And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you?
Jesus, continuing his answer, now turns their attention to the Holy Scriptures, the very same source by which the Sadducees wanted to test him. He reminds them that they themselves, who boast in the books of Moses, have not understood their true meaning. The phrase “God said to you” has a special emphasis: Jesus reminds them that the word of Scripture is living and addressed to every generation, not only to the past. With this sentence he prepares the basis for the argument that God’s word bears witness to the living God, and therefore also to the resurrection. Thus, Jesus shows that the resurrection is not a new idea, but is rooted in the Holy Scriptures themselves, to which the Sadducees appeal.