Matthew 22:24-26
saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The Sadducees present this law from Deuteronomy not just to ask a hypothetical, but to imply that the very foundation of Israel's society and lineage, established by God, would break down without marriage in the afterlife. They cleverly twist a law meant for earthly continuation into a supposed argument against heavenly resurrection, showing how deeply they misunderstood God's eternal purposes.
Here, Jesus is being challenged by the Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in an afterlife or the resurrection. They present a hypothetical scenario based on the Mosaic Law concerning a man dying childless, asking whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection to try and trap Jesus into an absurd conclusion. This question is designed to undermine the very idea of a future existence that they reject.
Ever wondered why this strange marriage law existed? It wasn't just about family drama, but a divine plan for Israel.
The Sadducees here quote a passage from Deuteronomy (25:5-6) about the Levirate law. This law required a man's brother to marry his childless widow and have children with her.
The Purpose:
This wasn't a law about the afterlife; it was a practical, earthly arrangement for the continuation and stability of Israel's families and tribes.
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They thought they had Jesus cornered with a real-life dilemma. Can you see the trap they set?
The Sadducees, who didn't believe in a resurrection or future life, presented this Levirate law scenario to Jesus to make the idea of resurrection seem absurd.
Their Logic:
They assumed that if there was a resurrection, life would continue exactly as it is now, including marriage and family relationships. If the woman belonged to all seven brothers in this life, how could that possibly work in the next?
This was a clever, but ultimately flawed, attempt to disprove the resurrection by projecting earthly, temporary social structures onto an eternal, heavenly reality.
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
Levirate Marriage Law Given
The law of Levirate marriage is given in Deuteronomy, requiring a man to marry his deceased brother's childless widow to continue the brother's line.
c. 1st century BC
Sadducees Formulate Opposition
The Sadducees, a Jewish sect, emerge and strongly deny the resurrection and the existence of spirits, challenging core beliefs of their time.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Ministry in Judea
During his ministry, Jesus frequently debated religious leaders, including the Sadducees and Pharisees, on matters of doctrine and interpretation.
c. AD 30— this verse
Sadducees Question Jesus on Resurrection
The Sadducees confront Jesus with a hypothetical scenario based on the Levirate marriage law to challenge the concept of resurrection.
This is the foundational Mosaic Law passage that the Sadducees are referencing, outlining the practice of levirate marriage to ensure a deceased brother's name and lineage would continue.
Luke 20:27-33This passage in Luke recounts the same encounter with the Sadducees, including their specific hypothetical scenario about the woman married to seven brothers, thus offering a parallel perspective on the same theological challenge.
1 Corinthians 15:35-44Paul addresses the nature of the resurrected body, explaining that it will be transformed and spiritual, not a simple physical reanimation, which directly counters the Sadducees' materialistic assumptions about the afterlife.
Exodus 3:6Jesus uses this declaration by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ('I am the God of...') to argue that God is the God of the living, implying the patriarchs were still alive in God's presence, thus proving the resurrection.
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 from Deuteronomy not just to ask a hypothetical, but to imply that the very foundation of Israel's society and lineage, established by God, would break down without marriage in the afterlife. They cleverly twist a law meant for earthly continuation into a supposed argument against heavenly resurrection, showing how deeply they misunderstood God's eternal purposes.
Here, Jesus is being challenged by the Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in an afterlife or the resurrection. They present a hypothetical scenario based on the Mosaic Law concerning a man dying childless, asking whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection to try and trap Jesus into an absurd conclusion. This question is designed to undermine the very idea of a future existence that they reject.
Here, Jesus is being challenged by the Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in an afterlife or the resurrection. They present a hypothetical scenario based on the Mosaic Law concerning a man dying childless, asking whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection to try and trap Jesus into an absurd conclusion. This question is designed to undermine the very idea of a future existence that they reject.
"saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his…" — The Sadducees present this law from Deuteronomy not just to ask a hypothetical, but to imply that the very foundation of Israel's society and lineage, established by God, would break down without mar…
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