New Testament in a Year

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.

A Question about David’s Son^(B)

⁴¹ Then he asked them, “How can people^[d] say that the Messiah^[e] is David’s son? ⁴² Because David himself in the book of Psalms says,

⁴⁴ So David calls him ‘Lord.’ Then how can he be his son?”

Jesus Denounces the Scribes^(C)

⁴⁵ While all the people were listening, he told his disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁷ They devour widows’ houses^[h] and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!”