New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 22:24

Render Unto Caesar

“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Matthew 22:24 · Berean Standard Bible

What It Means

Matthew 22:24, in plain English

They start by quoting Moses' teaching that if a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and carry on the family line. They're building up to what they think is a gotcha moment.

Why it's here

They call Jesus 'Teacher' politely, but their real goal is to embarrass Him. They're using a well-known rule from the Old Testament as the setup for their trick question.

Who's speaking

The Sadducees are speaking directly to Jesus, laying the groundwork for their riddle.

Where it sits in the story

You can almost hear the smugness in their voice as they set up their elaborate scenario, confident they've found an argument no one can answer.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

The Sadducees cite the levirate marriage law from Deuteronomy 25:5-6, where a brother-in-law (yabam) must marry his deceased brother's childless widow to preserve the family line. They use Torah exclusively, the only Scripture they considered authoritative.

Language and setting

By grounding their question in Mosaic law, the Sadducees attempt to demonstrate that the Torah itself, when followed logically, renders resurrection absurd.

Voice

The Sadducees address Jesus as 'Teacher' (didaskalos), a respectful but non-committal title.

Significance

The Sadducees carefully set up their argument by first establishing common ground with a well-known Mosaic regulation, before springing their logical trap.

In context

Matthew 22:22–26

22And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.

24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.

25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.

26The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.

Read all of Matthew 22 — A wedding banquet, a trick question about taxes, and the greatest commandment — Jesus outmaneuvers every trap set for him.

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