October 15, 2017
taught by Ken McGarvey
First Baptist Church of Tellico Village, Tennessee
The Pharisees were a sect of Jews in first century Palestine distinguished by their attentiveness to the Law and the traditions of the elders. Their name comes from Hebrew words that mean “separation.” They separated themselves from those who were less holy, less committed to God. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, some to reward and some to punishment.
They were distinguished from the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection or in angels. Both groups believed the Torah, the five books of Moses (we call them the Pentateuch, comprising the first five books of the Old Testament). Through the centuries, however, there grew up another tradition. The rabbis came up with hundreds of other laws, principles and rulings passed down orally. This oral tradition, called the Mishna, became primary to the Mosaic Law itself. Most of these were interpretations of the law, details that enabled them to know exactly what was permitted and what was forbidden.
The Pharisees were extremely zealous for the Law, as they understood it. They stood in judgment over any Jews who broke the Law, insisting on keeping the purity of the community and the respect of God. They were also very evangelistic, working hard to secure converts to their group.
So then, if they were zealous for following the Law and obeying God, and Jesus came to fulfill the Law, why did they clash with Jesus, God incarnate? Well, in a word, they clashed because Jesus did not follow the Law as they understood it. They not only disapproved of what he did, they felt threatened by his popularity, the large numbers of people following him. They had no answer for the power he had to do signs and wonders, so they attacked him however they could. Let’s look at some of that.
In Matthew and Mark, the first mention of contact between Jesus and Pharisees was when Matthew the tax collector began following him (Matthew 9:9-13). Jesus went to Matthew=s house for dinner, and other tax collectors were also there. The Pharisees complained that Jesus was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners.
Other times the Pharisees gave Jesus a hard time:
Jesus and his disciples picked handfuls of grain and ate them on the Sabbath day. (Luke 6:1-2)
Jesus told a paralyzed man his sins were forgiven, and only God can forgive sins. (Luke 5:20-25)
Jesus healed several people on the Sabbath day, which was “against the rules.”
They accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of the prince of demons. (Matthew 9:34)
They accused Jesus of violating the law when his disciples didn’t ceremonially wash their hands before eating. They said he violated Athe traditions of the elders.@ (Mark 7:1B7)
At a Pharisee=s house, he was accused of letting a sinful woman touch him. (Luke 7:36B39)
Toward the end of his ministry, they questioned him, trying to trap him in his words.
They challenged him to provide a sign from heaven to convince them of his authority. (Mark 8:11B12)
The Pharisees plotted to kill him, but had to come up with a plot for them not to be blamed. (Matthew 12:14)
They tested him by bringing an adulterous woman for him to judge. (John 8:1B11)
Besides answering their individual questions, Jesus also attacked them verbally:
He said they were children of their father, the devil. (John 8:44)
He accused them of keeping people from the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 23:13)
Jesus warned his disciples against the teachings of the Pharisees AND the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11B12)
He accused them of devouring widows= houses and praying long prayers just for show. (Luke 20:47)
Many times he called them hypocrites.
He accused them of ignoring the important parts of the law while majoring on minutiae. (Matthew 23:23B24)
He accused them of washing the outside of the cup, while it remained full of corruption. (Luke 11:39)
Jesus gave an illustration (parable) featuring a Pharisee and a tax collector, where the tax collector was the good guy. (Luke 18:9B14)
He called them Awhitewashed tombs@ nice on the outside, but full of dead men=s bones. (Matthew 23:27)
What=s really behind their differences?
The Pharisees were, essentially, legalists. They believed God is pleased by our keeping the letter of not only the moral law, but all the regulations in their collections. And legalism tends to produce self-righteousness. Their keeping of all the laws made them feel morally and spiritually better than those who did not. Jesus taught against pride and for humility, over and over again.
The Pharisees saw everything in terms of black and white, with no middle ground or shades of gray. Jesus saw our moral decisions based on principles and context. He also sometimes quoted from the Old Testament to that end. (Matthew 12:1B14)
What seems to be the most oft-mentioned point of conflict was the observation of the Sabbath day. God gave the Sabbath in the Old Testament for the benefit of mankind. It was loving and general, not just arbitrary. But the Pharisees had codified it to the point that traveling more than 2000 cubits on the Sabbath was sinful, while anything less was perfectly fine. (Mark 2:27B28)
Jesus suggested that each of them would rightfully help their ox or donkey out of trouble on the Sabbath, and that healing a human was a far better thing to do than saving their animals. The Pharisees knew nothing of loving their neighbors and their enemies, or even being respectful of them. Jesus taught and practiced the law of love. (Luke 14:5)
Jesus also ministered with the power of God, making the Pharisees jealous and intimidated. Their attacks were totally selfishly motivated. Though there weren=t a particularly rich group, Jesus accused them of loving money.
Who today would be likened to the Pharisees?
I wouldn=t want to name any particular group. But millions of professing Christians live with attitudes like the Pharisees. They are proud, self-righteous, judgmental, and wouldn=t get along very well with Jesus if he were here physically.
Difficult Bible Questions
October 15, 2017
taught by Ken McGarvey
First Baptist Church of Tellico Village, Tennessee
Who were the Pharisees, and why did they often clash with Jesus over what is done on the Sabbath?
The Pharisees were a sect of Jews in first century Palestine distinguished by their attentiveness to the Law and the traditions of the elders. Their name comes from Hebrew words that mean “separation.” They separated themselves from those who were less holy, less committed to God. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, some to reward and some to punishment.
They were distinguished from the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection or in angels. Both groups believed the Torah, the five books of Moses (we call them the Pentateuch, comprising the first five books of the Old Testament). Through the centuries, however, there grew up another tradition. The rabbis came up with hundreds of other laws, principles and rulings passed down orally. This oral tradition, called the Mishna, became primary to the Mosaic Law itself. Most of these were interpretations of the law, details that enabled them to know exactly what was permitted and what was forbidden.
The Pharisees were extremely zealous for the Law, as they understood it. They stood in judgment over any Jews who broke the Law, insisting on keeping the purity of the community and the respect of God. They were also very evangelistic, working hard to secure converts to their group.
So then, if they were zealous for following the Law and obeying God, and Jesus came to fulfill the Law, why did they clash with Jesus, God incarnate? Well, in a word, they clashed because Jesus did not follow the Law as they understood it. They not only disapproved of what he did, they felt threatened by his popularity, the large numbers of people following him. They had no answer for the power he had to do signs and wonders, so they attacked him however they could. Let’s look at some of that.
In Matthew and Mark, the first mention of contact between Jesus and Pharisees was when Matthew the tax collector began following him (Matthew 9:9–13). Jesus went to Matthew’s house for dinner, and other tax collectors were also there. The Pharisees complained that Jesus was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners.
Other times the Pharisees gave Jesus a hard time:
Jesus and his disciples picked handfuls of grain and ate them on the Sabbath day. (Luke 6:1–2)
Jesus told a paralyzed man his sins were forgiven, and only God can forgive sins. (Luke 5:20–25)
Jesus healed several people on the Sabbath day, which was “against the rules.”
They accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of the prince of demons. (Matthew 9:34)
They accused Jesus of violating the law when his disciples didn’t ceremonially wash their hands before eating. They said he violated “the traditions of the elders.” (Mark 7:1–7)
At a Pharisee’s house, he was accused of letting a sinful woman touch him. (Luke 7:36–39)
Toward the end of his ministry, they questioned him, trying to trap him in his words.
They challenged him to provide a sign from heaven to convince them of his authority. (Mark 8:11–12)
The Pharisees plotted to kill him, but had to come up with a plot for them not to be blamed. (Matthew 12:14)
They tested him by bringing an adulterous woman for him to judge. (John 8:1–11)
Besides answering their individual questions, Jesus also attacked them verbally:
He said they were children of their father, the devil. (John 8:44)
He accused them of keeping people from the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 23:13)
Jesus warned his disciples against the teachings of the Pharisees AND the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11–12)
He accused them of devouring widows’ houses and praying long prayers just for show. (Luke 20:47)
Many times he called them hypocrites.
He accused them of ignoring the important parts of the law while majoring on minutiae. (Matthew 23:23–24)
He accused them of washing the outside of the cup, while it remained full of corruption. (Luke 11:39)
Jesus gave an illustration (parable) featuring a Pharisee and a tax collector, where the tax collector was the good guy. (Luke 18:9–14)
He called them “whitewashed tombs” nice on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones. (Matthew 23:27)
What’s really behind their differences?
The Pharisees were, essentially, legalists. They believed God is pleased by our keeping the letter of not only the moral law, but all the regulations in their collections. And legalism tends to produce self-righteousness. Their keeping of all the laws made them feel morally and spiritually better than those who did not. Jesus taught against pride and for humility, over and over again.
The Pharisees saw everything in terms of black and white, with no middle ground or shades of gray. Jesus saw our moral decisions based on principles and context. He also sometimes quoted from the Old Testament to that end. (Matthew 12:1–14)
What seems to be the most oft-mentioned point of conflict was the observation of the Sabbath day. God gave the Sabbath in the Old Testament for the benefit of mankind. It was loving and general, not just arbitrary. But the Pharisees had codified it to the point that traveling more than 2000 cubits on the Sabbath was sinful, while anything less was perfectly fine. (Mark 2:27–28)
Jesus suggested that each of them would rightfully help their ox or donkey out of trouble on the Sabbath, and that healing a human was a far better thing to do than saving their animals. The Pharisees knew nothing of loving their neighbors and their enemies, or even being respectful of them. Jesus taught and practiced the law of love. (Luke 14:5)
Jesus also ministered with the power of God, making the Pharisees jealous and intimidated. Their attacks were totally selfishly motivated. Though there weren’t a particularly rich group, Jesus accused them of loving money.
Who today would be likened to the Pharisees?
I wouldn’t want to name any particular group. But millions of professing Christians live with attitudes like the Pharisees. They are proud, self-righteous, judgmental, and wouldn’t get along very well with Jesus if he were here physically.