Luke 20:37

Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Luke 20:37 (KJV)

Context

Jesus spoke these words while answering the Sadducees, a Jewish sect that denied the resurrection. They had posed a hypothetical question about a woman who married seven brothers, one after another, under the levirate law, asking whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Jesus corrected their misunderstanding, explaining that in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage. Then He turned to the Scriptures to prove that the dead are raised.

Meaning

Jesus pointed to the burning bush, where God said to Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). The present tense is crucial: God did not say “I was” their God, but “I am.” Since God is not the God of the dead but of the living, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still be alive in His presence. This does not merely mean their souls survive; it guarantees their bodily resurrection, because God’s covenant relationship with them remains unbroken by death.

Jesus deliberately drew this argument from the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, because the Sadducees accepted only those books as authoritative. By using a passage from Exodus, He showed that the resurrection is taught even in the very Scriptures they revered.

Biblical connections

The verse directly quotes Exodus 3:6, where God reveals His covenant name to Moses. This connection shows that the doctrine of the resurrection is rooted in God’s faithful relationship with His people. Death does not break that relationship; rather, God’s promise to the patriarchs looks forward to their full redemption.

Application

This passage affirms the reality of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life. Because God knows each believer personally, just as He knew Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, death cannot separate us from Him. It also challenges us to examine whether our faith rests on the truth of God’s Word or on worldly views that deny life beyond death. Jesus’ use of Scripture encourages us to study the Bible carefully, trusting that even familiar passages reveal profound truths about God’s purposes.

Reflection

God’s words to Moses at the burning bush still speak today. The God who identified Himself as the God of the patriarchs is the same God who calls us His own. Our hope is not in the grave but in the living God, who will raise His people to life with Him.