Matthew 22:32Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

God is not the deity of those who do not exist and are entirely destroyed, destined never to rise again; instead, He does not refer to Himself as "I was," but rather as "I am" the God of the living and the existing. Just as Adam was alive on the day he ate from the tree, he became subject to death immediately after God's judgment was declared. Similarly, the patriarchs, although they physically passed away, continued to live in accordance with the promise of resurrection. As it is stated, "to have dominion over both the dead and the living" (Rom. 14:9). This declaration complements the earlier thoughts since it refers to the deceased who will ultimately be revived.

It is declared, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"; this statement reveals that God is not the deity of those who do not exist. Rather, He is the God of the living, of those who endure. He does not proclaim, "I was," but rather, "I am." Although the patriarchs have departed this life, they remain alive in the expectation of resurrection. You may wonder how it is also said that He governs both the living and the dead. Understand that in the quoted text, those referred to as the dead are indeed those who have passed yet will be raised to life. Here, responding to the Sadducees’ denial of the soul's immortality and their belief in total destruction, the Lord asserts that God is not the God of the dead—those who have completely vanished according to your perception—but of the living. This refers to those who possess an everlasting soul and will ultimately be resurrected, even if their bodies are currently lifeless.

To establish the reality of the resurrection, the Lord could have presented other, more direct illustrations, such as the declaration: Thy dead shall come to life, dead bodies shall rise (Isaiah 26:19). Additionally, it is stated: And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt and shame (Daniel 12:2). This leads to the question of why the Lord would choose this particular testimony, which may appear uncertain or inadequately relevant to affirming the resurrection: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:6). By speaking these words, He seemed to affirm His intention and followed with: He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

The aforementioned passage is found in Exodus (Ex. 3:6). It conveys the significance of the phrase, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and the God of Jacob,’ implying not that they were entirely dead; had they been completely deceased, He would have declared, ‘I was God.’ Instead, by stating, ‘I am the God of Abraham,’ He illustrates His identity as the God of resurrection. Just as Adam, although he continued to live after eating from a particular tree, faced death the very day he partook of it due to the sentence of death, so too those mentioned, while appearing dead, were indeed alive through the promise of resurrection. God is not the God of the dead, but rather the God of the living, for God is eternal and exists, while the dead do not possess existence or life. Furthermore, it is stated, ‘He possesses both the dead and the living’ (Rom. 14:9), referring to the dead as those who have been resurrected. Luke (Luke 20:38) also points out, ‘You are to Him, meaning you live with Him.’

AND ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, HAVE YOU NOT READ THAT GOD SAID UNTO YOU, 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, for with Him all are alive. God is the God of those who live, not of those who are lost and forever gone, for they shall not rise again. The Lord chose to reference Moses specifically, avoiding other well-known instances from the Old Testament that speak of resurrection, as the Sadducees only acknowledged the writings of Moses. Consequently, they remained silent. The evidence provided by Jesus Christ was striking not only for its surprising nature but also for its profound spiritual insight, which was beyond the scope of rabbinical thought.

After the Pharisees were left speechless by His response, the Sadducees—members of the same council—celebrated their embarrassment and quickly posed a question regarding the doctrine of resurrection, which they had dismissed due to the absurd implications they believed it entailed. Just as the Lord had previously confronted the Pharisees, He addressed the Sadducees by uprooting the very foundation of their flawed beliefs. They cited a scenario involving a woman who had married seven brothers in accordance with human law. The Lord demonstrated to the Sadducees that their misconceptions arose from two key issues: (1) their lack of understanding of the Scriptures and (2) their failure to grasp the power of God.

The collaboration between the Sadducees and Pharisees in this situation is not clearly indicated in the Gospel narratives. It is possible that, having witnessed Jesus Christ's humiliation of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, in their delight, desired for Him to also mock the Pharisees' faith in the resurrection of the dead. This belief held that with the arrival of the Messiah, all Israelites would rise again and continue to dwell in the promised land. At the very least, Jesus' response brought joy to the scribes (Luke 39), and the Sadducees' defeat by His words gave encouragement to the Pharisees (Matthew 34).

Jesus responded to them, saying, "You express this belief because you lack comprehension of the coming Eternal Life. You misjudge it, assuming that existence there will mirror the fleshly life experienced here on earth. However, that is not the case: those who are privileged to become the children of God following their resurrection will be like angels, living in a different, spiritual existence. Like angels, they will neither wed nor be wedded; they cannot die. Regarding your assertion that there is no mention of the resurrection in the writings of Moses, you are mistaken here as well. Have you not read about God’s manifestation to Moses? Are you unaware of how He identified Himself? He declared to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ (Mark 12:26).

Regarding the resurrection itself, the belief that Moses does not address this matter is clearly mistaken. He refers to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since God cannot be the God of those who no longer exist, it follows that the patriarchs, despite their physical death, were indeed alive in the realm beyond and were anticipating resurrection. For God, all the deceased remain alive, making it quite effortless for Him to bring them back to life thereafter.

Regarding the resurrection of the dead, the Lord utilizes the writings of Moses to demonstrate the reality of this doctrine, which the Sadducees had dismissed. Since the Sadducees referred to Moses in their inquiry, the Lord cites a specific passage from the book of Exodus, where God Himself addresses Moses at the burning bush. He declares that "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." This signifies that God does not belong to those who no longer exist and are completely lost to oblivion, never to rise again. Instead, He affirms His identity as "I am" rather than "I was," indicating that He is the God of all who are alive.

After addressing the skepticism of the Sadducees in an unforeseen manner and illustrating the nature of the resurrection, the Savior presented a proof to both guide some Sadducees away from their misconceptions and solidify this truth in the hearts of His audience. In doing so, as noted by a revered commentator, He effectively silenced the Sadducees with the words of Moses, to whom they themselves pointed: “But of the dead that rise up, was it not read in the books of Moses, at the Tabernacle, that God spoke to him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6). St. Basil the Great explains that God chose to identify Himself as their God due to the remarkable holiness and virtue of these saints, reflecting their significance and dignity.