Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus

²⁷Some Sadducees* came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that people will not rise from death.) They asked Jesus, ²⁸"Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and had no children, then his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother.* ²⁹One time there were seven brothers. The first brother married a woman, but died. He had no children. ³⁰Then the second brother married the woman, and he died. ³¹And the third brother married the woman, and he died. The same thing happened with all the other brothers. They all died and had no children. ³²The woman was the last to die. ³³But all seven brothers married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will this woman be?" ³⁴Jesus said to the Sadducees,*"On earth, people marry each other. ³⁵Some people will be worthy to be raised from death and live again after this life. In that life they will not marry. ³⁶In that life people are like angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they have been raised from death. ³⁷Moses clearly showed that people are raised from death. When Moses wrote about the [burning] bush,* he said that the Lord [God] is 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.*'* ³⁸[If God said he is their God, then] these men are not really dead. He is God only of living people. All people that belong to God are alive." ³⁹Some of the teachers of the law said, "Teacher, your answer was very good." ⁴⁰No person was brave enough to ask him another question.

Is the Christ the Son of David?

⁴¹Then Jesus said, "Why do people say that the Christ* is the Son of David*? ⁴²In the book of Psalms, David* himself says: 'The Lord (God) said to my Lord (Christ): Sit by me at my right side, ⁴³and I will put your enemies under your power.*' Psalm 110:1

⁴⁴David calls the Christ 'Lord.' But the Christ is also the son of David. How can both these things be true?"

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

⁴⁵All the people listened to Jesus. Jesus said to his followers, ⁴⁶"Be careful of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around wearing clothes that look important. And they love for people to show respect to them in the market places. They love to get the most important seats in the synagogues.* And they love to get the most important seats at the feasts. ⁴⁷But they are mean to widows* and steal their homes. Then they try to make themselves look good by saying long prayers. God will punish these people very much."

Sadducees A leading Jewish religious group. They accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament. if ... dead brother See Deut. 25:5,6. burning bush Read Ex. 3:1-12. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Three of the most important Jewish leaders during the time of the Old Testament. 'the God of ... Jacob' Words taken from Ex. 3:6. Christ The "anointed one" (Messiah) or chosen one of God. Son of David Name for the Christ, who was from the family of David, king of Israel. David King of Israel about 1000 years before Christ. and I ... power Literally, "until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." synagogue(s) Synagogues were places where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. widows Women whose husbands have died.