  
|
| About Us | Short Sermons About Him! | About His Word! |
| Topical Studies | Songs of the Church - MP3 | Bible Studies |
| Devotionals | Thoughts on The Life of Christ | Daily Humor |
Am I a Pharisee , a Sadducee, or a Little of Each? Paraphrasing Matthew 15:21-39,Jesus had gone to the coast of Tyre and Sidon where He honored a gentile woman’s request to heal her daughter who was possessed by demons. Leaving there, He came near to the Sea of Galilee and went up into a high mountain and sat down. Great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. Such was the religious fervor of the common people who flocked to see and hear them that they had not eaten for three days. Jesus was moved with compassion and fed them all by multiplying seven loaves and a few fishes. After the folks had finished eating, seven baskets of fragments were collected and Jesus entered a boat with His disciples and sailed to Magdala. A reception committee made up of fanatical Pharisees and indifferent Sadducees were there to greet Him on His arrival. These two groups hated each other, but they hated Jesus even more. I’m sure that the Pharisees had heard reports of Jesus miraculously feeding the four thousand and of all the miracles that He had performed prior to feeding them. They weren’t swayed, they wanted a special sign from heaven. Jesus told them that they were a wicked and adulterous generation who could discern the weather but who were unable to discern the signs of the times. There would be no sign given to them except that He would spent three days in the grave and then be resurrected. Jesus then told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, by which He meant their doctrines and practices. Matthew16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Matthew 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrines of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. In the trade that I retired from, we had a standing joke, “Yesterday I couldn’t spell machinist, today I are one.” Well, that applies here, I always have to look up the spelling of Pharisee and Sadducee, but I need to recognize that I might have traits of both groups in my own spiritual makeup. Anyone identify? The Pharisees were strict observers of the law of Moses and the tradition of the elders which had been handed down to them. Along the way, they had added many of their own commandments, making void the commandments of God (Mk. 7:1-5; Mt. 15:3-6). They were hypocritical by saying one thing and doing another and did works to be seen of men (Mt. 15:7-8, 16:3, 23:1-4, 27-28; Lu 12:1; Mt. 23:5). They loved religious titles and reveled in special attention, such as when they offered long oratorical prayers on the street corners. Do we have any of these folks around today. In which denomination do we look, yours or mine, or both? For all of their zeal for the law of Moses, they were blind and could not recognize the very One whom Moses prophesied would be their Savior (Nu 21:9; Jn 3:14; AC 26:22). The common people whom Jesus fed glorified the God of Israel for all that they had seen. Not so for the Pharisees, Jesus didn't conform to their standards, so they could see no good thing in Him. The Pharisees were known for their strict and literal interpretation of the law, at least the parts they chose to emphasize, while ignoring that which didn‘t suit them. To the original ten commandments, they added extensive sub commandments. To the original commandment to keep the Sabbath they added about fifteen hundred other commandments of what one could or could not do on the Sabbath. Who could keep up with all of this? They reasoned that by placing all of these rules in place, it would protect the original commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy. Do we have groups today who substitute their own rules for the commandments of God? As Sarah Palin would say, “You Betcha! The Sadducees were profession religionists. They controlled all of the religious offices in the Jewish church such as that of the High Priest. They like the Pharisees loved power and money. They rejected tradition and most scripture following only the five books of Moses. They didn’t believe in the resurrection, angels or life after death. They were the liberals of the day and Jesus said that they erred by simply not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God (Mt. 22:29). Once again do we Sadducees in church circles today. Once again, as Sarah Palin would say, “You Betcha!” Both groups exercised extreme control of those under them. When this happens, people rebel and go to the other extreme by rejecting all authority. The Pharisees had an exaggerated code of righteousness which reflected in the elaborate way that they dressed. People rebel against this and go to the other extreme and hardly dress at all. The Pharisees went to the extreme on giving and tithing, as do churches today. People rebel against the excesses and as a result fail to give at all. God help us to rid ourselves of a rigid fanatical spirit that sucks the life out of people, but at the same time keep us from being callous , unbelieving and indifferent, like the Sadducees. It seems to me that God desires a committed walk with Him, where we strive to obey all of the principals of His word. We start by recognizing that we are to love God with all of our heart soul mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. We recognize that the word of God was given for our benefit. We are to neither add to or take away anything from it. Most of all, we strive to maintain a joyous relationship with Jesus, our God and Savior. An extensive outline of the subject of Pharisees and Sadducees "Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul." A. W. Tozer Free Ebooks That You Can Download. An Expository Study on the Book of Colossians The I AMs of Jesus Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@About-Him.Com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe to About-Him Devotional Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries
The purpose of About-Him.Com is to glorify the Lord Jesus
Christ whom we preach as the Almighty God manifest in the flesh.
It is our desire that everything presented on these pages increases your
faith in our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
|