Luke

20:27-40

The culmination of Messiah's mission, 19:45-24:53

1. The Messiah and the Temple, 19:45-24:53

iii] The dead are raised - Sadducees on resurrection

The Sadducees saw the whole person as mortal and so did not believe in a "resurrection, neither angel nor spirit." In our passage for study, Jesus begins by exposing the irrelevance of the Sadducees' position. The resurrection-life is not an extension of the good life of this age; it is of another dimension where there are no sexual relationships. Jesus then, by inference, proves the resurrection using scriptures recognized by the Sadducees. If Moses calls God the God of Abraham after Abraham's death, Abraham must inevitably rise from the dead so that God's relationship with him can be actualized. If that is so for Abraham, then it can be so for us.

This passage is the third episode of six which details Jesus' temple ministry in Jerusalem, 19:45-21:38. "The rejection of Jesus by the Sanhedrin is a dominant note, and it is significant for the meaning of the temple episodes. Jesus comes to the temple of Israel to purge and renew it. Instead of accepting his messianic role the Sanhedrin insistently resist and reject him. Jesus, in turn, accepts the rejection as the purpose of God. He then pronounces God's judgment on religious Judaism and its temple", Ellis.

On the issue of the resurrection, the Pharisees had adopted a typically Greek view of the soul leaving the body after death for either punishment or reward. Most "Western" people today follow this "Hellenistic" (Platonic) idea. The Sadducees, on the other hand, saw the whole person as mortal and so did not believe in a "resurrection, neither angel nor spirit." Interestingly, the Qumran community held a view closer to the teachings of New Testament. The righteous dead ("elect") will rise "from the dust unto eternal foundation.... to stand in array with the host of holy ones", while "the sons of wickedness will cease to be." It's also worth noting that some later Jewish apocalyptic writings speak of an interim "sleep" prior to the resurrection hope of the righteous. The idea of believers "asleep in Jesus", prior to the resurrection of the dead at Christ's return, is certainly one way of looking at the "now / not yet" dichotomy we face when dealing with the reality of the parousia.

oiJ legonteV (legw) pres. part. "who say" - the ones saying [the resurrection is not to be]. The participle forms an adjectival clause, descriptive of the Sadducees, "the Sadducees who deny the resurrection." In some texts the verb has a negative prefix, possibly dropped due to the following negation = a double negative = "definitely no resurrection", ref. Metzger. "Those who argue there is no resurrection", NJB.

mh einai "there is no [resurrection]" - is not to be. The negated infinitive of the verb to-be serves to introduce a dependent statement, indirect speech, "the resurrection does not exist."

proselqonteV (prosercomai) aor. part. "came" - having come, approached. The participle is possibly temporal, "when/then the Sadducees came [to him]", or possibly attendant circumstance, "came and asked him", TNT.

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "they said" - Attendant circumstance participle, "the Sadducees came, and asked, and said."

hJmin dat. "for us" - Possibly "to us", but "for our advantage" is more likely. "Moses prescribed a regulation for us", Barclay.

ean + subj. "that if" - if [.... dies]. Introducing a conditional clause, 3rd class, where the realization of the condition is a possibility, "if, as may be the case, ..... then....." The protasis is duplicated using the subjunctive of the verb to-be, "and if this one is childless." The apodosis is the hina clause. The quoted scripture is drawn from Deut.25:5, and Gen.38:8. "If a man dies and has no children, his brother should marry his widow", CEV.

ecwn (ecw) pres. part. "leaves [a wife]" - [dies] having [a wife]. The participle is adjectival, limiting "brother", "someone's brother who has a wife dies." "If a man's married brother dies", Moffatt.

oJ adelfoV "the man" - the brother [of him]. This second reference to the brother is a bit confusing so is often translated "he", or "the man" as NIV., but it can be translated "brother"; "if a man's married brother dies and is childless, his brother is to take the woman and raise the offspring of his brother", Moffatt.

iJna + subj. "[the man] must [marry]" - must [take, receive]. The natural sense of the apodosis in this conditional sentence is imperatival, but it seems unlikely that the hina clause functions to form an imperatival clause. Zerwick suggests it stands in place of an infinitive which, following egrayen, "wrote", would form a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what Moses wrote, ie. his instruction was "that his brother should take the wife and raise up seed to his brother"

exanasthsh/ (exanisthmi) aor. subj. "have children" - may/should raise up [offspring]. "Provide an heir for his brother", REB.

oun "now" - therefore. Having quoted Moses, the Sadducees draw out an implication. "Well then", Barclay.

lambwn (lambanw) aor. part. "married [a woman]" - having taken, received = married. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, "the first/eldest [brother], after taking a wife/woman, died."

oJ deuteroV "the second" - Serves as the subject, along with "the third", of the verb "took (married)", although the verb should properly be plural.

wJsautwV adv. "in the same way" - in like manner. "The same thing happened to the third one.

uJsteron adv. "finally" - afterwards, last, later, finally.

The point of the argument being, "granted your belief in resurrection, does not the given scenario produce for you a knot that cannot be untangled?", Nolland.

oun "now then" - therefore. Marking the transition to the Sadducees question.

hJ gunh "-" - the woman, wife. Emphatic position identifying that "the wife" is the focus of the question. "So then, concerning this woman, ..."

en + dat. "at" - in, on. Possibly "in relation to / with respect to", but more likely temporal, "at the time of."

ginetai (ginomai) pres. "will she be" - she becomes. The present tense is best read as futuristic, as NIV.

gar "since" - for. Expressing cause/reason.

oiJ ... eJpta "the seven" - Adjective used as a substantive. "All seven had her as their wife."

authn gunaika acc. "[were married] to her" - her wife. Double accusative object complement. "Her" is the accusative object, and "wife" the accusative complement, so "the seven had her [as] a wife", or simply, "she was married to all seven of them", Rieu.

"Marriage is a major preoccupation here, but not there", Peterson. Possibly even stronger if we follow the Western text; the people of this world "are begotten and begat", ie. "the sons of this age find the ground and continuity of their existence in procreation", Ellis.

oiJ uiJoi tou aiwnoV toutou "the people of this age" - the sons/children of this age. "People in this world", Phillips.

de "but" - Here adversative.

oiJ kataxiwqenteV aor. pas. part. "those who are considered worthy" - the ones having been considered/judged worthy. The participle functions as a substantive and is best translated as relative clause, as NIV. Probably "judged righteous", in which case, divine reward would properly apply, and such reward would logically entail resurrection. Not all participate in "the age to come", "only those who are judged worthy", NJB.

tucein (tugcanw) aor. inf. "of taking part" - to attain, experience. The infinitive is epexegetic explaining what they are considered worthy of; "the ones considered worthy that they should obtain / attain / experience ...." "But those who are held worthy of the other world and ....", Cassirer.

tou aiwnoV ekeinou "in that age" - of that age, eternity. = "this age" = "this future age." The genitive is adjectival, "those who are considered worthy to obtain in/with respect to that age and the resurrection of the dead."

ek + gen. "from [the dead]" - of, out of, from. Best taken here as partitive, identifying the whole, "the dead", from which "the resurrection" is part; "some from the dead are raised", Plummer.

oute .... oute "neither .... nor" - See above, v34. It's not that there are no relationships in heaven, rather there is no need to retain an institution which functions for the purpose of continuing the family line through procreation, given that those who share in the resurrection will never die. Naturally, there is some reaction to this logic as it implies that procreation is the only purpose of marriage; remove procreation and we remove the need for marriage. Of course, there is more to marriage than procreation; it is the deepest expression of human intimacy, compassion, love.... This relationship bond must surely continue in heaven, but it is obviously no longer exclusive, given that we are all one in Christ.

gar "-" - for. There is no need to maintain the institution of marriage in heaven "because" those who share in the resurrection do not die and therefore do not need to breed to secure a family's posterity.

dunantai (dunamai) pres. pas. "they can [no longer]" - they are [not] able [any longer].

apoqanein (apoqnhskw) aor. inf. "die" - to die. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the negated verb "not able"; "it is no longer possible for them to die", TNT.

gar "for" - for. They don't marry because they don't die, they don't die "because" they are like angels / sons of God, and they are like angels / sons of God, because they are children of the resurrection.

isaggeloi (oV) adj. "like the angels" - angel-like. Possibly "equal to angels", but better, "like angels." Hapax legomenon, once only use in the NT. Note the possible sense: "the resurrected ones don't marry because they are like angels", but better, "they don't die because they are like angels." Angel-like in the sense that like the angels those who share in the resurrection will not die, so Danker, Bock. Nolland disagrees, "the comparison should not be seen in terms of intrinsic immortality, but rather in connection with a certain kind of glory and dignity." "Nor can they die any more, for they are like angels", Barclay.

uiJoi eisin qeou "they are God's children" - they are sons of God. "Sons of the Most High", Lk.6:35. Best as NIV. = members of the kingdom of God united to God, one with God in the Son of God. "All ecstasies and intimacies will then be with God", Peterson.

onteV (eimi) pres. part. "since" - The participle of the verb to-be serves to form a causal clause, "since / because."

thV anastasewV uiJoi "children of the resurrection" - sons of the resurrection. Probably "because they share in the resurrection."

Having demolished the Sadducees tricky argument, which was based on the false notion that the ground-rules on earth are the same as the ground-rules in heaven, Jesus presents a tricky argument in return, one based on scripture, which proves that the righteous dead are raised.

epi + gen. "in the account" - at [the bush]. When it comes to meaning, this preposition is a bit all over the place. With the genitive it tends to be "punctiliar", Moule, so here it's making the point that it's "at" that point in the Bible which speaks about the burning bush. "In the portion of scripture known as 'the bush'", Plummer.

thV batou "of the bush" - "Moses indicated in the passage concerning the thorn-bush", TH.

kai "even" - even [Moses revealed, made known, showed]. Proof-texting the resurrection would be better supported by Job 19:26, Ps.16:9-11, Isa.26:19, Dan.12:2, ....., but Jesus confines himself to the Pentateuch, the scriptures regarded authoritative by the Sadducees.

oJti "that" - Here introducing a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what Moses made known; "that the dead are in fact raised", Barclay.

egeirontai (egeirw) pres. pas. "rise" - are being raised. Theological passive, God does the raising, "are raised [by God]", Williams. Probably a futuristic present, "will rise", NAB.

wJV "for" - as, while. The conjunction here takes a temporal adverbial sense; "when he calls the Lord", Moffatt.

legei (legw) pres. "he calls" - he says. Durative, ie. The point being that God still speaks through Moses / the scriptures to the Patriarchs. Possibly even setting up a quote from the scriptures, "it says", Ellis, or "he says", Bock, cf. Nolland. "When he speaks", Fitzmyer.

kurion ton qeon "the Lord the God [of Abraham]" - Lord the God. Double accusative. Unlike Matthew, Luke has not chosen to use the LXX version "I am the God of Abraham ....." expressing the Lord's "being the God of", rather than "having been the God of." As noted above, Luke may be giving us a quote, as both Matthew and Mark do, see above. If a quote, it serves, not as a direct quote, but as a que to the actual text, Ex.3:2-6. "When he speaks of (about/concerning) the Lord as the God of Abraham ..... Jacob", Fitzmyer.

Jesus now supplies the reason why the righteous dead are raised; "God relates to the living and not the dead", Bock.

qeoV "He" - Properly "God is not [the God] of dead people", TH.

zwntwn (zaw) gen. pres. part. "the living" - of living ones. The participle functions as a substantive.

gar "for" - because. Expressing cause/reason.

autw/ "to him" - Possibly a dative of respect; "to God", "for with respect to him [God]", but probably an ethical dative, "before him", "for as far as God in concerned", Marshall.

panteV "all [are alive]" - Which "all", all people both dead and alive, or all those living, or all who are eternally alive / share in the resurrection?

zwsin (zaw) pres. "are alive" - As far as humanity is concerned, the dead are dead, but as far as God is concerned they are alive. In what sense alive? Ellis suggests either prospectively, "in the prospect of a sure resurrection", so "all those who are worthy will live", or "all live in God / in Christ", such that "what the Christian now shares corporately in Christ will be fulfilled individually at the parousia." Ellis is possibly stretching the sense here so we may be best to go with Stein who says simply "the patriarchs live because of their association with the God of life", cf. also Fitzmyer. The sample sermon takes the Pauline "alive in Christ" line.

Luke Introduction

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