Render Unto Caesar
In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.” Matthew 22:28 · Berean Standard Bible
Here's their big question: if everyone rises from the dead, whose wife will she be? After all, she was married to all seven brothers! They think this proves resurrection can't be real.
They believe they've created a no-win situation for Jesus. If there's an afterlife, surely it would be chaos trying to sort out who belongs to whom.
The Sadducees ask their question triumphantly, sure they've won the debate.
This is the moment they've been building toward. They sit back with folded arms, waiting for Jesus to stumble. But they have no idea what's coming.
The Sadducees pose their climactic question: in the resurrection (anastasis), whose wife would she be? They assume resurrection life merely replicates earthly social structures, revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of eschatological existence.
The argument assumes that if resurrection is real, earthly marital obligations must persist, creating an impossible polygamous situation that violates Torah principles.
The Sadducees deliver their challenge with confidence, believing they have trapped Jesus in an insoluble dilemma.
The trap is sprung. If Jesus affirms resurrection, He must answer whose wife she is, seemingly contradicting Mosaic law. If He denies it, He loses the crowd's support.
26The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
27And last of all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”
29Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
30In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.
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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