Beliefs
about Yeshua are like channels on a TV. Depending on what one believes about
him determines what they see when they read their Bibles. None of the Christian
belief systems people view him through today existed in the early first century
when he lived and taught. So, what belief systems did they view him through?
The
four popular belief systems (religious sects or parties) in Israel at that time
were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes,
and Herodians.
(1) The Sadducees represented an older
establishment of priests, aristocrats, and wealthier merchants. They exerted less
influence on the religious views of the larger community, but dominated the
Temple worship and the Sanhedrin, the central religious council based in the
Temple.
(2) The Essenes were a pious brotherhood of
separatists who lived in isolated monastic communities in the desert.
(3) The Herodians were a religious party allied
to Herod the Great. (Hillel p. 9-10)
For
many Christians, “Pharisee” is a
dirty word. A sentence that is repeated multiple times in Matthew 23 has
branded the Pharisees as the “bad guys” in Christian minds -- But
woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (Matthew 23:13)
However,
during the time of Yeshua, the Pharisees were the most popular sect by far
and they represented the huge mass of the people. The main focus of the Pharisees was on the primacy of the Torah, and
their leaders were the expert interpreters of Torah. (Hillel p. 10)
Are
you ready for a surprise?
Yeshua spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,
saying: “The scribes and
the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that
observe and do . . .” (Matthew 23:1-3)
Thanks
to the work of archaeologists we now know that the phrase “Moses’s seat” refers to a literal seat. It was a special chair of honor
in synagogues where recognized teachers of the Torah sat while teaching and interpreting
the words of the Torah. Below is a picture below of a “seat of Moses” unearthed at the synagogue in the city Chorazim.
Yeshua’s problem with the
Pharisees concerned their actions, not their interpretations of the Scriptures:
“. . . but do not do according to their works; for
they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them
on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their
fingers.” (Matthew
23:3b-4)
On the other hand, the Pharisees’
primary problem with Yeshua was his interpretations of the Scriptures. We know
this from one of his very famous teachings.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Amen!
(Matthew 5:17-18a)
Sadly, most Christians do not
understand what he said because they have not been taught the correct meanings
of the underlined words. Many people have been taught that this meant that “Jesus
did away with the Law.” He and the Pharisees would be very upset with that!
Apparently Yeshua had been
accused of “abolishing the Law or Prophets” and he was responding to that
charge. An
account is recorded of a teaching by Rabbi Gamaliel, the grandson of the great Jewish teacher
Hillel the Elder, in which he unlocks the meaning of the phrases:
(1) “Abolish” means “misinterpret.”
(2) “Fulfilled” means “to
interpret correctly.” Talmud (Shabbat
116a-b)
Now
let’s update the translation:
Do not think that I have come to misinterpret the Law or the
Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to interpret them correctly.
Amen!
These words make it very clear
that Yeshua viewed himself as a teacher and interpreter of the Torah, not someone
who came to do away it. Therefore, Jewish audiences that heard the words of Yeshua above would most likely view him as a Pharisee,
not Sadducee, Essene or Herodian.
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