Jesus points out that God's declaration as the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" isn't just a statement of history, but a profound clue. By referring to Himself in the present tense as their God, even after their earthly lives ended, God implies that these patriarchs are still living to Him, thus revealing the resurrection.
But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is responding to a trick question from the Sadducees, who don't believe in the resurrection, about who a woman would be married to in the afterlife if she had seven husbands. Jesus turns their own argument back on them by citing Moses, showing that even in the Old Testament, God is presented as the God of the living, implying a future resurrection. He uses this passage to demonstrate that the resurrection is a core truth, not just a later teaching.
The Sadducees tried to trip Jesus up with a tricky question about the resurrection. Jesus turned their own argument on its head, pointing to an ancient text for His answer. But what does it really mean for God to be the 'God of the living'?
Jesus faces the Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in the resurrection or the afterlife. They challenge Him with a hypothetical scenario based on the Law of Moses about a woman marrying seven brothers. Their goal? To prove the resurrection is impossible and absurd.
Jesus' response is brilliant. He doesn't get bogged down in their hypothetical. Instead, He goes straight to the heart of the matter by quoting Exodus 3:6: 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
His argument is simple but profound:
Ask a follow-up
The Sadducees thought they had Jesus cornered using Moses. But Jesus expertly used the same Moses to reveal a truth the Sadducees missed: the resurrection itself!
It's fascinating that Jesus chooses Moses, the very authority the Sadducees appealed to, as the witness for the resurrection. They likely saw Moses primarily as the lawgiver, establishing earthly rules and ordinances. They didn't expect him to be a prophet of future life beyond death.
Jesus reveals that Moses, through the encounter at the burning bush, was actually hinting at something far grander than just an earthly covenant.
Understand the original words
nekros · Greek Adjective
The state of being no longer alive; biblically, it often refers to those separated from God's presence, yet Jesus clarifies that God’s covenantal relationship persists beyond physical death.
theos · Greek Noun
The Supreme Being, Creator, and Ruler of the universe. In biblical theology, He is the covenant-making God who revealed Himself to the patriarchs as the Living God.
The Sadducees tried to use Moses's writings against Jesus, but Jesus brilliantly turned their own argument back on them, using a foundational moment in Israel's history—the burning bush—to prove the resurrection.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Moses encounters the burning bush
During this pivotal encounter, God reveals Himself to Moses and commissions him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God speaks the words, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
c. 5th century BC
The Sadducees emerge as a sect
This Jewish religious sect arose, characterized by their rejection of oral tradition and their strict adherence to the written Torah. A key tenet of their belief was the denial of the resurrection and the existence of angels.
c. 1st century AD
Jesus debates the Sadducees
In the temple courts, Jesus is challenged by the Sadducees with a hypothetical scenario designed to disprove the resurrection, based on the Mosaic law of levirate marriage.
c. 1st century AD
Jesus's response on the resurrection
Jesus refutes the Sadducees' argument by appealing to the authority of Moses himself, drawing from the encounter at the burning bush to demonstrate that God is the God of the living, thus implying the resurrection.
This is the foundational passage Jesus himself cites, showing God's eternal covenantal relationship that extends beyond death.
Matthew 22:32Matthew's parallel account of this encounter directly quotes Jesus' argument, reinforcing its significance in proving the resurrection from the Old Testament.
Hebrews 11:16This passage reflects on the faith of the patriarchs, highlighting their hope in a heavenly, eternal reality and God's preparation of a city for them, underscoring the idea of God as a God of the living.
Romans 4:16-17Paul echoes the theme of God as the life-giver to the dead when discussing Abraham's faith, showing how God's promises require a resurrection to be fulfilled.
vincentLuke 20:37: "Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Shewed (ἐμήνυσεν)Originally to disclose something secret. Hence, generally, to make known.At the bush (ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου)Wrong. Render as Rev., in the place concerning the bush. See on Mark 12:26.
bengelLuke 20:37: "Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Luke 20:37 . Καὶ Μωσῆς ) Not merely the rest of the prophets, but even Moses .— λέγει , calleth ) In writing out the words of God, speaking concerning Himself.
Jesus points out that God's declaration as the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" isn't just a statement of history, but a profound clue. By referring to Himself in the present tense as their God, even after their earthly lives ended, God implies that these patriarchs are still living to Him, thus revealing the resurrection.
Jesus is responding to a trick question from the Sadducees, who don't believe in the resurrection, about who a woman would be married to in the afterlife if she had seven husbands. Jesus turns their own argument back on them by citing Moses, showing that even in the Old Testament, God is presented as the God of the living, implying a future resurrection. He uses this passage to demonstrate that the resurrection is a core truth, not just a later teaching.
Jesus is responding to a trick question from the Sadducees, who don't believe in the resurrection, about who a woman would be married to in the afterlife if she had seven husbands. Jesus turns their own argument back on them by citing Moses, showing that even in the Old Testament, God is presented as the God of the living, implying a future resurrection. He uses this passage to demonstrate that the resurrection is a core truth, not just a later teaching.
"But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”" — Jesus points out that God's declaration as the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" isn't just a statement of history, but a profound clue. By referring to Himself in the present tense as their God,…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
