Luke 20:33
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Luke 20:33
33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.
Chapter Context
Luke 20 is a historical gospel chapter in the New Testament that explores themes of worship, righteousness, obedience. Written during the late first century CE (c. 80-85 CE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Written when Christians needed to understand their place in the Roman world.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-47: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it establishes important theological principles that resonate throughout Scripture. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Luke and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Luke 20:33
33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.
Analysis
Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? (ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τίνος αὐτῶν γίνεται γυνή, en tē anastasei tinos autōn ginetai gynē)—The Sadducees' rhetorical trap springs. They assume resurrection means resuming earthly relationships exactly as they were. For seven had her to wife (οἱ γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἔσχον αὐτὴν γυναῖκα, hoi gar hepta eschon autēn gynaika)—all seven were legitimately married to her according to Moses.
Their unstated conclusion: resurrection creates legal and moral impossibilities, contradicting Torah, therefore resurrection is false. But they've committed a category error—assuming resurrection merely extends mortality rather than transforming it. Jesus will answer not by resolving their legal puzzle within their framework but by exploding the framework itself.
Historical Context
This type of reductio ad absurdum argument was common in Greco-Roman philosophical debate and rabbinic disputation. The Sadducees were demonstrating their intellectual prowess while attacking Pharisaic belief in resurrection. They assumed material existence was ultimate reality; transformation into a fundamentally different mode of being was inconceivable to their worldview.
Reflection
- How do we project earthly categories (marriage, ownership, identity) onto eternal realities inappropriately?
- When have your questions about doctrine revealed not genuine inquiry but attempts to discredit?
- What does the Sadducees' question reveal about their understanding of God's power and purposes?
Word Studies
- Resurrection: ἀνάστασις (Anastasis) G386 - Resurrection, rising