Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

27 There came to him (A)some Sadducees, (B)those who deny that there is a resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us (C)that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man[a] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

34 And Jesus said to them, (D)“The sons of this age (E)marry and (F)are given in marriage, 35 but those who are (G)considered worthy to attain to (H)that age and to the resurrection from the dead (I)neither marry (J)nor are given in marriage, 36 for (K)they cannot die anymore, because they are (L)equal to angels and (M)are (N)sons of God, being (O)sons[b] of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, (P)even Moses showed, in (Q)the passage about the bush, where he calls (R)the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all (S)live to him.” 39 Then some of the scribes (T)answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For (U)they no longer dared to ask him any question.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 20:28 Greek his brother
  2. Luke 20:36 Greek huioi; see Preface

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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