What does Luke 20:33 reveal about the Sadducees' beliefs regarding resurrection? Setting the Scene “In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” (Luke 20:33) The Sadducees pose this question after spinning a scenario based on the law of levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). Their intent is not curiosity but confrontation. The Question Reveals Their Skepticism • They assume earthly marriage must carry into any future life—then declare the idea unworkable. • By highlighting an “impossible” marital tangle, they treat resurrection as absurd. • Their wording—“In the resurrection, therefore”—is ironic; they speak of a reality they firmly deny (see Acts 23:8). • The question is framed to trap Jesus, not to seek truth. What the Sadducees Actually Believed • Scripture acceptance limited largely to the Pentateuch; because they did not see an explicit resurrection there, they rejected it. • Acts 23:8: “For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.” • They trusted human logic over divine power, overlooking passages like Exodus 3:6 where God identifies Himself with the living patriarchs. Contrast: Jesus’ Immediate Correction (vv. 34-38) • Marriage is an earthly institution, not a heavenly one. • God’s self-designation—“I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6)—implies those men still live. • Jesus exposes the Sadducees’ mistake: “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) Key Takeaways • Luke 20:33 shows the Sadducees considered resurrection illogical and untenable. • Their challenge betrays a worldview anchored in the present, dismissing any eternal state. • Christ’s reply affirms both the continuity of personal existence after death and the transformation of relationships in that coming age. |
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