Pharisees- Greek 'Pharisaioi' is 'separate ones.' In Hebrew means "separatists." According to Josephus, there were three major sects within Judaism at the time of Jesus: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. They helped to develop an elaborate system of oral laws to apply to the written law of Moses to Jewish life after the destruction of the temple and the Roman conquest of Israel. Thus, they were known for devotion to the law, written and oral. The law was rigorously applied to everyday life. Scribes, experts in the law, belonged predominantly to this group. Many people, having lost respect for priesthood due to corruption, looked to the scribes, who were often pious and disciplined (6, p.830). While relatively small in number (due to their exclusivity), they nevertheless enjoyed prestige and respect of the people and could affect both popular opinion and national policy at times. "If they [Pharisees] despised the Herods and the Romans, they hated Jesus' doctrine of equality and claims of messiahship with equal fervor" (5, p.475). Other sources say that while the Pharisees were not always unfriendly to Jesus (and Mark has them taking no part in his death), Jesus criticized them severely precisely because their religious leadership was so serious. Originally helping to save Judaism (a noble thing), it had degenerated over time and become too rigid/exclusive.
0 Comments
1 In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea 2 [and] saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 It was of him that the prophet Isaiahc had spoken when he said: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” 4 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him 6 and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. 7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” 15 Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. 17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son,* with whom I am well pleased.” I'm adding these maps to the places sections for future reference. Sometimes when reading the Bible, it helps to look at a map and see the actual land that is being talked about. First is a map of the division of the land of Israel by the 12 tribes, second is a map of Israel during the time of Jesus. As many of the wisdom books don't require extensive footnotes...and because a little wisdom and praise never go amiss all our other studying...the wisdom books will be gradually introduced throughout the rest of our study. We'll be starting with Psalms. Chapter 1: True Happiness in God's Law 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk, in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. 2 Rather, the law of the LORD is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers. 4 But not so are the wicked, not so! They are like chaff driven by the wind. 5 Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment, nor will sinners in the assembly of the just. 6 Because the LORD knows the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin. Chapter 2: A Psalm for Royal Coronation 1 Why do the nations protest and the peoples conspire in vain? 2 Kings on earth rise up and princes plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one: 3 “Let us break their shackles and cast off their chains from us!” 4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord derides them, 5 Then he speaks to them in his anger, in his wrath he terrifies them: 6 “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD, he said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask it of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and, as your possession, the ends of the earth. 9 With an iron rod you will shepherd them, like a potter’s vessel you will shatter them.” 10 And now, kings, give heed; take warning, judges on earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear; exult with trembling, Accept correction lest he become angry and you perish along the way when his anger suddenly blazes up. Blessed are all who take refuge in him! For those who follow along with the posts, you might have seen a previous post explaining that our "Walk Into the Bible" will become more in depth with actual Bible Study posts. Enjoy. And as always, please let me know if there something you would like to suggest or discuss further. Matthew Chapter 1 & 2 cover the infancy narrative. These two chapters are our introduction to a miraculous tale. There are a few themes that are introduced in this section: 1) The Jewish roots of the Messiah- the genealogy is included because such things were important. It was also included to show that Jesus was deeply rooted in Jewish history. He was not an outsider coming to preach to the people of Israel: he was one of them. With his death and resurrection, and our acceptance of his grace, His message is spread to the whole world. The Magi coming from a foreign culture show the inclusion of the Gentiles. 2) Fulfillment of prophecy- quotations from the Old Testament, and the echoes of the Exodus (see footnotes for Chapter 2) show the continuity from the Old Testament to Jesus. As far as can be possible, 1:2-16 attempt to distill the entire history of Israel, making it the backdrop for the birth of Jesus. 3) "To the least of my brothers"- as Jesus later says. His poor birth, his family's flight into Exodus, his humble beginnings: all show Jesus' identification with those who are suffering. His humble beginnings contrast sharply with the richness of King Herod in Jerusalem. 4) Emphasis of Jesus' name and his two-fold nature- Matthew emphasizes the name "Jesus Christ." Jesus (the Greek form of Joshua) now means "savior," but originally and more correctly meant "Yahweh, help!." Christ (the Greek form of messiah) means "the anointed" (a practice for those who royal, priestly, prophetic). We see him as both a divine savior and also see him as the son of man. 5) The divinity of Jesus- C.S. Lewis sums up my viewpoint on those who claim Jesus was merely a 'a great human teacher' and ignore the other side of the gospels. "You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can call at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." ~C.S. Lewis in 'Mere Christianity' We will see these themes explored further as we continue with the Book of Matthew. The concept of living faith, as opposed to simple belief, is a fundamental principle of religion. This does not refer simply to Christianity. In reading "The Case for God" by Karen Armstrong, I was struck by how universal the concept of letting go of self and doing for others was. To demonstrate this, I collected a group of quotes that I found significant. All the quotes below are from her book, referenced at the bottom. I highly, highly recommend purchasing and reading the entire book; it is amazing. The Upanishadic sages (Vedic spirituality, India) put forth that "the truths of religion are accessible only when you are prepared to get rid of the selfishness, greed, and self-preoccupation that, perhaps inevitably, are ingrained in our thoughts and before...Once you gave up the nervous craving to promote yourself, denigrate others, draw attention to your unique and special qualities, and ensure that you were first in the pecking order, you experienced an immense peace" (p.20). "Nirvana was the natural result of a life lived according to the Buddha's doctrine of anatta ("no self"), which was not simply a metaphysical principle, but, like all his teachings, a program of action. Anatta required Buddhists to behave day by day, hour by hour, as though the self did not exist....by far the best way of achieving anatta was compassion, the ability to feel with the other...One of the first people to make it crystal clear that holiness was inseparable from altruism was the Chinese sage Confucius" (p.24-25). "Plato's disciples had to live out this separation [of soul from body] on a daily, hourly basis, paying careful attention to their behavior, as if each moment were their last. They must constantly be on their guard against pettiness and triviality, thus transcending the individualized personality that they would one day leave behind" (p.66). It goes on to counsel separation from earthly affair, not loving money, accepting misfortune, and being moderation in food and drink. "Anselm is saying something quite different: religious truth made no sense without practically expressed commitment" (p.132). Al-Ghazzali (Muslim) put forth the concept that "those who did not have the time, talent, or inclination for this type of spirituality could make themselves conscious of God in the smallest detail of daily life" (p.137). Confucius advocates constant altruism. When practiced "'all day and every day,' it elevated human life to the realm of holiness and gave practitioners intimations of transcendence" (p.308). Armstrong, K. (2009). The Case for God. New York: Random House, Inc. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
If you wish to donate in order to help support the cost of running this website, it would be greatly appreciated!
If you found the information helpful, even a small donation would be wonderful! Thank you & God bless you. ~~~Prayer before Writing-
Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
All
To my readers & fellow writers,
I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
All images on site were labeled for general re-use. If you find an image that is NOT supposed to be used, please contact me & I will remove it. Sites I Recommend |