Conflict with the authorities: PHARISEES Flashcards
Jesus’ self-assignation as an authority- shown in his performance of miracles (threat to their power)
Though the miracles reveal the reality of God’s rule and authenticate Jesus’ claims about who he was, they would have upset the pharisees (threat to their power):
MARK 2:25 onwards: woman suffering from haemorrhages = Jesus healed her by taking away the cause: her sin. This act was a claim to divinity, only God has the power to remove sin (blasphemous)
Jesus suggests the KoG is the fulfilment of the law (threat to their power)
Jesus believes that the kingdom means that if you are working for God on earth then you are fulfilling the law, not getting rid of it. - Pharisees would say how can you fulfil the law without obeying it? - J’s interpretation of law upset them
The Pharisees took their obligation to God very seriously: they question Jesus on his failure to follow the law and Jesus replies explaining his problem with their version of following the law
MATT 15:2 = MARK 7:1 Pharisees say “why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders” because Jesus hasn’t washed his hands before eating.
What they justify as loyalty to tradition, Jesus sees as rules for rules’ sake.
He replies, questioning why they “break the commandment of God for the sake of tradition” - rather than explicitly disregarding the rules, J is expressing that he thinks the Pharisees have missed the point of the Torah - it instead should be used for the mission that jesus fulfils as the son of man which is to fulfil God’s plan on earth
Jesus accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy
MATT 23:3 Jesus says they “do not practice what they teach”
MATT 23:33 “you snakes, you brood of vipers”
Angry at their hypocrisy and the fact that they have completely missed the point of the Torah
Sabbath observance: Jesus breaks the law by performing a miracle during the sabbath
Luke 13:10-16 Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath. ‘The leader of the synagogue - a pharisee - calls him out but jesus says “you hypocrites!” since they break the law by untying their donkeys and leading them to water.
at this, “his opponents were put to shame”
Sabbath observance: the Pharisees place importance on the oral Torah (Mishnah), which Jesus dismissed
MARK 2:23 When the disciples are plucking the heads of grain they are said to be “doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath”
J says “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” - he does not adhere to the oral Torah (which the Pharisees place much importance on).
Again the general tone we get from Jesus is that they have missed the point of the Torah: The pharisees have lost sight of the Sabbath commandments through their legalism
