After Jesus triumphal arrival in Jerusalem, he was preaching in the temple when approached by the chief priests and elders who tried to stop him by tricking him with questions. (Matthew 21:23--27). Jesus would not be tricked.
The Pharisees also wanted to find fault with him. The word, "Pharisee", means separated. They wanted separation from the people who did not observe the laws of tithing and rituals. They had a strong influence. In contrast, Jesus cared about the hurts and needs of individuals which brought him into conflict with the Pharisees. He believed the Pharisees placed way too much thought on the minor things, while paying no attention to the matters that were more important such as judgement, mercy, and faith. There were some Pharisees that held different thoughts in the New Testament such as Nicodemus (remember him?), Joseph of Arimathaea (we'll hear more of him later), and Gamaliel (you find who he is--I won't tell you). :) The Pharisees are defined as "members of an ancient group of Jews who believed in obeying religious laws very carefully and separated themselves from the ordinary people; a person who thinks they are very religious, but who does not care about others". In my words, a hypocrite.
As for The Sadducees, they were the top dogs in Jewish society in Jesus' time being priests, merchants, and "big dogs" as we might say. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead nor the coming of the Messiah. I've heard the Sadducees described like this--they were "sad, you see?"
In thinking of these two groups of people who were "against" Jesus Christ, I ponder if maybe some days I fit with them. It's a question I ask myself and hope the answer is no but fear some days, maybe so. How about you?
Consider......
The Pharisees also wanted to find fault with him. The word, "Pharisee", means separated. They wanted separation from the people who did not observe the laws of tithing and rituals. They had a strong influence. In contrast, Jesus cared about the hurts and needs of individuals which brought him into conflict with the Pharisees. He believed the Pharisees placed way too much thought on the minor things, while paying no attention to the matters that were more important such as judgement, mercy, and faith. There were some Pharisees that held different thoughts in the New Testament such as Nicodemus (remember him?), Joseph of Arimathaea (we'll hear more of him later), and Gamaliel (you find who he is--I won't tell you). :) The Pharisees are defined as "members of an ancient group of Jews who believed in obeying religious laws very carefully and separated themselves from the ordinary people; a person who thinks they are very religious, but who does not care about others". In my words, a hypocrite.
As for The Sadducees, they were the top dogs in Jewish society in Jesus' time being priests, merchants, and "big dogs" as we might say. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead nor the coming of the Messiah. I've heard the Sadducees described like this--they were "sad, you see?"
In thinking of these two groups of people who were "against" Jesus Christ, I ponder if maybe some days I fit with them. It's a question I ask myself and hope the answer is no but fear some days, maybe so. How about you?
Consider......
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