Matthew 22:24
saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The Sadducees present this law, not just as a reminder of Moses, but as a "gotcha" tactic, implying that if resurrection were true, this unique marriage law would lead to an absurd, messy situation in the afterlife. They're subtly saying that the law itself proves the resurrection is impossible.
The Sadducees, who deny any resurrection or afterlife, approach Jesus with a cunning question. They present a scenario based on the Old Testament law of levirate marriage, where a brother must marry his deceased brother's widow to produce an heir. Their goal is to create an absurd situation about who a woman would be married to in the resurrection, thereby attempting to disprove the very idea of it.
Ever wonder why the Old Testament has some pretty unusual laws regarding marriage and family?
The Sadducees, who didn't believe in a resurrection, brought up a specific Mosaic law: the levirate marriage. This law, found in Deuteronomy, stated that if a man died without children, his brother was obligated to marry the widow. The primary purpose was to provide an heir for the deceased brother, ensuring his family line and name would continue. This wasn't about the widow's emotional needs or romantic fulfillment; it was a societal and legal structure designed to preserve family lineage and inheritance within Israel.
It's a stark reminder that God's laws in the Old Testament often addressed practical, earthly concerns. They were given to a specific people in a specific time to establish a kingdom and maintain its structures, including family and inheritance.
The Sadducees thought they had Jesus trapped with a question about marriage. But their real problem wasn't the Law; it was their understanding of God.
The Sadducees used the levirate law as their 'gotcha' question. They presented a hypothetical scenario: if seven brothers all married the same woman due to the law, and then a resurrection occurred, whose wife would she be? Their core assumption was that any future existence would simply be a continuation of earthly life, including marriage and procreation. They couldn't conceive of a reality beyond physical needs and relationships.
Jesus' response cuts to the heart of their error: 'You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.' Their mistake wasn't in understanding the Law of Moses, but in misunderstanding the nature of God and the reality of His kingdom. They were stuck on the 'how' of earthly life and missed the eternal 'who' of God.
Jesus turned a confusing law into a powerful proof for eternal life. How?
Jesus masterfully redirects the Sadducees' argument by referencing God's words to Moses: 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He points out that God identifies Himself as the God of these patriarchs they had physically died. This isn't the language of a God of the dead, but of the living. If they were truly dead with no hope of future existence, God would not identify Himself with them in this way.
Understand the original words
didaskalos · Greek Noun
An authoritative instructor of the Law. While used here as a title for Jesus, it identifies one as a master of biblical interpretation and religious instruction.
Moyses · Greek Noun
The human mediator of the Old Covenant, the prophet and lawgiver through whom God delivered the Torah. His name is synonymous with the authority of the Law of God.
sperma · Greek Noun
Descendants or children; in a biblical and legal context (specifically levirate marriage), it refers to the continuation of a family line and the preservation of an inheritance.
c. 1400 BC
Law of Levirate Marriage Instituted
The Law of Moses, specifically Deuteronomy 25:5, institutes the practice of levirate marriage, requiring a brother to marry his deceased brother's childless widow to preserve the family line.
c. 30s AD— this verse
Sadducees Challenge Jesus on Resurrection
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, confronted Jesus with a hypothetical scenario based on the levirate marriage law to try and disprove the resurrection.
c. 30s AD
Jesus Reaffirms Resurrection
Jesus refuted the Sadducees' argument by explaining that the resurrection state is different from earthly life and by using God's statement to Moses ('I am the God of Abraham...') to show that God is God of the living.
This is the original passage from the Mosaic Law that the Sadducees are referencing, outlining the requirement for a brother to marry a childless widow to raise up offspring for the deceased.
Ruth 4:5-10This passage demonstrates the practice of the kinsman-redeemer, which is closely related to the levirate marriage law mentioned by the Sadducees, showing how it was applied to ensure a family line continued.
Matthew 22:29-32This is Jesus' direct response to the Sadducees, where He refutes their argument by explaining that the resurrection state is different from earthly life and by using the very Scriptures they cited to prove God is the God of the living.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44This passage describes the nature of the resurrected body, highlighting that it is transformed and spiritual, contrasting with the physical, earthly bodies that engage in marriage and procreation.
bensonMatthew 22:24: "Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother."
Matthew 22:24-28 . Master, Moses said, If a man die, &c. — “The argument by which the Sadducees endeavoured to confute the notion of a future state was taken from the Jewish law of marriage, which, to give their objection the better colour, they observed was God’s law, delivered by Moses. As they believed the soul to be nothing but a more refined k…
calvinMatthew 22:23-33: "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,"
- 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 this law, not just as a reminder of Moses, but as a "gotcha" tactic, implying that if resurrection were true, this unique marriage law would lead to an absurd, messy situation in the afterlife. They're subtly saying that the law itself proves the resurrection is impossible.
The Sadducees, who deny any resurrection or afterlife, approach Jesus with a cunning question. They present a scenario based on the Old Testament law of levirate marriage, where a brother must marry his deceased brother's widow to produce an heir. Their goal is to create an absurd situation about who a woman would be married to in the resurrection, thereby attempting to disprove the very idea of it.
The Sadducees, who deny any resurrection or afterlife, approach Jesus with a cunning question. They present a scenario based on the Old Testament law of levirate marriage, where a brother must marry his deceased brother's widow to produce an heir. Their goal is to create an absurd situation about who a woman would be married to in the resurrection, thereby attempting to disprove the very idea of it.
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This reveals a profound truth: God's covenant relationship is with His people, and that relationship transcends death. He is the God of the living, meaning those who are eternally alive in Him, whether in this life or the next. The Sadducees' misunderstanding stemmed from seeing God's relationship as solely tied to earthly, physical existence, failing to grasp that God's promises and His very nature speak to an enduring, living reality that death cannot extinguish.
"saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’" — The Sadducees present this law, not just as a reminder of Moses, but as a "gotcha" tactic, implying that if resurrection were true, this unique marriage law would lead to an absurd, messy situation i…
