Who were the Pharisees? Pt. 2
Scroll down and click play to listen along.
Main Question for today...
Are the Pharisees who we think they are?
The purpose of this series is to use a biblical approach in studying the characters, themes, and teachings of the Bible in order to bring us to a more mature faith in God.
As we look at the Pharisees in the New Testament today, consider how your perspectives of the Pharisees changes as we learn from the biblical narrative of their story.
As we continue from last week, consider these points...
Jesus and the Pharisees had a lot in common, more than any other sect of Judaism. Here is some common ground Jesus and the Pharisees shared:
Belief in a resurrection
Read Acts 23: 6-9; Matthew 22:23-33
What do the Pharisees believe? What did the Sadducees believe?
Observance of the Law (Torah)
Read Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus uses this passage to teach and correct the Pharisees, but what does this tell us about what the Pharisees believed?
Synagogue attendance
Read Matt. 23: 2, 6; Matt 4:23; Mark 1:39
What does this tell us about how both Pharisees and Jesus understood the value of synagogues?
Use of Scripture
Read Acts 23:8
The belief in Angels and a resurrection, are primarily based upon the later, exilic books of Daniel and Ezekiel. This indicates that the Pharisees believed the whole OT was Scriptural while the Sadducees only believed the first five books were authoritative.
Good Eggs
Read John 3:1-21; Mark 15: 42-43; John 19: 38-40
What do these passages tell us about Joseph? Nicodemus?
Joseph was definitely not a Sadducee based on the fact that he was Jesus’ disciple, and Sadducees were definitely NOT followers of Jesus for the reasons above. So he was either a pharisee or a generic council member at the bare minimum.
Consider this...
Pharisees strove for proper interpretation of the Law and were willing to hear Jesus out and engage with him. Pharisees are often seen in conversation or debate with Jesus. They wanted to make sure they understood Jesus, that he was clearing the smell test as well as making sure that they themselves passed the smell test. Their conversations didn’t always end well, but at least their initial intentions were proper YHWH worship.
It seems one of the biggest hang-ups for the Pharisees is that they disagreed with Jesus’ methods and how he engaged with the people:
They differed on Sabbath observance.
They differed on who they were supposed to associate with. Sinners and tax collectors were exactly that, and God tells Israel to not associate with such people throughout the Torah because they will lead you astray from God. So they were simply following God's commands.
Where they went wrong was not allowing for grace and forgiveness.
Take away...
Let's be clear, the Pharisees got some stuff wrong, however, of the major religious leaders of Jesus' time, the Pharisees were the only ones who were making an active effort to understand Jesus' mission and God's Kingdom.
How has this conversation shifted your perspectives about the Pharisees?
What lessons can be learned from the Pharisees' example and their attempts to understand and engage with Jesus?
How do the Pharisees directly relate to you specifically as a Christian today?
How can we learn from their example?
What will you do differently based on what we've learned?