What is the meaning of Luke 20:33? So then • The Sadducees set up a hypothetical scenario to challenge Jesus (Luke 20:27–32). They do not believe in the resurrection (Acts 23:8), so their opening words “So then” are meant to corner Him. • Their logic mimics Deuteronomy 25:5–6 on levirate marriage, implying that Scripture itself disproves bodily resurrection—an attempt to pit Moses against future hope. • By beginning with “So then,” they treat the topic as settled. Jesus will show that their premise is flawed, much like He does with other challengers in Luke 20:20–26. in the resurrection • The phrase points to a literal, future event when the dead are raised, affirmed by Jesus in John 5:28–29 and by Paul in Acts 24:15. • Scripture consistently presents resurrection as physical and transformative (1 Corinthians 15:42–44), not a mere continuation of earthly existence. • Jesus clarifies in the next verses that those who “are considered worthy to attain to that age” neither marry nor are given in marriage (Luke 20:35), highlighting that resurrection life is different in kind, not just degree. whose wife will she be? • The Sadducees assume that earthly social structures must persist unchanged. Yet Colossians 1:16 reminds us all things were created through and for Christ; He has authority to define resurrected life. • Their question exposes a misunderstanding of both Scripture and divine power, as Jesus states in the parallel account: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). • By focusing on legal technicalities, they miss the relational reality that God is “not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Luke 20:38). for all seven were married to her. • The piling up of seven husbands is designed to make resurrection sound absurd, yet it unintentionally underscores the temporary nature of earthly institutions compared with eternal life (2 Corinthians 4:18). • In Scripture, the number seven often conveys completeness (Genesis 2:2–3). Even a “complete” earthly scenario cannot override God’s promises of life after death (Job 19:25–27). • Jesus’ forthcoming answer shifts attention from human dilemmas to God’s covenant faithfulness, echoing Exodus 3:6, where the Lord identifies Himself with the patriarchs who are alive to Him. summary Luke 20:33 records a calculated question meant to discredit belief in bodily resurrection. By challenging Jesus with an extreme version of levirate marriage, the Sadducees reveal their limited view of both Scripture and God’s power. Jesus responds by affirming that resurrection life transcends current marital structures, demonstrating that God’s promises outlast earthly arrangements. The verse thus highlights the certainty of resurrection and the transformation awaiting those who belong to the living God. |
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