The
Pharisees
Who
were they? Where did they come from? What did they believe? How did they get it
wrong? The origins of the Pharisees are not easy to trace.
The only thing many people to know about them is their strictness about the
law. They even criticized Jesus for not keeping their law. Matt 12: 10-14, 15: 1-2, John
9:6.
Some people believe
that after the exile, these people came up as a small group who looked at Scriptures
with idea of interpreting it to other people. This was probably the time of Ezra 7:25. They came from the working
class and tried to preserve traditional Jewish practices from the corruption of
foreign ideas and political ambition. The name Pharisee means separated one.
They separated themselves from the people. They were more concerned with
maintaining traditions than with producing the type of character and behavior that
God’s law aimed at Matt 5:20. The Pharisees lived this way until the time of Maccabean period. When Alexander the great
began to influence the whole world with the creek culture, the Pharisees tried
to stop him and it was when the book of Daniel appeared, Dan 12:9-10. The Pharisees fought so hard and made Israel a power
to be reckoned with in the near East. In fact you could sympathize with them at
this time, around 167 B.C. the
unspeakable crime was committed in the temple, it was the time Antiochus
slaughtered pigs in the temple and burned the scrolls of the law and prohibited
circumcision. Many Jews chose to die rather than see the defilement of the
temple or break ancient covenant read Gen
17: 7-14. The local priest at that time was Mattathias. He had five sons.
These people with a number of Pharisees were consumed with righteous rage at
the sight of a Jew obediently offering a sacrifice on one of the altar which
Antiochs had erected; slew everybody including the king’s agent. This was the
time some Jews who preferred to face death, rather than break Sinai law lived Exodus 19:20. This war came to an end
in 63 B.C when Pompey, the Roman
general was called upon to mediate. Who were fighting? The Pharisees along with
others and Jesus found one of his disciples from these fighters Luke 6:15, Simon the Zealot. They were
fighting for their identity as a nation. They stood firm. They knew Messiah was
coming soon. Their faith consumed them John
7:32, 50-52.
Whatever their motives,
the Pharisees became a party with considerable popular influence, Josephus, a
Jew historian described them as having the ability to sway the masses, even
against kings or high priest. They had their dangers as I have said. Their outward
show not spiritual conviction, our Lord told them Matt 23:23-26, please don’t forget what they stood for, not how
they did it, they are a people worth studying. Do you stand for Jesus as a Christians
now? 2 Tim 4:1-5. We are living in a
time when the true gospel has become unpopular; we need men and women who can
stand up for Jesus, who protect God’s kingdom. 2 Tim 3:10-12. If earthly people can depend their earthly kingdom
this way. How would Christians stand up for Jesus because of the heavenly
kingdom?
By Pastor Paul Onyango Odera. Elder at Kisumu Grace Baptist Church.
