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That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.’ Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.” When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.

The Kingdom of God is at its best with its COMMUNITY IS FIGHTING FOR UNITY.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

The Pharisees have just been entirely outclassed by Jesus. He has answered their difficult questions with wisdom and grace. Now, their enemies, the Sadducees, are going to try their hand at stumping Jesus. It doesn't go any better for them. My favorite part comes at the end of this passage.

The Church unifies with GREAT JOY for THE FUTURE.

Commentary

Verse 22-28: The Sadducees Try.

Who are the Sadducees? This religious and political group was formed around 200 BC by a guy named Zadok. They likely came from the priestly class. They were very liberal in their beliefs and only considered the 5 Books of Moses to be inspired by God. They were very limited in their beliefs. They did not believe in the resurrection, angels, demons, or an afterlife. They believed in God, but that was about it. Therefore, their question was meant to shed light on the absurdity of believing in anything after the here and now.
Is this a good question? This is a better question because of their limiting beliefs than we realize now. Most of the Scripture we have for the resurrection comes through Job, Isaiah, and Daniel. They didn't believe any of these were inspired, so they didn't care what they said. This would have been a question they had stumped the Pharisees with and were now trying to use on Jesus.
What is up with all the brothers? This is from the book of Deuteronomy and is called the Levirate law. It was customary for a brother to marry his late brother's wife IF she was childless. This ensured she would be cared for and did not lose the land she lived on. This could be refused and would go to another relative. We can see this play out in the book of Ruth.

Verse 29-30: The Reply.

You do not know the Scriptures: Jesus slams them by saying they have read and memorized the Scriptures but do not really know them. They have read them with a critical eye but not with an eye to know God. Because of this, they may have received their PhD in religion but didn't know God.
You do not know the Power of God: Jesus goes even further to explain that they have never given God a chance to prove Himself. They do not think He has the power to do the things they say they do not believe in.
Do we become angels? Jesus is not saying we become angels. All of the modern propaganda about people dying and getting wings and a harp is not true. Jesus is saying we become spirit beings like them. We become ageless, timeless, and able to stand in the very presence of God.
No more marriage?: If you think about it, Adam and Eve were not married in a contractual form when they were in the Garden of Eden. They were companions who were focused on God. Marriage was given to us after mankind fell to sin. In Heaven, there would be no "contract" of relationship. This does not mean we will not have relationships. It simply means it will be pure, holy, and without limitation. So, if you are concerned about no longer being close to your spouse once you die, it will be closer then than you can imagine now.
What about the Resurrection in general?: There is more evidence on the Resurrection than you may expect. For more information, click here to read a blog post about it.

Top Takeaway- Jesus still invites us in our doubt to become part of His Eternal Kingdom.

My favorite part of this passage is the final thing Jesus says. Jesus tells the Sadducees that God is not a God of the dead but the living. This means there truly is a resurrection, and we have that to look forward to. I love that Jesus could have used Job, Isaiah, or Daniel to explain this. However, He explains the resurrection from Exodus. The Sadducees's favorite person in the Bible was Moses. The moment Jesus references is the moment when God reveals Himself to Moses. Instead of burning this bridge, Jesus builds one. He is showing the Sadducees a text they understand as a way to reach out to them. One of the aspects of God I love the most is His unending mercy. Even though they were completely defeated before Him, He still connected with them, hoping they would understand.