How Jesus Proved the Resurrection from Scripture (Matthew 22:31–32)

Matthew 22:31–32 ESV And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ₃₂ He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

Jesus’ saying in Matthew 22:31–32 is often used to teach that dead believers are still alive in some sense. For example, the People’s New Testament commentary explains:

God does not say, “I was,” but “I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.” The present tense shows that he is still the God of the departed patriarchs, and that they are still in existence. (p. 123)

In the passage, Jesus quoted a saying that God spoke in Exodus 3:6. This popular teaching makes it seem as though Jesus was using the present tense verb of being, “I am”, in Exodus 3:6 as proof that God was still the God of dead believers, and so dead believers must still be alive in some sense. However, there are a few problems with treating the passage in this way.

A Crucial Clarification

Firstly, it should be noted that Jesus was not trying to prove that dead believers were still alive in some sense. Rather, the biblical text makes it clear that Jesus was talking about the resurrection of the dead (v. 31). The term “resurrection” (Greek: anastasis) means coming back to life from being dead. Thus, even if a person dies and his soul continues to live, that is not a resurrection by definition, since his soul never died in the first place.

Moreover, there is reason to think that Jesus’ argument was not based on the present tense verb of being, but rather on the description of God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Hebrew text of Exodus 3:6

Indeed, in the Greek text of Matthew 22:32, Jesus’ quote of Exodus 3:6 does contain a present tense verb of being, “I am”. However, this is not the case with the Hebrew text of Exodus 3:6.

Exodus 3:6 ESV And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

In the Hebrew text of Exodus 3:6, the expression “I am the God of your father” does not actually contain a present tense verb of being. Rather, the word “am” is supplied in English translation for grammatical correctness. If the writer had wanted to specify the timing of the description, he could have done so, but he did not. Thus, the emphasis here is on the description, rather than the present timing of the description.

The parallel account in Mark

Mark 12:26 ESV And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

In the parallel account in the Gospel of Mark, the Greek text of Jesus’ quote of Exodus 3:6 does not contain a present tense verb of being. Again, the word “am” is supplied in English translation for grammatical correctness. Clearly, Mark did not think that a present tense verb of being was essential to Jesus’ argument. Thus, the emphasis here is on the description rather than on the present timing of the description.

The parallel account in Luke

Luke 20:37 ESV But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

In the parallel account in the Gospel of Luke, the emphasis on the description is even clearer: Jesus points out that by writing Exodus 3:6 in the way that he did, Moses “showed” the resurrection of the dead—not by using a present tense verb, but in that he “calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”. Thus, the emphasis is on the description rather than on the present timing of the description.

Conclusion

When we study the related Bible passages in context and in their original languages, we find that Jesus’ argument was not based on a present tense verb of being, “I am”, but rather on the description of God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

How does this description prove the resurrection of the dead? Jesus clarifies by stating a critical premise: “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32) Even here, Jesus’ emphasis is on this description of God. Since God is the God of the living and not of the dead, and he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then they will not remain dead forever, but one day, at the resurrection, they will be raised to eternal life.