Luke 20:27
There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The Sadducees, who actively denied the resurrection, are described here not just as a group, but as "certain of them," highlighting that even within their sect, the opposition to this core truth was specific and intentional. This emphasizes that their challenge to Jesus wasn't merely a casual inquiry but a deliberate attempt to trap Him on a point of doctrine they were fundamentally set against.
Jesus is in the temple, teaching and challenging the religious leaders. The Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in an afterlife or resurrection, approach him with a hypothetical scenario designed to trap him into contradicting himself. They present a complex marriage situation from the Mosaic Law, questioning whose wife a woman would be in the resurrection.
Ever met someone who insists only what you can see and touch is real? The Sadducees were like that, and their worldview shaped how they saw everything—especially life after death.
The Sadducees were a prominent Jewish sect who held a strictly materialist view of the world. This meant they rejected any belief in supernatural beings like angels or spirits, and crucially, they denied the possibility of a resurrection.
Their position wasn't just a theological quirk; it was rooted in a focus on the tangible and the immediate. For them, if it couldn't be empirically proven or directly experienced in this life, it wasn't real. This rigid, earth-bound perspective made the idea of a resurrected life seem absurd, leading them to challenge Jesus on this very point.
When challenged, Jesus didn't just offer opinions; He drew from a source far greater than human reasoning. His response reveals His authority over both Scripture and reality itself.
The Sadducees approached Jesus with a hypothetical scenario designed to trap Him and discredit the idea of resurrection. They thought they had Him cornered.
However, Jesus's response went straight to the heart of the matter by appealing to the authority of Moses and, by extension, God Himself. He used a passage from Exodus, which the Sadducees accepted as authoritative, to demonstrate that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. This powerful argument reveals that for God to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—who were long dead in body—they must still be living in some capacity. This implies continuity of existence beyond death, directly refuting the Sadducees' premise and pointing towards the reality of resurrection.
Understand the original words
Saddoukaioi · Greek Noun
A group of Jewish religious leaders during the time of the Second Temple who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, or the immortality of the soul; they focused strictly on the written Law of Moses.
anastasis · Greek Noun
The theological doctrine or hope that the physical dead will be raised to life at the end of the age, a belief central to the New Testament witness of Christ's victory over death.
The Sadducees' challenge to Jesus about the resurrection wasn't just a theological debate; it was a direct confrontation with a powerful religious and political faction whose denial of the afterlife and angelic beings shaped their opposition to Jesus' teachings.
c. 2nd century BC
Rise of the Sadducees
The Sadducees emerge as a distinct Jewish sect, emphasizing adherence to the written Law and rejecting oral traditions. They notably deny the existence of angels, spirits, and the resurrection.
c. 100 BC - AD 30
Sadducean Influence in Jerusalem
During the Second Temple period, the Sadducees, often from wealthy aristocratic families, held significant influence in the Sanhedrin and the priesthood in Jerusalem.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry in Judea and Galilee
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching and performing miracles, which draws increasing attention and opposition from religious leaders.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem
Jesus enters Jerusalem during Passover week, teaching in the Temple. Religious authorities, including the Sadducees, seek to trap him with challenging questions.
This passage directly addresses the consequences of denying the resurrection, highlighting that if Christ is not raised, then the faith of believers is futile and their hope in eternal life is lost.
Hebrews 11:1This verse defines faith as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, which is directly relevant to believing in a resurrection that the Sadducees denied and could not see.
Acts 23:6-9This passage shows a direct confrontation between Paul and the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin, where Paul uses the Sadducees' denial of resurrection to divide his accusers and assert his own belief.
John 11:23-27Jesus' interaction with Martha at the raising of Lazarus demonstrates His authority over death and His affirmation of resurrection, directly countering the Sadducees' disbelief in a way Martha could grasp.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18This passage offers comfort and certainty about the resurrection of believers who have died, detailing how they will be raised to be with the Lord, providing a clear picture of the very event the Sadducees rejected.
expositorsLuke 20:27: "Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,"
Chapter 23THE ESCHATOLOGY OF THE GOSPEL . COIFI, in his parable to the thanes and nobles of the North Humber country, likened the present life of man to the flight of a sparrow through one of their lighted halls, coming out of the night, and then disappearing in the dark winter whence it came; and he asked for Christianity a candid hearing, if perhaps she might tell the secret…
meyerLuke 20:27: "Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,"
Luke 20:27-40 . See on Matthew 22:23-33 ; Mark 12:18-27 . οἱ ἁντιλέγοντες ] does not belong by an abnormal apposition to τῶν Σαδδουκαιῶν (thus usually, including Winer, p. 471 [E. T. 668]), but to τινές . These τινές , namely, so far as they were τινὲς τῶν Σαδδουκ ., are more precisely characterized by οἱ ἀντιλέγ . κ . τ . λ .: People who there concerted together (participle w…
The Sadducees, who actively denied the resurrection, are described here not just as a group, but as "certain of them," highlighting that even within their sect, the opposition to this core truth was specific and intentional. This emphasizes that their challenge to Jesus wasn't merely a casual inquiry but a deliberate attempt to trap Him on a point of doctrine they were fundamentally set against.
Jesus is in the temple, teaching and challenging the religious leaders. The Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in an afterlife or resurrection, approach him with a hypothetical scenario designed to trap him into contradicting himself. They present a complex marriage situation from the Mosaic Law, questioning whose wife a woman would be in the resurrection.
Jesus is in the temple, teaching and challenging the religious leaders. The Sadducees, a group who didn't believe in an afterlife or resurrection, approach him with a hypothetical scenario designed to trap him into contradicting himself. They present a complex marriage situation from the Mosaic Law, questioning whose wife a woman would be in the resurrection.
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c. AD 30
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
Following his trial, Jesus is crucified. The Gospels report his resurrection three days later, a foundational event for his followers and a direct contradiction to Sadducean beliefs.
"There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection," — The Sadducees, who actively denied the resurrection, are described here not just as a group, but as "certain of them," highlighting that even within their sect, the opposition to this core truth was…
