Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus^(A)

²³ That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no one will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question. ²⁴ They said, “Teacher, Moses told us that if a married man dies and had no children, his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother.^{[a] 25} There were seven brothers among us. The first brother married but died. He had no children. So his brother married the woman. ²⁶ Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother and all the other brothers. ²⁷ The woman was the last to die. ²⁸ But all seven men had married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “You are so wrong! You don’t know what the Scriptures say. And you don’t know anything about God’s power. ³⁰ At the time when people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other. Everyone will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹ Surely you have read what God said to you about people rising from death. ³² God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’^[b] So they were not still dead, because he is the God only of living people.”

³³ When the people heard this, they were amazed at Jesus’ teaching.

Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus^(A)

¹⁸ Then some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no one will rise from death.) They asked him a question: ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and had no children, his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother.^{[a] 20} There were seven brothers. The first brother married but died. He had no children. ²¹ So the second brother married the woman. But he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. ²² All seven brothers married the woman and died. None of the brothers had any children with her. And she was the last to die. ²³ But all seven brothers had married her. So at the time when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?”

²⁴ Jesus answered, “How could you be so wrong? It’s because you don’t know what the Scriptures say. And you don’t know anything about God’s power. ²⁵ When people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other. All people will be like angels in heaven. ²⁶ Surely you have read what God said about people rising from death. In the book where Moses wrote about the burning bush,^[b] it says that God told Moses this: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’^{[c] 27} So they were not still dead, because he is the God only of living people. You Sadducees are so wrong!”