How does Matthew 22:31 affirm the resurrection according to Jesus' teaching? Setting the Scene • Sadducees, who deny any resurrection, try to trap Jesus with a hypothetical marriage question (Matthew 22:23–28). • Jesus answers first by exposing their error, then grounds His teaching in Scripture. Jesus’ Opening Line (Matthew 22:31) “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you?” How This Single Sentence Affirms Resurrection • Assumes resurrection as factual – Jesus speaks “concerning the resurrection,” not “if there is a resurrection.” – The reality of a future raising is treated as settled truth before the debate even begins. • Treats Scripture as living, present, and authoritative – “Have you not read what God said to you?”—present tense, showing God’s Word still speaks. – By calling Exodus 3:6 God’s direct speech “to you,” He underscores ongoing life; dead men do not speak, but the ever-living God does. • Prepares the proof that patriarchs still live – Verse 31 sets up verse 32, where Jesus cites Exodus 3:6: “I am the God of Abraham…” – The present-tense “I am” means Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive to God now; therefore a future bodily resurrection is guaranteed. • Undermines Sadducean denial through Torah itself – Sadducees accept only the Pentateuch; Jesus uses that very source. – Resurrection is not a later theological invention but embedded in Moses’ writings. Scripture’s Consistent Witness • Exodus 3:6—“I am the God of Abraham…” (quoted in Matthew 22:32). • Job 19:25-27—Job’s confidence that “in my flesh I will see God.” • Isaiah 26:19—“Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.” • Daniel 12:2—“Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.” • Acts 26:6-8—Paul appeals to “the hope of the promise…that God raises the dead.” Takeaway for Today Because Jesus treats resurrection as an unquestioned certainty rooted in God’s own words, believers can hold unwavering confidence that physical death is not the end. The God who still speaks is the God who will one day call every believer from the grave. |
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