The Sadducees and the Resurrection

27 Some(A) of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,(B) came up and questioned him: 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother.[a](C) 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. 30 Also the second[b] 31 and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”

34 Jesus told them, “The children of this age(D) marry and are given in marriage.(E) 35 But those who are counted worthy(F) to take part in that age(G) and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 For they can no longer die,(H) because they are like angels and are children of God,(I) since they are children of the resurrection. 37 Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.[c](J) 38 He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to[d] him.”(K)

39 Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

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Footnotes

  1. 20:28 Dt 25:5
  2. 20:30 Other mss add took her as wife, and he died without children
  3. 20:37 Ex 3:6,15
  4. 20:38 Or with

Question about the resurrection

27 Some Sadducees, who deny that there’s a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked, 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a widow but no children, the brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.[a] 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first man married a woman and then died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third brother married her. Eventually all seven married her, and they all died without leaving any children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven were married to her.”

34 Jesus said to them, “People who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy to participate in that age, that is, in the age of the resurrection from the dead, won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. 36 They can no longer die, because they are like angels and are God’s children since they share in the resurrection. 37 Even Moses demonstrated that the dead are raised—in the passage about the burning bush, when he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.[b] 38 He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. To him they are all alive.”

39 Some of the legal experts responded, “Teacher, you have answered well.” 40 No one dared to ask him anything else.

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