Luke 20:37Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In the resurrection, there is no place for human procreation, seed, womb, or conception; rather, our bodies are created by God in a manner known only to Him. Since God acts in the resurrection, those who are reborn through it are correctly referred to as children of God. To support this conclusion, the Lord provides the affirmation found in Scripture. Moses recounts that God spoke to him from the bush, declaring, "I am the God of Abraham," etc. (Ex. 3:6). If the patriarchs had been entirely extinguished and were not alive before God through the promise of resurrection, He would have spoken in the past tense, saying, "I was," rather than "I am." Typically, when we refer to something that has been lost or destroyed, we say we "were" the owner of it.

The Savior also highlighted the profound ignorance of the Sadducees by referencing their own esteemed figure, Moses, who was well aware of the resurrection of the dead. He presented a God who, as stated in the scriptures, proclaimed from the burning bush, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ But who is this God, if, as they argue, these individuals have ceased to exist? He is indeed the God of the living, and thus they will surely rise again when His mighty hand calls them forth; not only them, but all those who inhabit the earth. The disbelief of men in this truth may reflect the ignorance of the Sadducees, but it is truly unbecoming of those who cherish Christ.

He who puts his trust in me, though he may face death, will still have eternal life; and anyone who is alive and believes in me will never perish (John 11:25-26). What does this convey? The one who has faith in Me, even if he passes away (just as Lazarus did), will be revived, for He is not the God of the deceased but of the living. This was the explanation He provided to the Jewish leaders regarding the patriarchs who had already passed: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Yet, God is not the God of the deceased, but rather of the living, for in His presence, all are alive (cf. Matt. 22:32; Luke 20:37-38). Have faith: even if you encounter death, you will rise again. However, if you lack belief, you remain lifeless even while you exist.

The resurrection of the dead is affirmed, as illustrated by Moses. This concept can be found in the Scriptures regarding the resurrection. In the book of Exodus (Ex. 3:6), it is stated that the Lord is identified as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. However, God is not a God of the dead, but of the living; for in His presence, all exist. Furthermore, this is reiterated in the relevant passage of Matthew's Gospel, so please refer to that text.

When the Pharisees were rendered speechless by this response, the group of Sadducees, also part of the Sanhedrin, took delight in their embarrassment and quickly posed a question regarding the resurrection of the dead, a belief they dismissed due to the absurd consequences they believed it entailed. Just as the Lord had boldly condemned the Pharisees, He addressed this challenge in a similar manner, cutting to the heart of the misconceptions they had endorsed. They referenced the case of a woman who was legally married to seven brothers, but Jesus demonstrated that their misunderstanding arose from two key points: first, their lack of comprehension of the Scriptures, and second, their failure to grasp the limitless power of God.

The collaboration between the Sadducees and the Pharisees is not clearly indicated in the Gospel narratives. It is possible that, having witnessed Jesus Christ humiliate the Pharisees—a moment they found amusing—they desired to see Him also mock the Pharisees’ belief in the resurrection of the dead. This belief held that, with the arrival of the Messiah, all Israelites would rise again and reside in the Promised Land. At least, the response from Jesus satisfied the scribes (Luke 20:39), and the Sadducees’ defeat by His words bolstered the confidence of the Pharisees (Matthew 22:34). The Sadducees maintained that, based on the law regarding levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-6), the notion of resurrection life—according to the Pharisees—was unthinkable.

Regarding your assertion that there is no mention of the resurrection of the dead in the writings of Moses, you are mistaken. Have you not considered God's revelation to Moses? Are you unaware of how He identified Himself? He proclaimed to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ (Mark 12:26). This declaration was made at a time when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had departed from earthly existence; they were dead in relation to the world. Yet, since God claimed to be their God, it implies that they are alive to Him, for He cannot be the God of that which does not exist. Indeed, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matt. 22:32).

Regarding the resurrection, it is mistaken to believe that Moses does not speak of it. He refers to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which implies that God relates to individuals who continue to exist. Consequently, even though the bodies of the patriarchs have perished, they are evidently alive in the afterlife, anticipating their resurrection. Therefore, for God, all the deceased remain alive, making it effortless for Him to bring them back to life.

The narrative in Luke regarding the inquiry by the Sadducees and the Lord's response aligns closely with the accounts in the first two Gospels, with only some phrases being subtly altered. For further reference, see Matthew 22:23-33 and Mark 12:18-27. Notably, the phrase "Moses showed when he called" can be interpreted as "proclaimed," indicating that he transcribed the words of the Lord that were imparted to him at the Tabernacle (as noted in Mark), where God identifies Himself as the deity of the ancestors of Israel. Moses, the recipient of divine law through revelation, referred to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.