Matthew 22:31-32
And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus confronts the Sadducees not just on their lack of belief, but on their profound misunderstanding of Scripture. By emphasizing that God spoke "unto you," he highlights their failure to grasp the ongoing, living relationship God has with His people, even those long passed into death. This implies that truly "knowing the Scriptures" means recognizing their power to reveal God's eternal perspective, which extends far beyond the limitations of earthly life and death.
The Sadducees, who rejected the idea of resurrection, have just presented Jesus with a hypothetical marriage scenario to trap him. Jesus has deftly refuted their argument, pointing out that in the resurrection, people won't marry. Now, he directly confronts their denial of the resurrection itself, drawing a powerful argument from the very books of Moses that they held as authoritative.
How can God be the God of people who have died? Jesus tackles this head-on, using a passage familiar to his opponents.
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, tried to trap Jesus with a hypothetical about marriage in the afterlife. Their flawed logic assumed that if someone is dead, their relationship with God is over. Jesus flips this script by quoting Exodus 3:6.
God's Timeless Covenant
When God says, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," he's not just recalling a past relationship. The present tense, "I am," reveals a truth that transcends death. God is not the God of the dead – those who are eternally annihilated or out of relationship with Him. Instead, He is the God of the living.
Implication for the Patriarchs
This means Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still be alive in some way, because God's covenant relationship with them continues. It wasn't a past-tense relationship that ended with their physical death. Their existence continues in God's presence, proving that death is not the end.
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Jesus points to a surprising source for proving the resurrection – the very Law the Sadducees claimed supported their view.
The Sadducees thought they had Jesus cornered, using a passage from Moses (Deuteronomy 25) to argue against the resurrection. They presumed that if there's no earthly marriage in the resurrection, then the concept itself is invalid. Jesus’ response in Matthew 22:29 is profound:
Two Pillars of Truth
"You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." Jesus identifies two fundamental errors:
The Authority of the Law
Jesus masterfully uses the Law itself – the very foundation of the Sadducees' authority – to dismantle their argument. By demonstrating the resurrection is taught even in the Torah, he shows their objections are built on a misunderstanding of both God's Word and His limitless power.
Understand the original words
anastasis · Greek Noun
The theological concept referring to the future bodily raising of believers and unbelievers from the dead to face judgment or enter eternal life, inaugurated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
theos · Greek Noun
The supreme, eternal, self-existent Creator and Sustainer of the universe who enters into covenant relationships with His people.
zōn · Greek Adjective/Participle
Existing, having life, or being animate; in a theological context, it refers to those who are in a restored relationship with God and possess eternal life.
Jesus' argument directly counters the Sadducees' literalistic interpretation of the Law by showing how their own revered scriptures, the books of Moses, implicitly affirm the resurrection.
c. 1500 BC
The Law Given at Sinai
God delivers the Law, including the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), to Moses. This forms the authoritative scripture for the Jewish people.
c. 1400 BC
Exodus Account of the Burning Bush
God appears to Moses in the burning bush and declares, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' This event, recorded in Exodus, becomes a key text for later theological debate.
1st Century BC
Rise of the Sadducees
The Sadducees emerge as a prominent Jewish sect, distinguished by their strict adherence to the Law (Pentateuch) and their rejection of oral traditions and beliefs not explicitly found in the Law, including the resurrection.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus' Ministry in Judea
During his public ministry, Jesus engages in debates with various Jewish groups, including the Sadducees, concerning core theological tenets.
c. AD 28-30
Debate Over the Resurrection
Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees, who challenge him with a complex hypothetical scenario based on the Law of Levirate marriage to disprove the resurrection. Jesus refutes them by referencing the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This is the foundational passage Jesus uses in His argument. It establishes God's covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which implies their continued existence beyond death.
Hebrews 11:16This passage expands on the idea that God is not ashamed to be called the God of believers, even after their earthly lives, because He has prepared a heavenly city for them. It reinforces the concept of an ongoing relationship with God beyond death.
Luke 20:38This verse directly follows Jesus' argument in Luke's Gospel, stating 'for all live to him.' It clarifies that those whose God the Lord is, are alive in His presence, even if their earthly bodies have died.
1 Corinthians 15:20Paul presents Christ's resurrection as the 'firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.' This connects Christ's victory over death to the future resurrection of all believers, highlighting its certainty.
Acts 23:8This verse describes the Sadducees' core belief: they 'deny the resurrection and the existence of angels and spirits.' Understanding their stance helps appreciate the significance of Jesus' argument drawn from the Law.
bensonMatthew 22:31: "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,"
Matthew 22:31-32 . But as touching the resurrection of the dead — Or the future state, (see on Matthew 22:23 ,) have ye not read that which was spoken by God — Namely, in the books of Moses, for which the Sadducees had a peculiar value; but which Christ here shows they did not understand; but were as ignorant of them as they were of the power of God. They had drawn thei…
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…
Jesus confronts the Sadducees not just on their lack of belief, but on their profound misunderstanding of Scripture. By emphasizing that God spoke "unto you," he highlights their failure to grasp the ongoing, living relationship God has with His people, even those long passed into death. This implies that truly "knowing the Scriptures" means recognizing their power to reveal God's eternal perspective, which extends far beyond the limitations of earthly life and death.
The Sadducees, who rejected the idea of resurrection, have just presented Jesus with a hypothetical marriage scenario to trap him. Jesus has deftly refuted their argument, pointing out that in the resurrection, people won't marry. Now, he directly confronts their denial of the resurrection itself, drawing a powerful argument from the very books of Moses that they held as authoritative.
The Sadducees, who rejected the idea of resurrection, have just presented Jesus with a hypothetical marriage scenario to trap him. Jesus has deftly refuted their argument, pointing out that in the resurrection, people won't marry. Now, he directly confronts their denial of the resurrection itself, drawing a powerful argument from the very books of Moses that they held as authoritative.
"And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”" — Jesus confronts the Sadducees not just on their lack of belief, but on their profound misunderstanding of Scripture. By emphasizing that God spoke "unto you," he highlights their failure to grasp the…
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