Luke 20:29

This verse is part of a larger passage in Luke 20:27-40, where the Sadducees, a religious sect, pose a question to Jesus about the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, and they tried to challenge Jesus with a hypothetical scenario involving the Levirate law found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10.

In this scenario, the Sadducees present a case of a woman who had been married successively to seven brothers, each of whom died childless. The Levirate law mandated that if a man died without leaving a child, his brother should marry the widow in order to raise up offspring for his deceased brother.

The purpose of the Sadducees’ question was to mock the idea of resurrection and to highlight the potential complications that arise if multiple brothers fulfil the Levirate obligation. They asked Jesus whose wife the woman would be in the resurrection since she had been married to all seven brothers.

Jesus responds in Luke 20:34-36, saying, “The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die anymore: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”

Jesus’ answer provides insight into the nature of the resurrection. He explains that in the resurrection, marriage and procreation will no longer exist. Those who are counted worthy of obtaining the resurrection will be like the angels and will not experience death anymore. This response challenges the Sadducees’ perspective and affirms the reality of the resurrection.

Additionally, Jesus’ answer emphasises that the resurrection brings about a transformed state of existence. While marriage is a vital institution in this present world, it will not be necessary or applicable in the eternal kingdom of God. The primary focus of the resurrection is on being children of God and partaking in the glorious state of being that comes with it.

In conclusion, Luke 20:29 is a verse within a broader discussion on the resurrection, where Jesus responds to a question posed by the Sadducees. It provides valuable insights into the nature of the resurrection and the transformed state of existence that awaits believers in the kingdom of God.