There were several sects in Israel. The Pharisees, the most numerous and most popular of the groups, exalted traditions over the Bible. Herodians were totally a political party. Zealots were terrorists. Essenes were recluses who copied much of the Old Testament, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Sadducees were the smallest but richest and most influential sect in Israel. They were aristocrats who ruled the Temple and Priesthood. They loved Rome. It protected them in exchange for their loyalty to Caesar.
The Sadducees loved money. Thus, when Jesus cleaned the Temple, the source of their lucrative, lavish income, He got their attention, in a non-endearing way. The Sadducees embraced health and wealth theology. They were the ultimate materialists. They believed poverty proved God's disfavor. They refused to help the poor, for benevolence interfered with God's sovereignty.
The Sadducees did not value kindness. They were harsh men. Josephus, the Jewish historian, says they killed James, our Lord's brother.
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