Matthew 22:23

Matthew 22:23, in plain English

A group called the Sadducees, who didn't believe in life after death, came to test Jesus with a tricky question. They thought they could stump Him with clever logic.

Why it's here

This happens during a tense week in Jerusalem where different religious groups keep trying to trap Jesus with difficult questions, one after another.

Who's speaking

Matthew is setting the scene, telling you who these people are and what they believe.

Where it sits in the story

Picture Jesus in the bustling Temple courts, and now yet another group approaches with what they think is an unanswerable riddle. They're about to be surprised.

The scholarly reading

The Sadducees (Tsadduqim), the priestly aristocratic party who denied bodily resurrection, approach Jesus with a theological challenge. Their denial of resurrection was rooted in their acceptance of only the Torah as authoritative.

Language and setting

This encounter follows Jesus' silencing of the Pharisees on the tribute question (22:15-22), showing a sequence of hostile interrogations during Passion Week in the Temple courts.

Voice

The narrator (Matthew) introduces the Sadducees and their defining theological position.

Significance

Jesus faces a gauntlet of challenges from rival Jewish groups in the Temple. The Sadducees now take their turn, hoping to discredit Him where the Pharisees failed.

21“Caesar’s,” they answered.

22And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.

24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.

25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.

Read all of Matthew 22 — A wedding banquet, a trick question about taxes, and the greatest commandment — Jesus outmaneuvers every trap set for him.