16:1–4 Only here and in Matthew 3:7 do the Pharisees and the Sadducees come together in a common cause. In the earlier setting they went out to the Jordan to find out for themselves what John the Baptist was doing. Here they combine forces to tempt Jesus to show them some spectacular sign from heaven that will authenticate for them his divine mission. He answers them by pointing out that only an evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign. No sign (except the sign of Jonah) will be given.

Since elsewhere in the New Testament the Sadducees are not found outside of Judea, some have questioned whether or not they would stray so far from Jerusalem and the temple. One’s response to such conjectures is determined by the larger question of textual reliability. It seems perfectly reasonable to ac…