Mark 12:18 Commentary and Bible Study

The Pharisees and Herodians have failed to bring him down. Next come the Sadducees. The largest party was that of the Pharisees but there was this smaller party that was actually more powerful: the Sadducees. The Pharisees were ritualists. They believed that by minute observation of the ceremonial law, they would become much more favoured by God. They were also very self-righteous, very pleased with themselves for everything they did. The Sadducees were quite different. It is amazing that they got on at all. The Sadducees were like our modern, theological liberals. They did not believe in the spirit; they did not believe in an after-life. Not only did they not believe in the resurrection, they didn’t believe there was an after-life even in the spirit. They did not believe in angels; they didn’t really accept most of the Old Testament. Only the Pentateuch, the books of Moses: that was the only part of the Old Testament they would accept as authoritative, and they picked that to bits too. But they were powerful: the smallest of the two parties, but the most powerful, because they controlled the Sanhedrin Council. All the chief priests were Sadducees, not Pharisees, they had the majority on the Sanhedrin Council. So now they put up a case to prove that the resurrection is impossible.