Jesus was surrounded by his enemies and by traps on every side. The religious elite of Jerusalem were looking to discredit him in the eyes of the people. In the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were split into many different sects and religious factions, and there were many different views about what happened after death. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead at the last day, but the Sadducees, who controlled Jerusalem and the temple, didn’t believe in the idea of resurrection of all. So, the Sadducees decided to trap him on this point, putting to him a far-fetched scenario of a woman who successively marries seven brothers. On the day of resurrection, whose wife would she be? If Jesus nominated any of the seven brothers, the Sadducees would then be able to ridicule him in front of the people. It wasn’t that they wanted to know. They were just out to get him.