The Pharisees fought (verbally) with Jesus, criticized almost every move He made, and exposed their hatred of Him by wanting Him....dead.
The Pharisees were in my opinion a "bunch of guys that wanted the outcome of Israel to be completed...their way." God had promised the Messiah, now the Pharisees committed themselves to "guiding God" as to what the Messiah should act like, look like, when and where He should appear, what He should concentrate on when He arrives...basically, the Messiah to come needs to be the "best of the best"...a Pharisee!
Is this a problem?...yeaaa...that is a "big" problem. God was never the type of individual that liked to be put "in a box" and directed by others to "help" Him. Don't you "hate it", when you have an idea, begin to share this idea, and people take off with it before you have even finished your thoughts, and by the time the conversation concludes with your original thought (idea), it isn't even close to what you may have been thinking.
Jesus descriptions of"these guys" was vivid on the Pharisees: "Whitened graves filled with dead men bones", "Den of Vipers", or simply "Hypocrites".
I think I have a "lesson to be learned": When God presents you with an idea or a direction that you know is a good one, let Him guide you through it...don't do the "Ok, I'll take it from here"...let Him guide you through the entire process...beginning to the end. Remember...it is His idea...He has a plan to go with it...your job is to remain attentive...to Him...not the idea.
The Pharisees were a bunch of arrogant control freaks. That is what I think started the friction between Christ Jesus and the Pharisees themselves. The Pharisees were of the thought they were collectively "sons of God" ( Jewish train of thought"), yet Jesus makes it clear He is God's only Son. When Jesus referred to Himself as "I Am"...Yahweh...that was clearly offensive to the Pharisees. Yahweh was a sacred word among the Pharisees, they were apprehensive to even allow the word to come from their lips...and here Jesus is making abundantly clear without reservation.
On top of all this, the Pharisees did not want to lose their control over Israel to the Roman Authority, and yet did not want a Messiah to come and take away their control as well...the Messiah needed to be...like them. Jesus was far from the type and pattern of what they thought a Messiah should be. It would be better to leave things the way they are...than to have this Jesus be proclaimed the coming Messiah.
And what made it difficult for the Pharisees to keep things under control...was the fact this Messiah, Christ Jesus... was performing miracles...doing good...and the people were responding. Here was another key...the Pharisees were no longer the "center of attention"....it was shifting...back to the Father...and the Pharisees wanted no part of it!
Here is a Gleaning from Matthew 22:41-47. Another confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. What makes this one unique...this is the last time the Pharisees questioned Him...the Scriptures state they never approached Him...again....
" The Pharisees had to regroup, the questions they had so carefully planned to "nail" Jesus, had all backfired. Every verbal challenge they had engaged with Him...ended up the Pharisees applying band-aids and more band-aids to themselves. They had just sent their best "expert on the Scripture to challenge Jesus",...with the same results. Now, He wants to ask the Pharisees a question...what is He up to now?....
Then Jesus said to the Pharisees: " I am curious. What do you guys really think about the Messiah...whose family will He come from?"
The Pharisees responded: "He is the Son of David...He will come from David's line."
Jesus then answered: "Really?...well, I have a question then that perhaps you could clarify for Me...in the Scriptures, and it was David himself writing this: " The Lord God said to my Lord (the Messiah); sit in the place of honor, on My right side, until I humble your enemies and they become your footstools." Now, if David was calling his Messiah "Lord"...then how could the Messiah be a "son of David?"
The Pharisees looked at one another...but nothing came from their lips. They had no answer. In fact, that was it...the Pharisees never challenged Jesus again..."
In John 15:25, Jesus quotes a Scripture from Psalm 109:3, a Gleaning from both:
John 15:25: " The Scriptures again prove themselves true, Scriptures confirm Scriptures, and is fulfilled this day: "They hate Me without a cause."
This is taken from...
Psalm 109:3 " They say hateful things about me, they surround me with hateful words; they slander and treat my prayers like it was a crime. I came for the good of others, and I receive hostile greetings...they make it clear they are totally against me...yet they have no cause to support their hate."
The Pharisees were in my opinion a "bunch of guys that wanted the outcome of Israel to be completed...their way." God had promised the Messiah, now the Pharisees committed themselves to "guiding God" as to what the Messiah should act like, look like, when and where He should appear, what He should concentrate on when He arrives...basically, the Messiah to come needs to be the "best of the best"...a Pharisee!
Is this a problem?...yeaaa...that is a "big" problem. God was never the type of individual that liked to be put "in a box" and directed by others to "help" Him. Don't you "hate it", when you have an idea, begin to share this idea, and people take off with it before you have even finished your thoughts, and by the time the conversation concludes with your original thought (idea), it isn't even close to what you may have been thinking.
Jesus descriptions of"these guys" was vivid on the Pharisees: "Whitened graves filled with dead men bones", "Den of Vipers", or simply "Hypocrites".
I think I have a "lesson to be learned": When God presents you with an idea or a direction that you know is a good one, let Him guide you through it...don't do the "Ok, I'll take it from here"...let Him guide you through the entire process...beginning to the end. Remember...it is His idea...He has a plan to go with it...your job is to remain attentive...to Him...not the idea.
The Pharisees were a bunch of arrogant control freaks. That is what I think started the friction between Christ Jesus and the Pharisees themselves. The Pharisees were of the thought they were collectively "sons of God" ( Jewish train of thought"), yet Jesus makes it clear He is God's only Son. When Jesus referred to Himself as "I Am"...Yahweh...that was clearly offensive to the Pharisees. Yahweh was a sacred word among the Pharisees, they were apprehensive to even allow the word to come from their lips...and here Jesus is making abundantly clear without reservation.
On top of all this, the Pharisees did not want to lose their control over Israel to the Roman Authority, and yet did not want a Messiah to come and take away their control as well...the Messiah needed to be...like them. Jesus was far from the type and pattern of what they thought a Messiah should be. It would be better to leave things the way they are...than to have this Jesus be proclaimed the coming Messiah.
And what made it difficult for the Pharisees to keep things under control...was the fact this Messiah, Christ Jesus... was performing miracles...doing good...and the people were responding. Here was another key...the Pharisees were no longer the "center of attention"....it was shifting...back to the Father...and the Pharisees wanted no part of it!
Here is a Gleaning from Matthew 22:41-47. Another confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. What makes this one unique...this is the last time the Pharisees questioned Him...the Scriptures state they never approached Him...again....
" The Pharisees had to regroup, the questions they had so carefully planned to "nail" Jesus, had all backfired. Every verbal challenge they had engaged with Him...ended up the Pharisees applying band-aids and more band-aids to themselves. They had just sent their best "expert on the Scripture to challenge Jesus",...with the same results. Now, He wants to ask the Pharisees a question...what is He up to now?....
Then Jesus said to the Pharisees: " I am curious. What do you guys really think about the Messiah...whose family will He come from?"
The Pharisees responded: "He is the Son of David...He will come from David's line."
Jesus then answered: "Really?...well, I have a question then that perhaps you could clarify for Me...in the Scriptures, and it was David himself writing this: " The Lord God said to my Lord (the Messiah); sit in the place of honor, on My right side, until I humble your enemies and they become your footstools." Now, if David was calling his Messiah "Lord"...then how could the Messiah be a "son of David?"
The Pharisees looked at one another...but nothing came from their lips. They had no answer. In fact, that was it...the Pharisees never challenged Jesus again..."
In John 15:25, Jesus quotes a Scripture from Psalm 109:3, a Gleaning from both:
John 15:25: " The Scriptures again prove themselves true, Scriptures confirm Scriptures, and is fulfilled this day: "They hate Me without a cause."
This is taken from...
Psalm 109:3 " They say hateful things about me, they surround me with hateful words; they slander and treat my prayers like it was a crime. I came for the good of others, and I receive hostile greetings...they make it clear they are totally against me...yet they have no cause to support their hate."
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