Matthew 22:23-33 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 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: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
From these passages and from Acts 23:8 we are told that the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, but the Pharisees did believe in a resurrection. As to what the Pharisees actually believed I do not know, but the line of questioning the Sadducees are applying here tends toward the belief in a physical bodily resurrection where they will once again pick up their lives in heaven. But to this line of thinking Jesus told them they were in error, not knowing the scriptures or the power of God. And then he corrected them saying God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. I wonder if Martha believed in a resurrection like the Pharisees or as the Sadducees tried depicting it?
Mat 22:23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,
Mat 22:24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.'
Mat 22:25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother.
Mat 22:26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh.
Mat 22:27 After them all, the woman died.
Mat 22:28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."
Mat 22:29 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
Mat 22:31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:
Mat 22:32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." (ESV)
First we need to understand what the Sadducees are doing. They did not believe in the resurrection, as verse 23 states. So why did they bother coming to Jesus with this story? It seems clear that they are trying to show Jesus how absurd the idea is of the resurrection of the body. For this they appeal to the authority of the Law--"Moses said"--in Deut. 25:5-6. And then, to make their point, all that was needed were two husbands but they continued to seven husbands, which serves to prove the point that they were merely trying to show the absurdity of bodily resurrection.
Now we have the information necessary to understand Jesus' reply. When he says, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God," he is referring to the facts that the Law in Deut. 25:5-6 applies only to the living, not the afterlife, and that the OT teaches in various places about the bodily resurrection of the dead. Hence, they did not know the Scriptures. Also, in denying the power of God, they not only deny God's ability to resurrect the dead, they deny that his power can change the resurrection body in such a way that marriage is no longer necessary. And that is what verse 30 is saying--"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."
It is also
very important here to note what Jesus isn't saying. He
isn't saying there is no resurrection of the dead or that the resurrection means something different than what the Pharisees believe (what the Pharisees believe on the matter isn't even implied here), which is made clear by his words, "For in the resurrection." Jesus is supporting his assertion that the Sadducees do not know the power of God because God will, at the resurrection, change the bodies of the former dead so that "they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."
As for verses 31 and 32, Jesus is implying that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still living and awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
And all that is supported by Acts 23:8, "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all" (ESV). Jesus has just shown the Sadducees to be wrong on all counts.
As for evidence that the OT teaches a bodily resurrection, to prove that Jesus is not denying a bodily resurrection but showing the Sadducees that they do not know the Scriptures, I submit the following (all from ESV):
Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
Job 19:27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
Psa 17:15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Isa 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
There are others, including Eze. 27:1-14, but that should suffice.
John 11:24-26 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
I will have more to say on this passage as it relates to John 5:28-29 and Rev 20:5-6 later on, but for now I want to stay focused on Martha’s belief in a resurrection at the last day, and Jesus correcting her saying I am the Resurrection. This is the first key to understanding the resurrection of the dead: JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION.
You are ignoring the context.
Joh 11:21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
Joh 11:22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."
Joh 11:23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
Joh 11:24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
Joh 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
Joh 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (ESV)
In verse 22 Martha hints that even though her brother is dead, Jesus could raise him again by asking God. Jesus then tells her what was going to soon happen, that Lazarus was indeed going to be raised from the dead. Martha mistakes Jesus' statement as referring to the final resurrection of all the dead. This supports everything given in this post thus far, that many Jews, based on Scripture, believed in the bodily resurrection of the dead at the consummation of all things.
Jesus' response to that, in verse 25, in no way whatsoever denies this reality--of the bodily resurrection on the last day. If it did, he would be contradicting the OT. Jesus is saying that he is "the resurrection and the life"
in person. Apart from him there is no resurrection, no life. He is saying this to hint to Martha that he could raise Lazarus of his own accord.
Jesus is not correcting Martha's belief "in the resurrection on the last day."
Simply put, there is absolutely nothing in what Jesus says here that denies or otherwise proves false a final bodily resurrection of the dead.