Luke 20:29
"They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother."
Key Reflection
The people questioned Jesus about a practice rooted in Levirate marriage laws, where if a man died childless, his surviving brother was obligated to marry the deceased's widow and raise up children for him (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). This custom ensured the continuation of the family line and inheritance within ancient Jewish society. The original audience would have understood this as a cultural norm deeply embedded in their social fabric, making Jesus' upcoming response all the more significant by challenging norms and expanding the discussion to eternal life.
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From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes