Luke 20:27 meaning

The exchange with the Sadducees in this passage highlights one of the fundamental debates of Jesus' time regarding the resurrection. The Sadducees, a Jewish sect that denied the resurrection and the existence of angels, approached Jesus with a tricky question that involved levirate marriage. They hoped to trap Him by presenting a scenario in which a woman married seven brothers in succession, each one dying without leaving children. They asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection, assuming the situation was impossible and thereby ridiculing the very idea of resurrection itself.

In His response, Jesus pointed out their ignorance of both Scripture and the power of God. He explained that in the resurrection, people would neither marry nor be given in marriage, indicating a transformed existence resembling that of angels. Furthermore, He cited the very Scriptures they held dear, emphasizing that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, thus affirming the reality of resurrection. This confrontation exposes not only the Sadducees' misunderstanding but also the enduring truth of God’s promises to His people, which extend beyond physical death. The discourse underlines the belief in life after death, essential to both Jewish and Christian faiths as expressed in Luke 20:27.