Luk 20:45-47 | TNotes

Summary for Luke 20:46-47: 20:46-47 ^a Jesus continued on the offensive, warning against the hypocrisy and exploitation of the teachers of religious law.

• respectful greetings ... seats of honor: See study note on 11:43.

• head table at banquets: See study notes on 5:30; 14:7.
20:47 ^b Yet they shamelessly cheat widows: This might mean exploiting widows’ property over which they were appointed guardians; it could also mean coercing widows to give money beyond their means. Widows were the most vulnerable members of society, and God had special concern for them. He would judge those who exploited them (Exod 22:22 ^c; Deut 10:18 ^d; 27:19 ^e).

Profile: The Sadducees
The Sadducees were made up of the priestly class (in contrast to the lay movement of the Pharisees). The Sadducees probably lived in the vicinity of Jerusalem and controlled the Temple system (Acts 4:1-2 ^f; 5:17 ^g). They were powerful aristocrats and mediators between Rome and Israel (see Josephus, Antiquities 13.10.6; War 2.10.5). They did not have great favor or influence with the people (Josephus, Antiquities 18.1.4). The term Sadducee probably derives from Zadok, the high priest during the reigns of David (2 Sam 8:17 ^h; 15:24 ⁱ; 1 Kgs 1:8 ^j) and Solomon (1 Kgs 1:32-48 ^k); both words have the same Hebrew root. The earliest historical reference to the Sadducees occurs during the reign of John Hyrcanus (135–104 BC), a descendant of the Maccabees (Josephus, Antiquities 13.10.6), but it is clear from this account that they had already existed for some time.
Their theological views are often contrasted with those of the Pharisees (Acts 23:8 ^l; see also Acts 4:1-2 ^m). The Pentateuch had primary authority for the Sadducees. They rejected the oral tradition so cherished by the Pharisees. Also in contrast with the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (see Matt 22:23-33 ⁿ), angelic beings (see Acts 23:8 ^o), or the concept of final judgment. The Pharisees, by contrast, were so committed to belief in the resurrection that they sided with Paul against the Sadducees when he was on trial for disturbing the Temple (Acts 23:6-10 ^p).
Despite their differences, the Pharisees and Sadducees united with a single front against Jesus. If the Pharisees opposed Jesus because he made light of their oral traditions, the Sadducees opposed Jesus because he affirmed the supernatural world of angels and demons and appealed to a final judgment and resurrection.
With the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, the Sadducees disappeared from the scene. They left no written records. Since all our information about the Sadducees comes from their opponents, we have a limited idea of what they were really like.

Passages for Further Study
Matt 3:7 ^q; 16:1-12 ^r; 22:23-33 ^s; Mark 12:18-27 ^t; Luke 20:27-40 ^u; Acts 4:1-2 ^v; 5:17-18 ^w; 23:6-10 ^x