The Pharisees: A Religious Party
The Pharisees was a religious party in Israel and part of the ruling class of Israel in the time of Jesus. They often clashed with the Sadducees, which were the other part of the ruling class of Israel. However, the Pharisees cared more about religion while the Sadducees cared more about politics. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees were religious authorities that taught about the Law of Moses and forced them to their traditions. The Pharisees were influential and powerful authorities in Jesus’ time. The Pharisees believed that they were chosen by God to lead the people of Israel. Because they were “God’s agents”, their teachings were to be obeyed. To act against them is to act against God, to challenge their authority is to urge Israel to abandon
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They controlled and dominated the lives of the Jews in Israel, and considered themselves to be the only ones that could interpret scripture correctly. When Jesus came along, he called them out, criticizing their teachings and truthfully calling them hypocrites. An example of their hypocrisy was Jesus’ crucifixion. They relied solely of the scriptures and oral tradition for their teachings. One of the 10 Commandments is “You shall not kill.” The Pharisees wanted Jesus killed, and did anything in their power to do it. They, in a way, killed Jesus, yet they believed that if they did not kill with their own hands, they were absolved of all sin. I think that the people relied on the Pharisees as religious authorities because they, for one had to one to turn to. They pray, and pray, and pray, yet what else do they know about God? The Pharisees contribute to that. They believed that they were the only ones that could understand the scripture and preached to/ taught the Jews. They also had no choice. By then, the Pharisees were powerful and influential, and to disagree would result in disapproval, imprisonment, torture, or death. The Pharisees were very powerful, influential, and hypocritical religious leaders/authorities in Jesus’ time. They were a ruling class in Israel and helped shape the views of Judaism and Christianity. They taught blindly to the Jews about God, and as it says in Matthew 15:14, “If the blind
They controlled and dominated the lives of the Jews in Israel, and considered themselves to be the only ones that could interpret scripture correctly. When Jesus came along, he called them out, criticizing their teachings and truthfully calling them hypocrites. An example of their hypocrisy was Jesus’ crucifixion. They relied solely of the scriptures and oral tradition for their teachings. One of the 10 Commandments is “You shall not kill.” The Pharisees wanted Jesus killed, and did anything in their power to do it. They, in a way, killed Jesus, yet they believed that if they did not kill with their own hands, they were absolved of all sin. I think that the people relied on the Pharisees as religious authorities because they, for one had to one to turn to. They pray, and pray, and pray, yet what else do they know about God? The Pharisees contribute to that. They believed that they were the only ones that could understand the scripture and preached to/ taught the Jews. They also had no choice. By then, the Pharisees were powerful and influential, and to disagree would result in disapproval, imprisonment, torture, or death. The Pharisees were very powerful, influential, and hypocritical religious leaders/authorities in Jesus’ time. They were a ruling class in Israel and helped shape the views of Judaism and Christianity. They taught blindly to the Jews about God, and as it says in Matthew 15:14, “If the blind