The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and even the existence of spirits, cleverly used a Mosaic law meant to preserve family lines to trap Jesus. They twisted a provision for continued lineage into an argument against future life, showing how even ancient laws could be distorted to deny God's deeper purposes.
The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus had just silenced the Pharisees and Herodians with his parable of the wicked tenants and his difficult question about the Messiah. Now, the Sadducees, who denied any resurrection or future life, approach him, determined to trap him with a complex scenario based on the Mosaic Law concerning levirate marriage. They present a hypothetical situation involving seven brothers marrying the same woman successively, asking whose wife she would be in the resurrection, intending to expose what they saw as a contradiction in the belief in an afterlife.
Ever met someone who dismisses big questions about life after death? The Sadducees were like that, but with a religious twist.
This wasn't just a casual disagreement; the Sadducees had a core belief system that excluded anything they couldn't see or prove with their own logic. They denied the resurrection, the existence of angels, and spirits – essentially, anything supernatural.
Their focus was strictly on the here and now, on what Moses' Law explicitly stated. If it wasn't in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament), they wouldn't accept it. This put them at odds with many other Jewish beliefs and practices that relied on broader interpretations of Scripture and tradition.
When they approached Jesus, they weren't seeking truth; they were setting a trap. They wanted to corner Him with a question they thought was unanswerable, hoping to discredit His teachings and the very idea of a future life.
Imagine being presented with a complicated family tree meant to trip you up. That's exactly what the Sadducees did to Jesus.
The Sadducees crafted a scenario based on the Old Testament law of Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5). This law stated that if a man died without children, his brother was obligated to marry his widow to provide an heir for the deceased.
They presented a story of seven brothers, each marrying a woman in succession but dying childless. Their question was designed to be a logical puzzle: In the resurrection, whose wife would she be, since all seven had her?
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Their goal was to show that the resurrection, if it happened, would lead to impossible and absurd situations, thereby proving it couldn't be real. They assumed the resurrected life would simply be a continuation of earthly relationships and circumstances, including marriage.
Jesus' answer wasn't just clever; it was a divine revelation that exposed the Sadducees' fundamental error: they didn't understand God's power or His Word.
Jesus' response cuts straight to the heart of the problem: 'You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God' (Matthew 22:29).
Their mistake was assuming that what applies in this life will automatically apply in the next, failing to grasp both the revelation in Scripture and the unlimited power of God.
Understand the original words
Saddoukaioi · Greek Noun
A religious/political party in first-century Judaism, composed largely of the priestly aristocracy. They rejected oral tradition and strictly adhered to the written Law, famously denying the reality of the afterlife and the resurrection of the dead.
anastasis · Greek Noun
The act of being raised from the dead; the theological doctrine that believers will experience a bodily restoration to eternal life. It is a central tenet of Christian faith, signifying victory over death through Christ.
The Sadducees' challenge to Jesus was deeply rooted in their specific theological stance, which rejected the resurrection and relied solely on the written Law of Moses. Jesus' powerful rebuttal not only silenced them but also demonstrated the profound spiritual truths embedded within the very Scriptures they claimed to uphold.
c. 200 BC - AD 30
Sadducean influence and doctrine
The Sadducees, primarily an aristocratic and priestly party, held significant influence in Jerusalem. They rejected the oral traditions and many of the doctrines held by the Pharisees, including the resurrection, the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul.
c. AD 30-33 (Holy Week)— this verse
Jesus' final week in Jerusalem
During the last week of his earthly ministry, Jesus engaged in intense teaching and debate in Jerusalem, facing escalating opposition from religious leaders.
c. AD 30-33 (Holy Week)
Jesus' confrontation with Sadducees
Jesus is directly challenged by the Sadducees with a complex hypothetical question designed to discredit the doctrine of the resurrection. Jesus responds by refuting their premise and affirming the resurrection using the authority of Moses.
c. AD 30-33 (Holy Week)
Pharisees acknowledge Jesus' wisdom
Following Jesus' skillful refutation of the Sadducees, some scribes (Pharisees) acknowledge the wisdom of his answer, indicating a temporary truce in the opposition, though their underlying theological differences remained.
This passage presents the same encounter with the Sadducees, but from Luke's perspective, offering a slightly different wording and narrative flow that can deepen understanding of the interaction.
Acts 23:8This verse explicitly states the Sadducees' core beliefs: no resurrection, no angel, and no spirit, providing crucial context for why they posed this specific challenge to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:12Paul directly addresses the denial of the resurrection in Corinth, mirroring the Sadducees' rejection of this fundamental Christian doctrine and its implications for faith.
Exodus 3:6This is the very Scripture Jesus uses to refute the Sadducees, showing that God's declaration to Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham,' implies a continued existence beyond death.
barnesMatthew 22:23: "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,"
Conversation of Jesus with the Sadducees respecting the resurrection - See also Mark 12:18-27 ; Luke 20:27-38 . Matthew 22:23 The same day came the Sadducees - For an account of the Sadducees, see the notes at Matthew 3:7. No resurrection - The word "resurrection" usually means the raising up the "body" to life after it is dead, John 11:24; John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 15:22. But the Sad…
calvinMatthew 22:23-33: "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,"
- The same day came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and interrogated him, 24. Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, not having a child, [64] his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. 25. Now there were amongst us seven brothers, and the first, having married a wife, died, and, having no seed, left his wife to his brother…
The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and even the existence of spirits, cleverly used a Mosaic law meant to preserve family lines to trap Jesus. They twisted a provision for continued lineage into an argument against future life, showing how even ancient laws could be distorted to deny God's deeper purposes.
Jesus had just silenced the Pharisees and Herodians with his parable of the wicked tenants and his difficult question about the Messiah. Now, the Sadducees, who denied any resurrection or future life, approach him, determined to trap him with a complex scenario based on the Mosaic Law concerning levirate marriage. They present a hypothetical situation involving seven brothers marrying the same woman successively, asking whose wife she would be in the resurrection, intending to expose what they saw as a contradiction in the belief in an afterlife.
Jesus had just silenced the Pharisees and Herodians with his parable of the wicked tenants and his difficult question about the Messiah. Now, the Sadducees, who denied any resurrection or future life, approach him, determined to trap him with a complex scenario based on the Mosaic Law concerning levirate marriage. They present a hypothetical situation involving seven brothers marrying the same woman successively, asking whose wife she would be in the resurrection, intending to expose what they saw as a contradiction in the belief in an afterlife.
"The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question," — The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection and even the existence of spirits, cleverly used a Mosaic law meant to preserve family lines to trap Jesus. They twisted a provision for continued lineage i…
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Last reviewed October 2026