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The religious leaders of Israel are not complimented in the New Testament. . .
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25, ESV).
But when he [John the Baptist] 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 wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)
If two men showed up in the U.S.A., one claiming to be the forerunner of the Messiah and the other the Son of God, and then both challenged pastors, religious leaders, and politicians as hypocrites and a brood of vipers, it wouldn’t go over well.
Yet, that’s what John the Baptist and Jesus did.
The religious leaders were also the political leaders. So, we have a voice crying in the wilderness (John the Baptist) and Someone from Nazareth (an inconsequential town) challenging both the religious and political leaders of their day, which resulted in the beheading of John the Baptist and the crucifixion of Jesus.
How did the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes — supposedly Israel’s finest — become the exact opposite of their proclaimed virtues?
Who were they, and why did they feel threatened to the point of murder?
The Pharisees. . .
They were the “religious right” of their day.
They believed in the divine calling of Israel and the literal interpretation of Scripture. The Pharisees believed in heaven, hell, angels, and a resurrection of the dead, but they weren’t the primary power in the temple area, Jerusalem, or the Sanhedrin. And with the “power” distinction belonging to the Sadducees in the Holy City, the Pharisees became more influential in the synagogues outside of Jerusalem, having greater favor with the general populace.
The Sadducees. . .
They were the “religious left” of their day.
The Sadducees were the “bluebloods” of Judaic culture, with money, social prominence, and control of the high priesthood. They compromised politically to get along with the Romans and held to a more figurative interpretation of Scripture. The Sadducees did not believe in a literal heaven, hell, angels, or a resurrection of the dead.
The Scribes. . .
Whereas Pharisees and Sadducees were political parties, the “scribes” were a profession.
They were lawyers in charge of transcribing the Torah (word for word) and copying other legal documents. They were legal experts with the Law and mostly aligned with the Pharisees, though the Sadducees had their scribes as well.
So, John the Baptist and Jesus not only offended the leading political powers but also the lawyers of their society. Uh, oh!
The religious tension and political intrigue between the Pharisees and the Sadducees could be brutal. But they (and their lawyers) united over their opposition to God’s Son!
Together, the Sadducees and Pharisees (and their lawyers), though more familiar with the Old Testament than all other Jews, knowing the over 600 prophecies in the OT about the Messiah, and who rigorously followed the jot and tittle of the law, missed seeing, understanding, and following Jesus.
Wow!
They spent centuries studying, waiting, and expecting the Christ. Then, John the Baptist cries in the wilderness that, “He’s coming very soon,” and shortly afterwards, Jesus says, “Here I am!”
Their response? Death to both.
Why? Religion and politics have a self-promoting power-inducing guile that dulls even the seemingly righteous to the truth.
As Jesus concluded. . .
You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! (Matthew 23:24)
Let’s pray to have eyes that see and ears that hear.