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.”
39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore. Luke 20: 27-40 NKJV
Luke 20: 27-40 Sad You See
Stevenson on Sadducees - The next question coming to Jesus also follows this theme of authority. In this case, it is a question of the authority of RATIONALISM. The rationalists of that day were known as the Sadducees. The Sadducees were made up of the aristocracy. They were the advocates of Hellenization. They held the Law of Moses in high regard, but did not hold that the rest of the Scriptures were inspired. They did not believe in angels or miracles. They were not looking for any future Messiah and they rejected any notion of a future bodily resurrection. They tended to represent the upper class, the royalty and the priesthood. They were the philosophically sophisticated. Have you ever noticed that when people achieve a certain social strata, they often stop believing in certain things? Politicians are like that. And so were the Sadducees. They did not believe in the supernatural. They did not believe in miracles. And Jesus had the effrontery to have performed miracles.
The Sadducees were the poster child for modern rationalists - A rationalist is someone who emphasizes observable facts and excludes metaphysical speculation about origins or ultimate causes. It is the reliance on one's own reason as the basis for establishment of religious truth. We all know rationalists or have heard of them (Plato, Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, etc). Rationalism is the view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification."
Leon Morris summarizes the Sadducees - They were the conservative, aristocratic, high-priestly party, worldly minded and very ready to cooperate with the Romans, which, of course, enabled them to maintain their privileged position. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary ) - Precept Austin
Who deny that there is a resurrection - So one group that didn't even like Rome or want to pay taxes tried to catch Jesus on a question about paying taxes. Now we have another group that doesn't believe in the resurrection trying to stump Jesus and make a dig at their Pharisee counterparts by asking a question which pulls from the Mosaic law on marriage and widows. The Sadducees held the Mosaic books in a high place, the Pentateuch, which are the first five books of the Old Testament. This becomes key, because the Scriptures make clear reference to the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees don't believe in it, or miracles, and they think this places them on some higher intellectual plane. They are certain that neither Jesus nor anyone else can make a case for the resurrection from Genesis to Deuteronomy, and they ignore all else as uninspired, yet here is this Jesus who has had the audacity to raise people from the dead. Job is one of the oldest books ever recorded, but it is not in the Pentateuch and does not help their world view, so they don't consider it, but here are some selections from the OT which I believe to be of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
…25But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth. 26Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. 27I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!… Job 19: 25-27
…9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely. 10For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. 11You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.… Psalm 16: 9-11
…18We were with child; we writhed in pain; but we gave birth to wind. We have given no salvation to the earth, nor brought any life into the world. 19Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead. 20Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed.… Isaiah 26: 18-20
1“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.… Daniel 12: 1-3
…12Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13But as for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” Daniel 12: 12-13
V. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also - Hypothetical or a case they actually knew of, we don't know for sure, but if it was a true story I would be more concerned about this woman who is clearly a black widow. She goes through seven men before she dies and the question of the men who don't believe in the resurrection is, "whose wife will she be in the resurrection?" Now put yourself here in their shoes, and in the shoes of their listeners, which includes the Son of God, Himself, and realize that these men think what they are saying is profound, some really deep stuff here.
5When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her. 6 The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. 7But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”…
…8Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,” 9his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.” 10And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”… Deuteronomy 25: 5-10
V. 34 The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage - Marriage is an institution created by God wherein a man is joined to a woman and they produce offspring. It is the cornerstone, building block of all societies. This is the union that brings forth life, and then raises that life up in the nurture and admonishment of the Lord, and this is original intent and design. It is in and for this time, not in the time to come, the time after the resurrection, and Jesus will clarify this even more.
…30For we are members of His body. 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.… Ephesians 5: 30-32
…3Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them. 4 Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”… Hebrews 13: 3-5
And Jesus said to them - Jesus begins by pointing out that life in the resurrection is substantially different from life in this age (life on earth as we know it). Life in the age of the resurrection is not just a continuation of life in this world but is a completely different "order of magnitude". However before He describes this obvious difference in this age and that age, He prefaces His explanation with a pithy barb found only in the parallel account in Mark 12:24+....
Jesus said to them (SADDUCEES), “Is this not the reason you are (present tense = continually) mistaken (planao - led astray, misled, deluded, deceived), that (1) you do not understand the Scriptures or (2) the power (dunamis = inherent ability to accomplish) of God?
Wuest comments - "Is it not (ou) for this cause that you err, namely, that you do not know the scriptures nor even the power of God?" The Greek negative ou (Is it not for this cause) when used with a question, expects an affirmative answer. This form of question is stronger than a formal direct statement would be (Like the NLT paraphrase = "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God"). The word “that” points to the cause of their ignorance which was two-fold, both inexcusable in members of the priesthood, which most of these Sadducees probably were, (1) ignorance of the Old Testament and (2) ignorance of the power of God. Swete says: “The Sadducees (and the Pharisees also, so far as they connected marriage and the propagation of the race with the future life), showed themselves incapable of conceiving a power which could produce an entirely different order from any within their experience. They assumed either that God could not raise the dead, or that He could raise them only to a life which would be a counterpart of the present, or even more replete with material pleasures.” (Wuest Word Studies - Eerdman Publishing Company Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 - used by permission -- or Borrow Mark in the Greek New Testament for the English reader )
Steven Cole - Jesus shows us that the source of sound doctrine is not human reason, but Scripture properly interpreted. Both the Sadducees and Jesus held to the authority of Scripture. They begin by quoting Moses and Jesus answers them by quoting Moses. But these men gave undue emphasis to human reason, which led them to disregard certain Scriptures; and they underestimated the power of God to raise the dead and give them a whole different existence in heaven. Mk 12:24 quotes Jesus, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures, or the power of God?” - Precept Austin
V. 35 Neither marry nor are given in marriage - Please point this out to your Mormon and Muslim friends, the after life is not the same as this life. Marriage was given for reproduction and raising of Godly offspring in this age. You are not going to inherit your own planet where you have your harem and populate the place. Committing terrorist acts against God's creation here will not gain you 100 virgins in the next life. Those that speak of such things differ from Christ, and do err according to Scripture, and ultimately speak of another Christ as so many cults do. God viewed marriage as a sacred thing and used the comparison of that institution to His relationship with His church.
V. 36 Nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels - Angels don't reproduce so they don't marry, and our lives now will be different than the next life.
…5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years. 7When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,… Revelation 20: 5-7
1Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.… 1 John 3: 1-3
They are like angels - Angels do not die, but live forever. Notice the term of comparison (like) which indicates resemblance but not identity and in the present context refers specifically to the fact that they will not die and cannot propagate. Now think for a moment to whom is Jesus making this declaration about angels? The Sadducees, the anti-supernaturalists, the ones who do not believe in angels! Carson adds that "In fact, Jesus’ use of angels contains a double thrust since the Sadducees denied their existence.” - Precept Austin
V. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage - Here it is, and Jesus is well aware of their stance on Scriptures, that they only respect the books of Moses, so here comes an exegesis by Jesus. Even Moses, their little ears perk up at this. Showed in the burning bush passage, Exodus 3, a passage they would be all too familiar with.
…2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. 3So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?” 4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.…
…5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3: 2-6
When he called the Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob - They are a testament of those who can read a passage a hundred times and not fully comprehend it, but not only that, they can't see what they don't want to see anyway. The Sadducees had already decided what they believed, and so when they approach the Scriptures it's like Tootsie Roll Theology, where, "whatever it is I think I see becomes a tootsie roll to me." You can't see what you think is impossible to be there, you will always take it and try to fit it inside the template of what you want to be true. They were in their minds these deep intellectuals who were too smart to believe in anything they can't see, though if a man holds his breath he will quickly become convinced of the air he cannot see because the result, the influence of it will become apparent. Jesus is rather kindly confronting their ignorance within the passages that they already know and accept. We should be so patient.
He is not the God of the dead but of the living - Moses referred to the patriarchs in the present tense. They are with David and Job, and God is their God still. People say often that religion is a crutch for those terrified of death, but atheism was a crutch for me because I didn't want to face a Holy God. If I thought the world too hard or boring I could ever so easily step off a high mountain and end it. I wanted to believe like the Sadducees in a way, that this life is all there is, so take what you can from it. It was a crutch as well for me when it came to right and wrong, because I didn't want to live as God said, and I didn't want to repent of things He called wrong. If there is no God then there is no absolute moral bar, and if there is no resurrection, even if there is a God, then there is no judgment, and this was the Sadducees want.
Where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB - How does this passage support the doctrine of the resurrection? Note that God identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the passage IN Exodus 3:6 God says "I am the God of...Abraham..." where "I am" is the famous "ego eimi" in the Septuagint. The verb eimi is present tense active voice indicative mood which signifies God is continually the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He does not say "I was" (past tense) their God. Here is the point -- If God IS (continually) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then it stands to reason that they must still be alive. And if they are alive, then there is life after death and the doctrine of the resurrection is true based on THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURE. (See also excellent note by Hiebert on Mark's parallel).
Steven Cole explains the logic of Jesus quoting a passage that speaks of the three patriarchs - These men had all been dead for centuries when God said that to Moses. It would be ridiculous for God to say that He is the God of men who ceased to exist at death! If the patriarchs had died and ceased to exist, then God’s promises to them would be null and void. But, as Jesus explains, God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Lk 20:38) Those who have died in faith are actually living with God, awaiting the day when they will receive their resurrection bodies.
Bock adds "In other words, God is the God of promise and covenant (as the use of this verse in Acts 3:13 will also make clear). In the next verse Jesus will make the point that God is the God to the living, not the dead. This implies resurrection, since if the patriarchs are dead, then the God of promise cannot be their God (see the additional note). The point is that the patriarchs are not dead—and neither are God’s promises to them. For the promises to the patriarchs to come to pass and for God to still be their God, resurrection must be a reality." (Ibid)
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