Matthew 22:23

My Notes

What Does Matthew 22:23 Mean?

"The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection." The Sadducees — the aristocratic priestly party who rejected belief in resurrection, angels, and the afterlife — approach Jesus with a question designed to make resurrection look absurd (the case of the woman married to seven brothers). Their approach is ideological: they've already decided the answer and are looking for confirmation.

The parenthetical "which say that there is no resurrection" is Matthew's editorial note for readers who might not know Sadducean theology. The introduction tells you the conclusion before the question is asked: these are people who don't believe in resurrection, and they're asking about resurrection. The question is a trap, not an inquiry.

The Sadducees accepted only the five books of Moses as authoritative, rejecting the prophets and other writings. Since they found no explicit resurrection teaching in the Torah, they denied it. Jesus will respond by finding resurrection precisely in the Torah — in Exodus 3:6, where God calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (verse 32).

Reflection Questions

• 1.Do you bring genuine questions to God, or questions designed to confirm what you already believe?
• 2.How does Jesus finding resurrection in the Torah — the Sadducees' own Scripture — change the debate?
• 3.Have you ever had a 'trap question' turned back on you?
• 4.What conclusion have you reached that you haven't honestly examined?

Devotional

People who don't believe in resurrection ask Jesus about resurrection. They're not curious. They're constructing a trap. Their conclusion preceded their question by years.

The Sadducees' approach to Jesus is the approach of every person who asks a question they've already answered: not to learn but to validate. They don't want Jesus to teach them about resurrection. They want Him to prove their rejection of resurrection was correct. The elaborate hypothetical — seven brothers, one wife — is designed to make resurrection sound ridiculous, not to explore whether it's true.

Jesus' response demolishes their argument from within their own accepted Scripture. They only accept the Torah? Fine. Exodus 3:6: God says "I am" — present tense — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not "I was." If Abraham is dead and gone, God would say "I was his God." But God says "I am" — which means Abraham is alive. Resurrection is embedded in the Torah the Sadducees accepted.

The deeper lesson: don't bring your predetermined conclusions to Jesus expecting validation. Bring genuine questions. The Sadducees came to prove themselves right and left proven wrong. Their trap caught them.

Are you asking Jesus questions to learn — or to confirm what you've already decided?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture