There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Sadducees are introduced not just as a group denying the resurrection, but as "certain of the Sadducees" who "deny that there is a resurrection." This subtle distinction highlights that even within their sect, their rigid adherence to a particular interpretation of scripture led them to reject a fundamental truth, setting them against the broader Jewish belief and Jesus' own teachings.
There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just been teaching and healing, drawing crowds, and asserting His authority in the Temple. Now, a specific group, the Sadducees—religious leaders who denied any resurrection—approach Him with a tricky question designed to trap Him. Their challenge sets the stage for Jesus to explain the reality of the resurrection and the nature of life in God's kingdom.
Imagine facing a group determined to disprove your deepest beliefs. That's exactly what Jesus encountered with the Sadducees. They weren't just curious; they were trying to trap Him.
Luke introduces the Sadducees as a group who actively denied the resurrection. Their whole agenda in approaching Jesus was to challenge this core tenet of their faith, aiming to expose it as illogical and impossible.
A Skeptical Mindset
These were the materialists of their day, focusing only on what could be seen and proven. The idea of a life beyond death, of a spiritual realm, was foreign and unwelcome to their worldview. They deliberately chose a question designed to make the resurrection sound absurd, hoping to corner Jesus and discredit Him.
The Sadducees used a complicated scenario about marriage to try and poke holes in Jesus' teaching. But Jesus flipped their argument on its head, revealing a truth far grander than they imagined.
The Sadducees presented a hypothetical situation: a woman married to seven brothers in succession. They asked, 'In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be?' Their goal was to show that a resurrected state would be chaotic and unworkable under earthly rules.
A Different Kind of Existence
Jesus’ response is profound. He states that in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage. Their existence in that world is fundamentally different from our earthly life. They will be like the angels, meaning they will exist in a state of being free from the biological and social constructs necessary for our current, mortal existence. This isn't about denying the reality of marriage, but about understanding that the conditions of the afterlife transcend our present understanding.
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To dismantle the Sadducees' argument, Jesus didn't just talk about the future; He pointed to the past, using God's own words to prove that the dead are alive.
Jesus brilliantly turns the tables by quoting God's own declaration to Moses: 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He then draws a crucial conclusion: 'God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.'
The Enduring Nature of God's Relationship
Jesus argues that if God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, these patriarchs must still be living in some capacity. For God, who is eternal and unchanging, would not associate Himself as the God of those who are permanently gone or cease to exist. This passage reveals that God's covenant and His relationship with His people transcend death itself, affirming the reality of life beyond the grave.
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, a powerful priestly group, emerged in the centuries before Jesus and held significant influence during the Roman occupation. Their denial of the resurrection and other spiritual realities placed them in direct opposition to Jesus' teachings and the burgeoning Christian movement, leading to their prominent role in the challenges Jesus faced.
c. 200 BC - 100 BC
Formation of the Sadducees
The Sadducees emerged as a distinct religious and political faction within Judaism, often associated with the priestly aristocracy and the Temple establishment.
c. 63 BC
Roman Conquest of Judea
Rome's conquest of Judea led to a shift in political power, with the Sadducees often collaborating with Roman authorities, influencing their role and beliefs.
c. AD 26-36— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry
During this period, Jesus encountered various Jewish factions, including the Sadducees, who challenged his teachings, particularly concerning resurrection.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion
The Sadducees played a role in the religious and political maneuvering that led to Jesus' condemnation and crucifixion, often driven by their theological opposition.
c. AD 40s - 50s
Apostolic Ministry
The Sadducees continued to oppose the early Christian movement, particularly its message of resurrection, leading to confrontations with apostles like Peter and Paul.
AD 70
Destruction of the Second Temple
The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem marked a catastrophic turning point for Judaism, leading to the decline of the Sadducees and their power base.
This passage describes the same encounter with the Sadducees, highlighting their denial of the resurrection and their attempt to trap Jesus with a hypothetical marriage scenario.
Mark 12:18Mark also records this confrontation, emphasizing the Sadducees' belief that there is no resurrection and their 'testing' of Jesus with the same challenging question.
Exodus 3:6Jesus uses this foundational Old Testament text, where God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to prove that God is the God of the living, thereby establishing the reality of the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:44Paul's extensive teaching on the resurrection here explains the nature of the resurrected body as a 'spiritual body,' contrasting it with the earthly 'natural body,' which aligns with Jesus' explanation that resurrected beings neither marry nor are given in marriage.
Romans 8:11This verse speaks of God, who 'raised Jesus from the dead,' also giving life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit, reinforcing the concept of resurrection and the divine power behind it.
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 are introduced not just as a group denying the resurrection, but as "certain of the Sadducees" who "deny that there is a resurrection." This subtle distinction highlights that even within their sect, their rigid adherence to a particular interpretation of scripture led them to reject a fundamental truth, setting them against the broader Jewish belief and Jesus' own teachings.
Jesus has just been teaching and healing, drawing crowds, and asserting His authority in the Temple. Now, a specific group, the Sadducees—religious leaders who denied any resurrection—approach Him with a tricky question designed to trap Him. Their challenge sets the stage for Jesus to explain the reality of the resurrection and the nature of life in God's kingdom.
Jesus has just been teaching and healing, drawing crowds, and asserting His authority in the Temple. Now, a specific group, the Sadducees—religious leaders who denied any resurrection—approach Him with a tricky question designed to trap Him. Their challenge sets the stage for Jesus to explain the reality of the resurrection and the nature of life in God's kingdom.
"There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection," — The Sadducees are introduced not just as a group denying the resurrection, but as "certain of the Sadducees" who "deny that there is a resurrection." This subtle distinction highlights that even with…
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Last reviewed October 2026