“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Sadducees present a hypothetical marriage situation to trap Jesus, but they misunderstand the very nature of the resurrection they’re questioning. Jesus’ response will highlight that the eternal life God promises is not a mere continuation of earthly existence, but a transformation where earthly customs like marriage are no longer relevant.
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Sadducees, who reject the idea of a resurrection, confront Jesus with a hypothetical scenario based on the Levirate marriage law. They present a story of seven brothers who successively marry and die without children, asking whose wife the woman will be in the afterlife. This question is designed to expose what they see as a logical absurdity in the doctrine of the resurrection, by invoking a specific Mosaic law about family continuation.
Imagine being trapped in a theological puzzle where marriage, family, and even identity are on the line. That's the scenario the Sadducees crafted to corner Jesus.
The Sadducees, who didn't believe in a resurrection, presented Jesus with a hypothetical based on the Levirate marriage law found in Deuteronomy.
The Law's Purpose
This law required a brother to marry the widow of his deceased brother if he left no children. The goal was to ensure the deceased brother's name and lineage would continue through the offspring.
The Sadducees' Trap
They set up a convoluted scenario: a woman married seven brothers in succession due to the law, with no children born. Their question was pointed: 'In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife shall she be of the seven?' They believed this scenario made the resurrection impossible and absurd.
When faced with a seemingly impossible puzzle, Jesus didn't get bogged down in the details. Instead, He pointed to a deeper truth about God and His Word.
Jesus' response to the Sadducees' elaborate question was twofold, addressing their fundamental error:
Ignorance of the Scriptures
Jesus stated, 'You err, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God.' He wasn't just saying they didn't know facts; they misunderstood the very nature and scope of God's Word.
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The Power of God
Their error stemmed from failing to grasp God's omnipotence. They were limiting the resurrection to earthly conditions and human limitations, unable to conceive of a reality beyond physical marriage and death.
What does life after life look like? Jesus lifts the veil, showing a reality transformed by God's presence.
Jesus directly dismantled the Sadducees' assumption that resurrection life would be a mere continuation of earthly social structures, especially marriage.
No More Marriage
He declared, 'When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage.' This isn't a loss, but a change in nature. Earthly marriage, designed to perpetuate life in a mortal world, is unnecessary when life is eternal.
Like the Angels
Jesus compared resurrected beings to angels: 'but are as angels in heaven.' This signifies a state of being free from earthly needs, physical limitations, and the biological imperatives that govern mortal life. It points to a perfected, spiritual existence in God's presence.
God of the Living
Crucially, Jesus used God's statement to Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,' to prove the resurrection. He argued that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. If God is the God of these patriarchs, they must be alive to Him, guaranteeing their future resurrection.
Understand the original words
didaskalos · Greek Noun
One who instructs others in the law or divine truth. While used for human teachers, it is a title frequently addressed to Jesus, acknowledging his authority to interpret the Torah.
Mosheh · Hebrew Noun (Proper)
The body of law given by God through Moses, forming the foundation of the Old Covenant and the ethical standard for Israel.
sperma · Greek Noun
Descendants, children, or physical progeny. In biblical law, the preservation of one's lineage was vital for the inheritance of the Promised Land and the maintenance of the family name.
c. 1400 BC
Law of Levirate Marriage Given
The Mosaic Law, recorded in Deuteronomy 25:5, institutes the practice of 'levirate marriage'. This ensured that a deceased man's name and lineage would continue if he died childless.
c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD
Rise of the Sadducees
The Sadducees, a Jewish sect primarily composed of the wealthy and priestly class, gained prominence. They famously rejected the concept of the resurrection, the existence of angels, and the oral traditions of the Pharisees.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus Confronts the Sadducees
During Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, the Sadducees approach him with a hypothetical scenario based on the levirate law to challenge his teaching on the resurrection.
This is the specific Old Testament passage detailing the law of levirate marriage that the Sadducees are referencing in their question to Jesus.
Matthew 22:24This parallel passage in Matthew records the same encounter with the Sadducees and their question about levirate marriage and the resurrection.
Luke 20:28Luke's Gospel also includes this account, highlighting the Sadducees' attempt to challenge Jesus' teaching on the resurrection using a specific Mosaic law.
1 Corinthians 15:42Paul's detailed explanation of the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians helps illuminate Jesus' point that resurrected bodies are transformed and will not be subject to earthly marital or familial structures.
Exodus 3:6Jesus uses God's declaration to Moses at the burning bush, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,' to prove that God is the God of the living, implying the resurrection of those patriarchs.
expositorsMark 12:18-27: "Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,"
CHAPTER 12:18-27 (Mark 12:18-27)CHRIST AND THE SADDUCCEES "And there come unto Him Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection: and they asked Him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were seven brethren: and the first too…
calvinMark 12:18-27: "Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,"
- The same day came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and interrogated him, 24. Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, not having a child, [64] his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. 25. Now there were amongst us seven brothers, and the first, having married a wife, died, and, having no seed, left his wife to his brother.…
The Sadducees present a hypothetical marriage situation to trap Jesus, but they misunderstand the very nature of the resurrection they’re questioning. Jesus’ response will highlight that the eternal life God promises is not a mere continuation of earthly existence, but a transformation where earthly customs like marriage are no longer relevant.
The Sadducees, who reject the idea of a resurrection, confront Jesus with a hypothetical scenario based on the Levirate marriage law. They present a story of seven brothers who successively marry and die without children, asking whose wife the woman will be in the afterlife. This question is designed to expose what they see as a logical absurdity in the doctrine of the resurrection, by invoking a specific Mosaic law about family continuation.
The Sadducees, who reject the idea of a resurrection, confront Jesus with a hypothetical scenario based on the Levirate marriage law. They present a story of seven brothers who successively marry and die without children, asking whose wife the woman will be in the afterlife. This question is designed to expose what they see as a logical absurdity in the doctrine of the resurrection, by invoking a specific Mosaic law about family continuation.
"“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother." — The Sadducees present a hypothetical marriage situation to trap Jesus, but they misunderstand the very nature of the resurrection they’re questioning. Jesus’ response will highlight that the eternal…
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Last reviewed October 2026