Matthew 22:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.

NIV: Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.

NASB: Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother.

CSB: Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother.

NLT: Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow.

KJV: Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

NKJV: Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.

A group of Sadducees have approached Jesus with a question (Matthew 22:23–24). Unlike the Pharisees, their intention does not seem to be to get Jesus arrested or accuse Him of blasphemy (Matthew 22:17). Instead, they are presenting a scenario they think illustrates absurdity in the idea of resurrection. This group was known for believing that there was no afterlife or spirit world. Death was the end, according to the Sadducees.

In this question, they have pointed to a law in Deuteronomy defining Levirate marriage. This applied to the brother of man who died married but childless. The surviving brother was obligated to marry the widow and have a son with her to continue his late brother's family line (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). The Sadducees suggest a scenario in which there are seven brothers. The first gets married and then dies without having children, leaving his widow to the next brother in line. Then the pattern repeats, resulting in the woman having seven earthly husbands (Matthew 22:26).

When Jesus replies, He will begin by correcting the Sadducees' mistaken beliefs about both marriage and the afterlife (Matthew 22:29–32).

Matthew 22:23–33 contains another challenge for Jesus. This one comes from the Sadducees: a Jewish religious group that did not believe in an afterlife. Attempting to prove their view, they describe a hypothetical situation based on a requirement from the Law of Moses. A woman is married to seven brothers, one after another, as each dies and passes her on. Whose wife will she be in the resurrection? Jesus replies that the question is flawed: there is no marriage in the resurrection. He then references Scripture to show that the Lord is God of the living, including faithful patriarchs such as Abraham and Jacob. Parallel accounts are recorded in Mark 12:18–27 and Luke 20:27–40.

Continuing a dialogue with hostile religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast which ends up being attended by those not initially invited. He answers trick questions about taxes, marriage, resurrection, and the Law of Moses. These responses are the source of common English idioms such as "render to Caesar…" and "many are called but few are chosen." Finally, Jesus asks how the Messiah can be both the son of David and the Lord of David. None can answer Him, so they stop challenging Him in public.

This chapter extends an exchange between Jesus and several groups of religious leaders in the temple. The previous chapter concluded with two parables about the failures of the religious leaders. This chapter begins with a third parable, about chosen guests who refuse to attend a wedding feast. Jesus then fields questions from several religious groups, who fail in their attempts to trip Him up. His wise and profound answers silence all of them. At this point, Jesus launches into a full-throated condemnation of the Pharisees in chapter 23.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.