Discussing Eternal Marriage in the Context of Matthew 22:23-29

Discussing Eternal Marriage in the Context of Matthew 22:23-29

This was a response to an online comment I found on YouTube (I think).

The Comment

Thanks for opening this discussion! I'm a follower of Jesus (not Mormon), and to be honest, can't square Mormonism with following Jesus. I know many ex-Mormons who came out of the church into a vibrant relationship with Jesus. Many Christian churches are even sending missionaries into Utah to free folks from the religious deception of Mormonism. That's not to say I doubt your love of Jesus; just that Mormonism presents a form of Jesus that isn't truthful, stemming from the teachings of a false prophet (even the Mormon church's own Gospel Topic Essays would lead most people to question how he could be a prophet, as they put a lot of dirty laundry into those not-often-read essays). So, I'm not looking to reject you or be hateful, but did want to be honest out of love.

One particular question I have: I know marriages in Mormonism are seen as eternal covenants, or eternal families. How would you square that with what Jesus says, starting in Matthew 22:23?

"23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh.
27 Finally, the woman died.
28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
29 Jesus replied, 'You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.'

My Response

The verses in Matthew 22:23-30 are among the most misunderstood scriptures in the Bible. Everyone notices the parts of it they think they understand and ignores the other parts. For example, in verse 29, Christ says, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." What scriptures did he have in mind? Where is it written in the Old Testament that marriages do not continue in heaven? And how is the power of God displayed by severing the marriage between a man and a woman who have lived their lives together in love? In fact, the New Testament says exactly the opposite. In 1 Corinthians 11꞉11, Paul says:

"Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."

which certainly sounds like an eternal principle. And Jesus says, in Mark 10꞉8-9,

"And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

The Bible teaches that the power of God unites. There is no mention anywhere of death changing anything — no "till death do you part." It is man who insists on separating married couples.

Likewise Peter affirmed that man and woman can be "heirs together of the grace of life" (1 Pet 3꞉7)

"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."

What Were the Sadducees Trying to Do?

The context in which this question was posed makes it clear that the Sadducees were trying to entrap the Lord. Since the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection (Matt 22꞉23), asking a question based on that belief (Matt 22꞉28) was an obvious ruse. We should also note that the Pharisees had made a similar attempt that same day which had failed to "entangle him" (Matt 22꞉15-22). The question posed by the Sadducees was based on a dilemma contrived from the law of Moses (Deut 25꞉5-10). Because the law of Moses constituted a lower law, the law of marriage it contained was for this life only (Rom 7꞉1-3).

1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Clearly, under the law of Moses, as the lesser law, there was no eternal marriage.

By contrast, the Lord was teaching the higher law of the gospel which brought with it a higher law of marriage for eternity. In fact, the Sadducees' question is confirmation that the Lord and others were apparently teaching the eternal nature of marriage. Otherwise, it would have made little sense for the Sadducees to even ask that question. An eternal marriage is the very essence of the question!

When Jesus says that there is no marrying or giving in marriage "in the resurrection" or as it is more plainly put in Mark "when they shall rise from the dead," those who were not married according to God's law before the resurrection cannot be made so at the time they are resurrected. In other words, all question of marital state must be decided before the resurrection occurs.

Finally, it must be said that there is no Biblical obstacle to the doctrine of eternal marriage. This doctrine is consistent with the Bible, but it is not drawn from it. As in all things, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is guided by modern revelation, and the doctrine of eternal marriage came to the church through this means, not by twisting scripture around to conform to our prejudices.

In regards to Matthew 22:23-24 (and corresponding stories in Mark and Luke), as you know, the Sadducees were attempting to catch Jesus in a trick question. You may not be familiar with the original story that the Sadducees were citing, because it is part of what is called The Apocrypha. The story of the seven brothers occurs in the Book of Tobit. You can find that book online at BibleGateway.com if you want to read it.

The Apocryphal Story of the Woman and her Seven Husbands

First of all, in laying out the trick question, the Sadducees completely miss the point of the story, and twist it to conform to their own false beliefs. In the actual story, a woman named Sarah marries six of these seven husbands, but on each of their six wedding nights a demon strangles them to death before they could consummate the marriage. After all this everyone thinks that she murdered them, or that she is cursed. Because of her misery, she wants to commit suicide, but decides not to because of the shame it will bring her family.

Meanwhile, Tobias the son of Tobit arrives and as he is a close relative of the six dead brothers (according to the Levirate marriage law he is also a brother of the six, though they have different parents) he is next in line to take Sarah as his wife. Despite the apparent curse, Tobias decided to marry her anyway, and he is determined to break the curse that had claimed the lives of his brothers. In doing so, he demonstrates his faith and obedience, Tobias successfully marries Sarah and survives the night, breaking the supposed curse that had plagued her previous marriages. There's more to it (involving the angel Raphael in disguise aiding Tobias), but that's the story.

The story is intended to teach the power of faith, perseverance, and the belief in divine intervention. It highlights the themes of loyalty, family duty, and the triumph of love over adversity. Ultimately, the story of the woman who married seven brothers in the Bible conveys a message of hope and redemption in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

How the Sadducees Missed the Point

The Sadducees are told "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures," because they have taken the story out of context and completely miss the point of it, and attempt to use it disingenuously. When Jesus then says they "do err, not knowing... the power of God," what other power could they have missed other than the power of God to seal whichever husband God wishes to Sarah?

It is interesting that in the story of Tobias and Sarah, Tobias is instructed by the Angel Raphael on what to do in order to drive off the demon which had killed Sarah's first six husbands on their wedding night. Whereupon Raphael tells Tobias "Do not be afraid, for she was destined for you from eternity." The answer to the Sadducees' question is in fact that the last husband will be hers in the resurrection. And this is because the marriage was solemnized before the resurrection.

When you look at the passage of scripture in Matthew you quote, you should also look at the corresponding passages in the other Synoptic gospels, both Mark and Luke. Mark is clearer than Matthew when he writes:

"For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." (Mark 12:25)

When do we rise from the dead? Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, not instantly. He said this about marrying or being given in marriage at the resurrection because at the moment of resurrection all questions of marriage must be answered already. At the moment of resurrection, those whose marriages have been sanctioned by God as eternal are already sealed. And those who have no such marriage at that time, remain unmarried in the eternity, and are as the angels in heaven.