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

A Question about the Resurrection(A)

27 Now some Sadducees, who claim there is no resurrection, came to Jesus[a] 28 and asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, the man[b] should marry the widow and have children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died childless. 30 Then the second 31 and the third married her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. 32 Finally, the woman died, too. 33 Now in the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be, since the seven had married her?”

34 Jesus told them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are married, 35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 Nor can they die anymore, because they are like the angels and, since they share in the resurrection, are God’s children. 37 Even Moses demonstrated in the story about the bush that the dead are raised, when he calls the Lord, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[c] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because he considers all people to be alive to him.”

39 Then some of the scribes replied, “Teacher, you have given a fine answer.” 40 Then they no longer dared to ask him another question.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 20:27 Lit. him
  2. Luke 20:28 Lit. the brother
  3. Luke 20:37 Cf. Exod 3:6, 15, 16