Matthew 22:23-33 The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?
“The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise, the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”
Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.”
Who were the Sadducees and how did they differ from the Pharisees? Study.com tells us these facts:
The primary distinction between Pharisees and Sadducees was their disagreement about the resurrection of the dead and an afterlife. Sadducees were upper-class wealthy men mostly from Jerusalem who made up the Jewish aristocracy. Pharisees came from all economic classes but were distinguished by their rigid adherence to specific behavior prescriptions arising from their interpretation of the ambiguities in the Torah.
What did the Pharisees believe that the Sadducees did not?
Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and an afterlife. The Sadducees did not believe in either of these. The Pharisees believed in a realm of spirit and angels. The Sadducees did not.
What do the Sadducees believe?
Sadducees believed that there was no resurrection of the dead, no afterlife, no spirit realm, no angels. Most Sadducees were priests of the Temple.
What did Pharisees believe?
Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and the afterlife. They believed like all Jews that God created the world, chose Israel as his chosen people, and rewarded and punished them according to his law. They also felt that the Law of Moses contained ambiguities which they strove to fix by developing rules and regulations for every possible human action in order to adhere to the will of God as outlined in the Torah.
What did Jesus say about Pharisees?
Jesus at various times called Pharisees a brood of vipers, compared them to Satan and called them hypocrites. He also had Pharisees in his group of followers, praised them for following a righteous path.
So far, the Sadducees have been willing to allow the Pharisees to query Jesus while they have stood back and watched. But now the Sadducees decide to attack. The basis of the question from the Sadducees is the Mosaic command for a man to take his late brother’s wife as his wife so that she may bear children in the name of his late brother. While the Sadducees really don’t believe in the resurrection in the first place, they assume that by asking Jesus a ridiculous question, they can catch him. The Sadducees give a hypothetical example of seven brothers, all of whom die, and ask Jesus which man will be able to claim the woman as his wife in heaven. You can almost hear the Sadducees snickering as their representative questions Jesus. “Now we’ve got this ragged carpenter right where we want him! Let’s see him get out of this one!”
Too bad the Sadducees are about to be thoroughly embarrassed. This question doesn’t disturb Jesus in the slightest. “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
While the multitudes might be astonished, there also are many believers in the crowd who are thrilled at Jesus’ affirmation of the truth of the resurrection. While wealthy Sadducees may preen and claim that this life is all there is, those less fortunate are hoping and longing for resurrection and heaven.
Jesus is teaching about a resurrection that he is about to experience, for in a few days, Jesus will be crucified, will die, and be resurrected. That physical and spiritual resurrection will give incredible hope to all who are following him and who will follow him for the rest of the ages.
In one short statement, Jesus refutes the misbeliefs of the Sadducees and affirms the truth of the resurrection.
What’s so important about the resurrection? If this life is all there is, there is less incentive to live righteously and no hope for anything better. But if the resurrection is real, then disciples should live to please God and not themselves. But why live to please God? Because Jesus Christ has paid the sin-debt for each of us with his own blood. When we believe in Jesus and follow him, we are assured of forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in heaven when we die. Let all who claim Jesus as Savior and Lord rejoice in that hope!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to always rejoice in the hope of the resurrection and share that hope with those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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