Mark 12:18 (WEB)

Passage

There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him, saying,

Nearby Context

Mark 12:16 They brought it. He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.”

Mark 12:17 Jesus answered them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” They marveled greatly at him.

Mark 12:18 There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him, saying,

Mark 12:19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’

Mark 12:20 There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "sadducees", "resurrection", "asked", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "sadducees", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Jesus answered them Render to Caesar the..." into verse 19's "Teacher Moses wrote to us If a...", so "came" and "sadducees" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "came" and "sadducees" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.