‘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)
Jesus’ argument isn't just about proving life after death; it’s about the very nature of God’s relationship. If God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it means He sustains a living, ongoing relationship with them, proving they are alive to Him even after their earthly lives have ended. This declaration reveals that God’s covenant faithfulness extends beyond physical death, implying a future resurrection for those who belong to Him.
‘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)
Jesus is facing a barrage of challenging questions from different Jewish groups, and this one comes from the Sadducees, who famously deny the resurrection. They try to trap him by presenting a hypothetical scenario about a woman married to seven brothers in succession, asking whose wife she would be in the afterlife. Jesus refutes their premise by quoting from the Law of Moses, specifically God's declaration to Moses, to prove that the resurrection is real and that the patriarchs, though long dead, still live in relationship with God.
The Sadducees thought they had Jesus trapped with their tricky question about resurrection. But Jesus turned their own Scriptures against them, revealing a truth that goes way beyond their earthly thinking.
Jesus’ powerful argument hinges on God’s declaration in Exodus 3:6: “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
A God of the Living
The Sadducees were stuck in a purely earthly, physical framework. Jesus points them (and us!) to a reality where God’s power far exceeds our limited understanding of life and death.
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Jesus directly confronts the Sadducees' limited view: “You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
Two Pillars of Truth
Understand the original words
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.
c. 1500 BC
Giving of the Law
God gives the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, including the command concerning levirate marriage in Deuteronomy 25:5.
c. 1400 BC
God Appears to Moses
In the burning bush, God reveals Himself as 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' to Moses (Exodus 3:6).
c. 400 BC
Completion of the Old Testament Canon
The books of Moses and the Prophets are recognized as authoritative scripture, forming the core of what the Sadducees would accept.
c. 150 BC - AD 50
Rise of the Sadducees
The Sadducees emerge as a prominent religious sect in Judea, known for their rejection of oral traditions and belief only in the written Law, particularly the Pentateuch. They notably deny the resurrection, the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Ministry and Confrontation
During Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, the Sadducees, seeking to discredit Him, pose a hypothetical scenario based on the levirate marriage law to challenge the doctrine of the resurrection. Jesus responds by affirming the resurrection using God's declaration to Moses.
This is the foundational Old Testament passage Jesus quotes, where God reveals Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, establishing the basis for His argument about the living.
Hebrews 11:16This New Testament passage echoes the sentiment, stating that God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a city for them, reinforcing the idea of a continuing relationship and future for believers.
Luke 20:37-38Luke's parallel account of this encounter highlights that Moses himself showed the resurrection of the dead, emphasizing that God is God of the living, a point crucial for understanding the continuity of life beyond death.
Romans 14:8-9This passage speaks to belonging to the Lord whether we live or die, underscoring the idea that our relationship with God transcends physical death and points to a continuous life under His Lordship.
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…
henryMatthew 22:23-33: "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,"
22:23-33 The doctrines of Christ displeased the infidel Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees and Herodians. He carried the great truths of the resurrection and a future state, further than they had yet been reveled. There is no arguing from the state of things in this world, as to what will take place hereafter. Let truth be set in a clear light, and it appears in full strength. Ha…
Jesus’ argument isn't just about proving life after death; it’s about the very nature of God’s relationship. If God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it means He sustains a living, ongoing relationship with them, proving they are alive to Him even after their earthly lives have ended. This declaration reveals that God’s covenant faithfulness extends beyond physical death, implying a future resurrection for those who belong to Him.
Jesus is facing a barrage of challenging questions from different Jewish groups, and this one comes from the Sadducees, who famously deny the resurrection. They try to trap him by presenting a hypothetical scenario about a woman married to seven brothers in succession, asking whose wife she would be in the afterlife. Jesus refutes their premise by quoting from the Law of Moses, specifically God's declaration to Moses, to prove that the resurrection is real and that the patriarchs, though long dead, still live in relationship with God.
Jesus is facing a barrage of challenging questions from different Jewish groups, and this one comes from the Sadducees, who famously deny the resurrection. They try to trap him by presenting a hypothetical scenario about a woman married to seven brothers in succession, asking whose wife she would be in the afterlife. Jesus refutes their premise by quoting from the Law of Moses, specifically God's declaration to Moses, to prove that the resurrection is real and that the patriarchs, though long dead, still live in relationship with 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’ argument isn't just about proving life after death; it’s about the very nature of God’s relationship. If God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it means He sustains a living, ongoing rel…
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Last reviewed October 2026