Matthew 22:26
Likewise the second also, and the third, vnto the seuenth. Matthew 22:26 (KJV)
To understand this verse we must look at its broader context in Matthew 22:23‑33, where Jesus confronts the Sadducees, a Jewish sect that denied the resurrection. The Sadducees present a hypothetical scenario involving a woman who, according to the Mosaic law of levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5‑6), was married successively to seven brothers. They ask Jesus whose wife she would be in the resurrection, assuming marriage would continue.
Jesus answers by pointing out their error, saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” He corrects their misunderstanding, explaining that in the resurrected state earthly relationships such as marriage will not be carried over; believers will be like the angels.
He then turns to Scripture, quoting God’s declaration, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” By invoking Exodus 3:6, Jesus emphasizes that the patriarchs are alive in a spiritual sense and that God’s covenant extends to the living, not the dead.
The passage highlights three key messages. First, the nature of the resurrection: it is a transformative reality where earthly institutions cease and believers share in the heavenly condition of the angels. Second, the authority of Scripture: the Sadducees’ mistake stems from ignorance of the Word, underscoring the need to study and know the Bible accurately. Third, God’s power: the same God who declared Himself the God of the living patriarchs also possesses the power to raise the dead and grant eternal life.
Overall, Jesus’ response in Matthew 22:29‑32 affirms the reality of the resurrection, the futility of applying earthly marital ties to the eternal state, and the importance of grounding our faith in Scripture while trusting in God’s sovereign power over life and death.
