Intertestamental History Part 2 Who Are These People? Origin of Sadducees, & Pharisees

We looked briefly at historical events that occurred during the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew's gospel.

Today, I want to look at Judaism. Those who regularly read the Bible are probably familiar with the various people groups that Jesus encountered.

However, it will help us as we study Matthew's gospel, to know about their origins.

It is striking how much hostility these people had toward the Lord Jesus Christ and I hope to demonstrate reasons why.

First, remember that the Persians and others merged political power and religious authority into the office of the High Priest.

During the time of Jesus, High priests were consumed with maintaining a tight grip on power. 

They opposed and hated anyone who might cause them to lose power.

Who were the Pharisees? Religious hypocrites who were proud in heart.

Luke 18:10-14  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11)  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12)  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13)  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14)  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

A good word to describe the heart attitude of the Pharisees is the word "hubris."

Pride and arrogance manifested itself because Pharisees thought that keeping man made rules made them right with God.

In other words, they added works to salvation.

The Bible is very clear about this. "The just shall live by faith" (See Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).

Ephesians 2:8-10  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

It is by the wonderful grace of God that He made a provision for saving sinners. 

We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and His saving work at Calvary on the cross.

This is the great gift of God to all who hear and heed the gospel.

Specifically, salvation is not of works lest any man should boast. His faith in Christ is what saved him.

Pharisees were corrupted by intense pride and extreme arrogance.

Pharisees put their trust in doing works and thought they were right with God.

They put their trust in keeping the law of God whereas the law can only condemn us because we are born  sinners.  

They were religious hypocrites who loved the externals of religion but their hearts were far from God. 

The Pharisee Jesus spoke of loved to pray publicly to declare how he was religious and right with God!

He despised the publican who came to pray and expressed his scorn verbally.

The word means "separated ones" in the sense that they hated Gentiles and viewed them as unclean dogs.

Their attitude was "I thank God I am not like those sinners."

The rabbis wrote the "Mishnah" which was their interpretation of the law of Moses. 

Then they wrote the "Talmud" which is an extensive commentary of their interpretation of the law.

These commentaries are what Jesus referred to as "the traditions of men" that the religious leaders elevated higher than inspired scripture from God (See Matthew 15:1-9).

The Jews were taught to obey the Mishnah and Talmud instead of obeying the clear and plain law of God.

Mark 7:1-9  Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2)  And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3)  For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4)  And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5)  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6)  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7)  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8)  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9)  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Thus, Pharisees imposed a strict adherence to the tradition. 

They were prideful and aloof toward those who did not meet their religious test. 

They made hateful accusations against those who did not conform to their rules.

In this example, Pharisees and scribes spied on Jesus and His disciples seeking to find fault in their actions.

Their man made rules dictated things like washing hands, pots, pans and other things. 

They believed that doing those things made them righteous before God.

Therefore, the Pharisees watched Jesus and saw some disciples not washing their hands and accused them as if it was a major sin. 

Jesus exposed their corrupt hearts and their sin by elevating man's traditions higher than the Word of God!

Who were the Sadducees?

Mark 12:18-27  Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, 19)  Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 20)  Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. 21)  And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. 22)  And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. 23)  In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. 24)  And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25)  For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26)  And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27)  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. 

During the time of Christ, the Sadducees were a religious-political group that held a great deal of power among the Jews in Israel. 

The Sadducees confronted Jesus by attempting to trip Him up , and they later opposed the preaching of the apostles (Acts 4:1–2).

The Sadducees denied the resurrection and asked Jesus a hypothetical question about it.

Jesus first rebuked them for not knowing the scriptures and then He answered their question by correcting their view about the resurrection.

The Sadducees were an aristocratic class connected with everything going on in the temple in Jerusalem. 

They tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions, including that of chief priests and high priest. 

They held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.

The Sadducees worked hard to keep the peace by agreeing with the decisions of Rome and they seemed to be more concerned with politics than religion. 

Because Sadducees accommodated Rome and were wealthy, they did not relate well to common people, nor did the common people have much respect for them. 

Though the Sadducees held the majority of seats in the Sanhedrin, history indicates that much of the time they had to go along with the ideas of the Pharisaic minority, because the Pharisees were more popular with the masses.

Not all priests were Sadducees, but many of them were. The Sadducees preserved the authority of the written Word of God, especially the books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy). 

They held wrong doctrinal views. The following is a brief list of Sadducean beliefs that contradict Scripture.

The Sadducees were extremely self-sufficient and denied God’s involvement in everyday life.

They denied any resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18–27; Acts 23:8). 

Due to this belief, the Sadducees strongly resisted the apostles’ preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead.

They denied the afterlife, holding that the soul perished at death and therefore denying any penalty or reward after the earthly life.

They denied the existence of a spiritual world and denied the existence of angels or demons (Acts 23:8).

Since the Sadducees were more a political party rather than a religious sect, they were unconcerned with Jesus until they became afraid they would be punished by Romans. 

At that point the Sadducees joined with the Pharisees and conspired to put Christ to death (John 11:48–50; Mark 14:53; 15:1). 

The Sadducees were implicated in the death of James the brother of John in Acts 12:1–2.  

The Essenes were a group of monastic people who moved out of Jerusalem into the desert. The movement was a reaction to Hellenism. 

They did study scripture and were self governed and self supporting. They were strict isolationists.

Although the Essenes are not mentioned in the Bible, they were a part of the context of Judaism.

I hope that having some context of the religious and political landscape of the times of Jesus, will help us understand their interactions with our Lord. 

Bob