What does Matthew 22:26 mean?
Some Sadducees—a more secular, political part of the Jewish ruling class—are hoping to stump Jesus on the issue of human resurrection. They do not believe in an afterlife, or even a spirit world. To illustrate what they see as absurdity of life after death in view of the Law of Moses, they point to a requirement from Deuteronomy 25:5–10. If a married man dies without children, his brother must take the widow as his own wife and have a son with her. The product of this Levirate marriage is considered the son of the late brother. This would continue the family line of the man who has died.Now the Sadducees begin to make their case. They pose a scenario with seven brothers, where the first brother married and then died without having any children. He leaves his wife to the next brother in line. Then, one by one, each brother dies without having any children with her, and the next brother dutifully takes her as his wife. In other words, all seven brothers were married to her at some point.
This, in the Sadducees' minds, creates an absurdity in the afterlife: a woman with seven husbands, or, at least, seven men with claims to that title (Matthew 22:28). Jesus will correct this misunderstanding in His response (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.
