Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him:
Parallel translations
- WEB There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him, saying,
- KJV Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
- NKJV Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:
- NASB Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying,
- NLT Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, come to question Jesus.
Overview
The Sadducees rejected belief in bodily resurrection and accepted chiefly the books of Moses. Their approach sets up a question designed to ridicule the very idea of resurrection. The encounter gives Jesus occasion to affirm and defend the resurrection from Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 22:23–33That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
- Acts 4:1–2While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
- Acts 23:6–9Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”
- 2 Tim 2:18who have deviated from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they undermine the faith of some.
- Luke 20:27–40Then some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him.
- 1 Cor 15:13–18If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 12:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.