What does Luke 20:34 mean?

The Sadducees are trying to trap Jesus in a theological paradox. They do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They know that Jesus does; He regularly talks about the judgment people will receive after they die (Matthew 5:21–22).

What the Sadducees do believe in is the Mosaic law. And they believe Jews are responsible for doing what is right. This includes practicing levirate marriage. If a man is married and dies childless, his brother is responsible to marry his wife and have a son in his name (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). They are using this system while attempting to trap Jesus. They present a hypothetical scenario in which a woman marries seven brothers, one at a time, but remains childless as each one dies. Then, she dies. If the resurrection of the dead is true, to which brother is she married (Luke 20:27–33)?

Jesus patiently answers their question: none of them. Now, on earth in this age, sons—male offspring of a family head—marry. But if they are found worthy of resurrection, they don't. There is no marriage in the age of the resurrection. They are like angels in that regard. It's not that marriage is meaningless, or unimportant. Rather, it's that "marriage" doesn't apply to the post-resurrection experience (Luke 20:35–36).

The Sadducees had hoped to expose Jesus as a teacher with nonsensical beliefs, and therefore not worth following. Like many skeptics today, they failed to see errors in their own worldview. They also ignored the ramifications if Jesus is right. Because if Jesus is right, no matter our doubts, misunderstandings, or possible errors we find in Scripture, there is always an answer.

The ESV says, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage." Other translations say women are given in marriage. Good arguments could be made for either representation.