Luke 20:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

NIV: and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.

NASB: for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

CSB: For they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.

NLT: And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

KJV: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

NKJV: nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Jesus is explaining some of the foundational changes God-followers will experience when they are resurrected. God-followers will receive glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:20–23, 42–49). Death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire, the second death (Revelation 20:14). Because they cannot die, they are like angels, and because they are like angels, they cannot marry (Luke 20:35). The progression of thought seems strange to a modern western reader. Yet extra-biblical Jewish writing states that angels don't marry or eat.

The Bible frequently uses the father/son motif to describe someone who follows and emulates another. The Old Testament mentions the "sons of God": angels or demons who share God's nature of being spirit (Job 1:6). Jesus told the religious leaders they were not Abraham's children because they wished to kill Him for speaking the truth. Instead, they were sons of the Devil who murders and lies (John 8:39–44).

Here, Jesus is saying the resurrected will prove to be sons of God because they will live for eternity and have a different relationship with others—one not based on marriage and marriageability. Marriage is all about earthly concerns; it has no application when everyone is immortal, glorified, and in the presence of God.

Jesus is talking about this because the Sadducees have given Him a challenge. They wish to prove Jesus an uneducated teacher, particularly regarding resurrection of the dead (Luke 20:27–35). Jesus is explaining that part of their problem is they don't understand what it means to be resurrected. They think it's exactly like life on earth.

His next argument comes from Moses, whom the Sadducees revere as the giver of their beloved law. Moses wrote that God called Himself the "God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" (Luke 20:37, cf. Exodus 3:6). How could God be the God of people who had died hundreds of years before? God did not say He "was" or "had been" the God of those men. He is the God of the living, so at the time of Moses' commissioning, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must have been alive: the Torah demonstrates that people do not cease to exist after death, making the concept of future resurrection supportable (Luke 20:38).

Luke 20:27–40 records the Sadducees trying to discredit Jesus' authority to teach. They plan to present a paradox about marriage and the resurrection of the dead. Leaders of other religious sects have already failed to embarrass Jesus regarding the law and civil responsibilities (Luke 20:19–26). Jesus easily explains away the Sadducees' argument using the very text which their sect reveres: the Torah. He continues with proof that the Christ has authority over David and warns the people to be wary of the scribes' hypocrisy (Luke 20:41–47). This debate is also recorded in Matthew 22:23–33 and Mark 12:18–27.

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus find Himself in conflict with the city's religious leaders. Elders, priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees all attempt to discredit Him. This comes mostly in challenging Jesus with trick questions. Jesus deftly handles those challenges without falling into the trap. He provides several teachings about His role as the Son of God and directly warns the Jewish people against their generation of scribes, who are arrogant and pretentious.

Luke 20 is a chiasm about authority. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and cleansed the temple (Luke 19:28–46). Now, the priests and teachers attack Jesus' authority in religion, law, and doctrine; Jesus defends Himself and shows their sinful lifestyles disqualify them for authority. After holding up a widow as a better role model (Luke 21:1–4), Jesus warns His disciples about the challenges they will face in the coming years, including the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:5–38). The events in Luke 20 are also discussed in Matthew 21—23 and Mark 11—12.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.