If Jesus had not answered, we would not have heard this wonderful argument or
explanation from him about life after death. We’ve seen many times before that Jesus doesn’t avoid any teachable moment! The Sadducees have rigidly put a "box" or fence around their understanding of the law. If Moses didn't teach about a certain topic in the Torah (the first five books of the bible), then no one could point to any other source for their arguments - including the historical and wisdom books of the Old Testament. Sadducees did not accept "oral law" – concepts by the Pharisees that Rabbi's used to respond to issues of faith and morals.
The Dominican nun, Sr.Barbara Reid (a Ph.D. and professor of New Testament Studies) says that "their query merges together Dt 25:5 and Gn 38:8, and refers to the custom of a brother-in-law begetting children with his husband’s widow in order to continue his brother’s line. Such a custom was widespread in the Middle East.” Jesus’ answer is that earthly institutions such as marriage do not continue into the afterlife. He then turns his reply into an attempt to persuade his challengers into believing in resurrection, as he appeals to the story of God’s appearance to Moses in
Ex 3:2. There God is identified as the God of the patriarchs who have long since died. Jesus argues that if God is still God to them, and if God is God of the living, then Israel’s ancestors must still be alive.
In the final verse (v.40) “they” who are silenced are those Sadducees who posed the initial question. In this verbal duel, asking no further questions signifies the Sadducees defeat. The controversy with the Sadducees over resurrection took on new meaning for Luke’s community, as they worked to persuade others to believe in the resurrected Christ.
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM!
Article CCC 989 says that we firmly believe that just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives forever, just so will he raise up the righteous on the last day to live with Him forever Our resurrection, like his own, will be the work of the Most Holy Trinity; while article CCC 991 reminds us that belief in the resurrection of the dead has been an essential element of the Christian faith from its beginnings and it is believing this we live.
“CCC” stands for Catechism of the Catholic Church: -
An online version
can be found at: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc2.htm.
The NRSV bible version can be found at: http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm