Matthew 22:30

Context

The verse belongs to the passage in Matthew 22 in which Jesus, while in Jerusalem, is questioned by various groups. The Sadducees, a Jewish sect that did not believe in the resurrection, posed a question based on the law of levirate marriage in Deuteronomy. Under this law, if a man died without children, his brother was to marry the widow and raise up offspring to carry on his line. The Sadducees asked whose wife a woman who had married seven brothers in succession would be in the resurrection (22:23–28). Jesus replied that they erred, "not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God" (22:29). He then spoke the words of this verse and, quoting Exodus ("I am the God of Abraham"), argued for the resurrection of the dead (22:31–32). The same account appears in Mark 12 and Luke 20.

Interpretation

• The newness of resurrection life: Commentaries from many denominations note that life after the resurrection is not a mere continuation of present life. In the parallel passage, Luke adds the words "Neither can they die any more." On this basis, interpreters often explain that because there is no death, the institution of marriage for continuing the family line is no longer needed. On this view, the Sadducees' question fails because it assumes that the resurrection is an extension of present earthly institutions.
• The scope of "as the angels": Among Protestants and in the Catholic Church, the common reading is that the comparison is limited to the fact of not marrying (and, in Luke, of not dying). It does not mean that human beings become angels or that the body and sexual distinction disappear. Augustine, in Book 22 of The City of God, held that the distinction between male and female remains in the resurrected body.
• The Catholic reading: The Catholic tradition has connected this verse with its teaching that consecrated celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven is a sign that anticipates the resurrection life to come. Protestants generally regard both marriage and singleness as callings and do not connect this verse with mandatory clerical celibacy.
• The reading of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: This church teaches that marriage continues eternally through the "sealing" performed in its temples. It therefore explains the verse to mean that marriage ceremonies are not performed after the resurrection and so must be entered into in this life. Other denominations consider this interpretation inconsistent with the context of the verse.

Debates and Issues

• Marital relationships in heaven: Whether one will recognize a spouse who has died first, and whether the marital relationship continues in heaven, are questions that believers frequently ask. One view holds that spouses will recognize each other but will not remain married; another holds that the relationship is not lost but transformed into a more complete fellowship. Some observe that this verse alone cannot settle the details. The verse is also sometimes cited for those considering remarriage after the death of a spouse.
• The "sons of God" in Genesis 6: Those who identify the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:2 as descendants of Seth cite this verse, which states that angels do not marry, as support. Those who identify them as angels respond that this verse speaks only of angels "in heaven" and does not address the conduct of fallen angels. This debate is also connected with the interpretation of the Nephilim in Numbers 13:33 and of Job 1:6.
• Manuscript differences: Some manuscripts read "the angels of God," and the King James Version, among other English translations, follows this reading. The difference does not significantly affect the meaning.

Related Passages

• Mark 12:24–27
• Luke 20:34–36
• Deuteronomy 25:5–6
• Exodus 3:6
• 1 Corinthians 15:42–44