Some
of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless. The second took her as wife, and he died childless. The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.” Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage.
Luke 20:27-34
Luke 20 [25.] He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Luke 20 [26.] They weren’t able to trap him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer, and were silent. Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless. The second took her as wife, and he died childless. The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”
Luke 20 [34.] Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
Luke 20 [39.] Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well.” They didn’t dare to ask him any more questions.
Meaning:
In the temple, in the last days before his death, Jesus has just silenced those who tried to trap him with a question about paying taxes to Caesar (Luke 20:20-26). Now a different group comes forward: the Sadducees. Their question is meant to make belief in the resurrection look ridiculous. Jesus’ answer begins by showing that they have misunderstood what the life to come is like.
- “Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection”
The Sadducees were a priestly, aristocratic party connected with the temple and the high priest’s family. They accepted the five books of Moses as their chief authority and rejected many beliefs held by the Pharisees. Luke explains in Acts, “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these” (Acts 23:8). This is the only time the Sadducees appear in Luke’s Gospel. Mark and Matthew record the same encounter (Mark 12:18-23; Matthew 22:23-28).
- “Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless”
They appeal to the law of levirate marriage: “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife” (Deuteronomy 25:5). The purpose was “that his name not be blotted out of Israel” (Deuteronomy 25:6), and it also protected the widow, who would otherwise have no family support or inheritance.
- “There were therefore seven brothers”
The story they tell is an exaggerated puzzle, probably a well-worn argument used against the Pharisees. A woman marries seven brothers in turn, and each one dies childless. Then they ask: in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? Their point is that resurrection would create absurd situations, so it cannot be true. If Moses commanded levirate marriage, they reason, he could not have believed in a resurrection that would make such a law impossible.
- “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage.”
Jesus begins his reply by drawing a line between “this age” and the age to come. In this present age people marry, and marriage is a good gift of God. It provides companionship, family and children, and it allows each generation to continue as people die.
The Sadducees’ mistake was to imagine the resurrection life as simply this life continued. Jesus goes on to explain that those who attain to the resurrection “neither marry, nor are given in marriage. For they can’t die any more” (Luke 20:35-36). Mark records Jesus’ diagnosis plainly: “Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24). Jesus will then show from the books of Moses themselves that the dead are raised (Luke 20:37-40).
The Significance of Luke 20:27-34
- Faith in the resurrection
The hope of resurrection is not a fragile belief that clever arguments can overturn. It rests on the power of God, who gives life to the dead.
- Not limiting God
The Sadducees measured God by their own experience. We should not imagine that the life to come must fit within the limits of this age.
- Valuing marriage rightly
Marriage is a precious gift for this age. Jesus honours it, while teaching that the coming age will bring a fuller relationship with God that surpasses every earthly bond.
Cross-References:
Deuteronomy 25:5: "Her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife," The law the Sadducees quoted.
Acts 23:8: "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit;" Who the Sadducees were.
Mark 12:24: "Isn’t this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?" Mark’s account of Jesus’ reply.
Daniel 12:2: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," Old Testament hope of resurrection.
Conclusion: The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, tried to make it look absurd with the story of a woman married to seven brothers in turn. Jesus answered that marriage belongs to this age. The life of the resurrection is not a mere continuation of present life, and their puzzle rested on a misunderstanding of both Scripture and God’s power.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible