are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection, thus it is there that we bear our eternal bodies being permenetly separated from sinful flesh. Finally, then in defense of the resurrection of the dead Jesus now cites to them undeniable proof of it from the Law of God by saying to them, “But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Therefore, when Moses called the Lord, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, he was doing so in the context of their being alive with Him at home in heaven. For as Jesus says, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him. Which is the whole point of Jesus Christ’s Coming so that everyone who believes in Him will be granted eternal life forever with Him and God the Father in heaven!
Scripture Quotations
New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson
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