Matthew 22:23-46

That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no one will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question. They said, “Teacher, Moses told us that if a married man dies and had no children, his brother must marry the woman. Then they will have children for the dead brother. There were seven brothers among us. The first brother married but died. He had no children. So his brother married the woman. Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother and all the other brothers. The woman was the last to die. But all seven men had married her. So when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?” Jesus answered, “You are so wrong! You don’t know what the Scriptures say. And you don’t know anything about God’s power. At the time when people rise from death, there will be no marriage. People will not be married to each other. Everyone will be like the angels in heaven. Surely you have read what God said to you about people rising from death. God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So they were not still dead, because he is the God only of living people.” When the people heard this, they were amazed at Jesus’ teaching. The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?” Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” So while the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them a question. He said, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” The Pharisees answered, “The Messiah is the Son of David.” Jesus said to them, “Then why did David call him ‘Lord’? David was speaking by the power of the Spirit. He said, ‘The Lord God said to my Lord: Sit by me at my right side, and I will put your enemies under your control.’ David calls the Messiah ‘Lord.’ So how can he be David’s son?” None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus’ question. And after that day, no one was brave enough to ask him any more questions.