In connection with the Pharisees
- They were also religious leaders, Acts 4:1, Acts 5:17
- They spuriously came to John’s baptism, Matthew 3:7
- They tempted Jesus for a sign, Matthew 16:1
- They espoused religious leaven, Matthew 16:6, 11-12
- They denied the resurrection, Matthew 22:23, Mark 12:18, Luke 20:27
- They denied angels and spirits, Acts 23:6-8
- They filled the high priestly offices, Acts 5:17
Matthew 22:23-33 (See also Mark 12:18-27 and Luke 20:27-38)
The same day came to him
the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying,
Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry
his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now
there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife,
deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: likewise
the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had
her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For
in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as
the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the
living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
The Sadducees make a phony inquiry. They did not believe in the resurrection, yet posed a fanciful question based on harmonizing the law of levirate marriage with the resurrection.[i] Their assumption was that Jesus would be confused by and unable to answer the question.
The Sadducees provide a legal foundation for their query, “Moses said or wrote.” These instructions may be found in Deuteronomy 25:5-6. History indicates the practice existed before the law (Genesis 38:6-10). The appeal to Moses would strike fear into the average person, but Jesus is great than Moses!
Jesus gives an unexpected answer. Their question is fictional in their own minds, and in truth! They err both in understanding the scriptures and the power of God (cf. Hosea 4:6). “In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” God has the power to resurrect, but marriage is irrelevant in the resurrection.
[i] The levirate marriage
preserved the name and inheritance of a man who died childless. “Levirate” comes
from the Latin word levir, meaning a
husband’s brother, or brother-in-law. Despite its sound, the word is unrelated
to the tribe of Levi, or their ancestor. https://www.lexico.com/definition/levirate
| https://www.yourdictionary.com/levir
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