Wealthy Priest home in Jerusalem illustration

John the Baptist and Jesus had harsh words for some of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. The Sadducees were a ruling party composed of social, political and religious leaders. They were a small sect that died out when Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. They were at their height of power and corruption during the lifetimes of John and Jesus. One of the few ways to see signs of that corruption is to visit the ruins of a priestly mansion in Jerusalem’s Old City. Some of the Sadducees had grown wealthy because of corrupt business practices associated with the Temple, leading to the condemnation of Jesus and John. When Jesus turned over tables in the Temple’s area of worship, he was directly confronting these corrupt practices.