Isn’t this a weird story? A group of religious leaders called Sadducees, come to Jesus talking about a woman whose husband dies, and then his brother marries her. Then he dies and the next brother marries her, and on and on until she has been married to all seven brothers.
Does this sound a little kinky to you? It’s almost like Woody Allen marrying his girlfriend’s adopted daughter -- it’s not illegal, but it sounds pretty strange.
The religious leaders raise this question for a reason. They want to know who this woman’s husband will be after this she and all seven of her brother-husbands die and go to heaven.
You don’t have to look too closely at this account to see that they are trying to catch Jesus in a trap. It’s not only a complex theoretical question, it’s also a trick question. But what’s it all about?
Levirate marriage
In Jesus’ time, levirate marriage was very common. In levirate marriage a man was obligated to marry his brother’s widow if his brother died without a son. (Incidentally, the word "levirate" comes from the Latin word for brother-in-law, so its perspective is from the woman’s point of view).
The whole idea was to continue the family name and to ensure the continuation of property ownership within the immediate family. If a man died without a son, it would mean the end of the line for his immediate family and their possessions.
