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Sunday, May 13, 2012 am            Life of Jesus Index 

THE LIFE OF JESUS (26)
The Jewish System during the Life of Jesus

 This morning, as we continue our study of the final week of the life of Jesus, we want to take a few moments to help establish some background information to help us understand the various characters that play a role in the events that unfolded that week.  In previous lessons we have discussed His apostles and disciples.  Today we are going to emphasize the groups associated with the Jewish system that would reject Jesus.  Recall that last week we noted a group of parables that I “Parables of Rejection” that described how many who ought to have known better were rejected and faced the judgment of God as a result.  This came on the heels of His cleansing the temple (again) and their questioning His authority. 

So who were these people that rejected Him?  We read about them throughout the accounts of the life of Jesus and the book of Acts.  How did they contribute to the climate that would ultimately result in the crucifixion of Jesus?  Today, we will take a few moments to discuss some of these groups and individuals. 

I.                    The Jewish System at this time (Matt. 21:23, Mark 11:27)

a.        If you are familiar with the history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament you know of its continual corruption, whether it be idolatry, greed, hypocrisy, neglect of the common citizen, elitism in its leadership (both the priesthood and the civil leaders), abuse and corruption of the Law of Moses, halfhearted service to God, etc.  And no matter what God did, when they changed it was only a “Band-Aid.”    After returning from captivity and the conclusion of the written age (ca. 400 BC when Malachi was penned) there continued to be social progression in the nation.  In the New Testament we read of many things that were not prevalent as the written word (the Old Law) was completed – this included the synagogue and its worship, dealings with the various nations that ruled them for most of this time period, the rise of sects and changes in the priesthood and the additions of various traditions which affected the Law.  ALL of these things contributed to the Jewish climate in which Jesus taught and died for our sins.

b.       Consider Matthew 21:23 & Mark 11:27.  Following the cleansing of the temple, we read that when Jesus came to the temple He was confronted by “the chief priests” and elders.  Mark 11:27 adds to this the scribes.  Who were these groups?  What was the Sanhedrin?  And what about the Pharisees and Sadducees (and Essenes) who are not mentioned, we can be assured they were close by.  Let’s take a few moments to examine them.
Matt. 22:15 speaks of the Pharisees plotting to entangle Jesus.
Matt. 22:23 speaks of the Sadducees who also sought to entrap or discredit Jesus.

c.        Bear in mind that at the time of the life of Jesus, the nation of Israel was under Roman jurisdiction.  Though Jews enjoyed some favor and tolerance both in Jerusalem and throughout the Empire, they were still under Rome and civil leaders appointed by Rome.  That is why they could not always act arbitrarily.  Late in the week of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion we are introduced to Pilate and read of Herod.  These were Roman appointed officers.  We also find Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem and associated with the Crucifixion, scourging, etc.

 

II.                  The various groups we are introduced to during this week:

a.        The Sanhedrin – a word meaning, “seated together” was the central judicial authority for the Jews.  The Sanhedrin consisted of 70 members plus the president who was the high priest.   Sometimes it was referred to as “the Council.”  In fact, in scripture, the term Sanhedrin is not used.
Its origin, according to tradition, is linked to Numbers 11:16-17 where Moses in the wilderness chose 70 elders to help him in administering the affairs of the people.   BUT, it is more likely that it originated during the postexilic period (after 536 BC and even more likely after 400 BC).
Its makeup was a combination of Sadducees (including priests), Pharisees (e.g. scribes), and some of the city elders (usually prominent business leaders).    The Sadducees held the majority and most influential of seats in the Sanhedrin.
The Central Sanhedrin was in Jerusalem and would exercise authority over matters concerning the Law of Moses which it could disseminate to Jews throughout the empire (via Synagogues).  There is some evidence that in larger Synagogues, there were local councils (possibly also called the Sanhedrin that addressed local affairs).
Purpose: The Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, which we shall call the Central Sanhedrin had the responsibility of addressing affairs concerning the Law, but also locally it was “the central authority for the civic administration of Jerusalem, for religious instruction, for establishment of policy for the conduct of the temple services, and for justice in cases neither handled locally nor reserved to the Roman authorities, particularly those involving the temple and violations of the Torah.”[1]  We would equate it to our Supreme Court in dealing with judicial matters.
Capital Offenses - There is question about whether or not the Sanhedrin had power to impose the death penalty.  We read of Stephen being stoned after standing before what was probably this body (whether legal or not we do not know), BUT Jesus was not and it is stated that at that time they did not have the power to put Him to death (cf. John 18:31).  Some speculate that their authority of capital punishment was determined by whoever was the Roman authority at the time.

b.       The chief Priests –would be a portion of the Sanhedrin associated with High Priest.  Notice the term is plural.  This group possibly consisted of the current and previous High Priests, as well as members of the high-priestly family.  They would have a prominent influence in the Sanhedrin.

c.        The High Priest – according to the Law of Moses, the High Priest was a descendant of Aaron who would intercede for the nation on a yearly basis with the sacrifice of atonement.  Being High Priest, he would presided over the priesthood (and thus the people – religiously).  Much could be said about the Levitical priesthood but time will not permit such in this lesson.  Consider Exodus 28-29  & Leviticus 21-22, etc.  It was a  position that was appointed for life.
An interesting observation in dealing with the High Pries is to notice that during the week of Jesus’ betrayal and death, there were two different persons identified in the gospel accounts - John 18:13,14 records Annas as High Priest and Matthew 26:3-4 records Caiaphas as High Priest.   John 11:49-51.  This is not a contradiction,  but rather an example of the corruption of the priesthood as it associated with Rome.  According to Josephus, Anna was actual High Priest from 6 – 15 AD but he was removed from office by Rome.  After him, 5 of his sons succeeded him.  Caiaphas was his son-in-law.  Because the High Priest was appointed for life, it could be that Annas was the rightful High Priest (though his corruption lend to his political leanings and compromise) and Caiaphas was the one who served the year our Lord would die, having been appointed by Rome. 
According to some sources, the High Priesthood and become a “political plumb” for Rome and thus a lucrative investment.  This went both ways as the High Priest and his family benefitted from the temple tax and other revenues from the merchandizing of the temple.[2] Some have said that the Priesthood was up for bids on a yearly basis.  This would explain why Jesus was so upset as He cleansed the temple AND the hostilities of the chief priests

d.       The elders –  this is a term that in the Bible dates back to the days of the patriarchs (well before the Law of Moses) - Gen. 50:7, Ex. 3:16, Ezra 5:5, etc.  These were the civic and religious leaders who oversaw the observance of the Law and the traditions, as well as tending to civil affairs.  We can certainly see how such individuals had a stake in the actions of Jesus and their social standing in the community and with Rome. 
These are NOT to be confused with elders of the church.

e.       The scribes – rather than being a sect, or even a religious or political group, they were a “professional group.”  Sometimes described as “lawyers” they were experts in the study of the Law of Moses.  (NOTE: In N.T., “lawyers” and “scribes” are never used in the same text (indicating they were the same persons – cf. Luke 7:46, Matt. 23:2-4).  According to the New Bible Dictionary (Logos edition), their purpose was three-fold:
1) They preserved the law.  They were students and defenders of it, both the written and oral.  Some say that they placed greater emphasis on the oral traditions than the written law (cf. Mark. 7:5).
2) They gathered pupils and instructed them in the law.  IN so doing, they help to embed the traditions into their students.
3) Referred to as “lawyers” and “teachers of the law” they were entrusted with the administration of the law as judges, especially in the Sanhedrin.
In the events of Jesus, they would have given “counsel” as to how to deal with Him. 

f.         Sects– among the Jews, during the post-exilic period, various sects of the Jews emerged.  These sects were groups of Jews that approached interpretation of the Law differently.  There were primarily three different sects, two of which are mentioned in the Bible – they were the Sadducees, the Pharisees, & the Essenes.  A fourth sect emerged later known as the Zealots, of which one became an apostle of Jesus (Simon)

                                                   i.      Essenes – were a sect of Jews not mentioned in the Bible.  They lived a simple and ascetic lifestyle (denying themselves) in secluded (monastic) communities.
They are believed to have formed during the Maccabean period (ca 168 BC) in response to the corruption of the priesthood by the Sadducees.
They were relatively few in number (both Philo and Josephus say there were only about 4000 of them).
Because of the corruption of the priesthood the Essenes rejected Temple worship and the offerings as corrupted (which might explain why we DON’T read of them in the gospels.
Worthy of mention – According to Holman, they were “Devoted to the copying and studying of the manuscript of the law.” Qumran is believed to be a community of the Essenes.  This community was responsible for the collection of the Dead Sea scrolls (though it is not certain if they wrote them or simply collected them) which have given us tremendous insight into Jewish customs AND verified the accuracy of our methods of interpretation of scripture.[3]

                                                  ii.      Zealots – only mentioned twice, and both times in reference to the name Simon the Zealot, who was one of the apostles (Luke 16:15, Acts 1:13). 
They were a small sect who developed later. According to Josephus it was about 6 AD they were formed as a small group began to rebel against Rome.  They advocated the violent overthrow of Rome and opposed peace with Rome for the Jews.  They refused to pay taxes.
It is said that they were instrumental in rallying the people against Rome which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. [4]
But at the time of Jesus they were not as prevalent, but rather more of a nationalistic movement.  OF interest to us is how one of such a background could become a disciple and apostle of Jesus, showing the power of change, especially when you consider he served along with Thomas, the tax collector.

                                                iii.      Sadducees – a sect of the Jews that comprised the priestly family, as well as those of aristocracy.   
As a sect they accepted only the Torah (5 books of the Law of Moses) as authoritative.  They were conservative rigidly toward the law and opposed binding the oral law (of the Pharisees).  However, they also believed in the absolute freedom of human will (people could do what they wanted).  This would correspond with their denial of the resurrection (cf. Matt. 22:23-34, Acts 4:1-2, 23:6-10, etc.).  They were also materialistic.
Politically, they were active and sought allegiance with Rome.  In fact they were willing to exploit the Law of God (i.e. Moses) for political favor and power.  This often led to their corruption.  We know from the events of the week we are discussing that they placed greater concern on their standing with the political powers of the Empire than their own Law.  Consider what they said in John 19:15 where “the chief priests said, ‘We have no king but Caesar’” and “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” (John 11:48)
And as you read of the chief priests, this sect is involved. (cf. Act 5:17 associates the High Priest with the Sadducees.)
LESSONS: Obviously, as we examine this group, we learn many lessons:
1)  WE need to respect ALL of God’s Laws – we cannot choose which parts of it to follow.
2)  Faithfulness and materialism do NOT mix – you CANNOT serve God and mammon (Matt. 6:24)
3) What will we give up of this world’s goods to follow Him?  Will we give up our prestige and power?  Will we give up our material gain?  Etc.

                                                iv.      Pharisees – the term means, “separated ones”. 
They were the most prominent sect of the Jews – consisting mostly of the middle class businessmen and thus more in touch with the common man.  It was in this sect that you would find the scribes.  Because they had the support of the people, they had influence in the Sanhedrin.
Religiously they accepted the entire word of God as authorized (i.e. the Old Testament – cf. The law, prophets and psalms – Luke 24:44).  BUT, they also developed oral traditions and interpretations of the Law (the Mishnah) which in the time of Christ they bound as authoritative.  Whenever Jesus conflicted with the Pharisees (which was often), it was dealing with their traditions and not the actual law of God (cf. Matt. 15:1-9).
They reasoned that their proper law keeping entitled them to salvation (I.e. – salvation by works).
They were also arrogant and shunned those who were not of them.  They were morally corrupt – Matt. 23:4 – binding on others but not doing themselves; They exploited the poor – Matt. 23:14; They disregarded justice, mercy and faith – Matt. 23:23; They extorted and were hypocrites – Matt. 23:25; They taught loopholes out of the Law  Matt. 15:4-6;  Taught it was acceptable to deceive Gentiles – Matt. 23:16-22;  No wonder Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:16)
NOTE: NOT ALL Pharisees were corrupt, nor was their concept of following God’s word wrong – note what Jesus said in Matt. 23:23, “These you ought to have done…”. 
In actuality they had a proper perspective of the Law – realizing a need to keep it properly.  They just went too far and overstepped God’s boundaries binding where He had not bound, and loosing where He had not loosed.”
LESSONS: Again, there is much to learn how NOT to act from these groups:
1) We need to be careful not to overstep the boundaries of God’s word.
2) We need to understand the difference between God’s word and our traditions.  This requires a proper understanding of authority.
3) We need to check our attitude toward others – avoiding self-righteousness, pride, superficial appearance, etc.

With this background we are ready to proceed with the rest of our study.  May our understanding of those described give us a better appreciation of the teachings of Jesus.