Sadducees

These were the wealthiest and most powerful Jews in the New Testament period. They dominated the Sanhedrin (see 296) and the priesthood in Jerusalem.

They differed from the common people and the Pharisees in an important respect: They accepted only the Torah, the Bible’s first five books, as sacred. And, unlike most Jews in that era, they had no belief in an afterlife.

Like the Pharisees, they disapproved of Jesus, and on one occasion they came to Him with a ridiculous question about marriage in the afterlife, which Jesus answered wisely (Matt. 22:23–33).

Acts 23 describes Paul’s trial before the Sanhedrin, where he cleverly played off one party against another.

Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out to the Sanhedrin, “Men and brethren, and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” (v. 6).

When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Gift of Himself

David Jeremiah

Long ago, there ruled a wise and good king in Persia who loved his people and often dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar so he could visit the poor and learn about their hardships.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Healing Time

J. Stephen Lang

1868: On this date a political leader who grew up poor, had no formal education and was illiterate until his wife taught him to read and write, issued Proclamation 179 “granting full pardon and amnesty for the offense of treason against the United States during the late Civil War.”

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

A Personal Promise

Charles Stanley

Jesus came to earth with the view of offering you salvation. He wanted you to have a restored relationship with the Father, a relationship that was so close, so intimate, that you would have your special place in the Father’s house (John 14:1–4).

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Unexpected Savior

John MacArthur

Scripture records that when John the Baptist began his ministry, “The people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not” (Luke 3:15).

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Reflections on the Incarnation and Freedom of God

Philip Yancey

Think of the condescension involved: the incarnation, which sliced history into two parts had more animal than human witnesses. Think, too, of the risk. In the incarnation, God spanned the vast chasm of fear that had distanced him from his human creation.