The Scribes and the Pharisees....what a nice bunch of guys right? Uh,,,let me take a look at these guys again........What is a Scribe or a Pharisee anyway? I know anyone can look up what the definition of these two sects of the Jewish society were when Christ Jesus became one of us, but what was up with these guys? Why were they so "hell-bent for leather" to deny the existence and the authority of the One who Truly Loves Us...Jesus...the True Messiah, of all mankind?
OK.
My understanding of a Scribe is indeed the fact they were the scholars of the written Torah. The Torah is Judaism's most important text. It consists of the 5 books of Moses which contains 613 Commandments ( "Mittzvot" in Hebrew), and the "bigee"...the 10 Commandments.
Scribes in my mind were almost like lawyers or even perhaps judges of the day who were committed to the authenticity of this section of the written Sacred Scriptures, in this case being the 5 Books of Moses.
The 5 Book of Moses included the following:
1, "Bereshit" meaning "in the beginning" or Genesis.
2. "Shemot" meaning "names" or Exodus.
3. "Vayikra" meaning "He called" or Leviticus.
4. "Bamidbar" meaning "in the desert" or Numbers.
5. "Devarim" meaning "words" or Deuteronomy.
Now...the Pharisees. The Pharisees seemed to have evolved in the Jewish society and were religious leaders during the time Christ Jesus was here...among us. These guys had a little different approach in following the Lord God of Israel. Yes, they certainly acknowledged the written Torah and committed their lives to following out the Commandments dictated, including the major one...the 10 Commandments ...well, at least that is what you would read if you were presented with a resume by a Pharisee, yet there were some features about this group that separated them from Scribes.
First, they were patriotic in nature, and very nationalistic in their support of the nation of
Israel, particularly their future and the constant "look-out" for the arrival of the Messiah who would elevate Israel above all other nations...because of their belief in the Lord God. Along with the written Torah, they added a special feature to this portion of Scripture, known commonly as the "Oral Torah".
Throughout history there has been much room for debate as to whether the "Oral Torah" is really authentic and valid in terms to being a follower of the Lord God of Israel.
Here is a basic concept of how this "Oral Torah" works. In the 10 Commandments, the 4th Commandment states: " Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy." This statement is in the written Torah...many of us have heard this stated on numerous occasions. A Scribe would confirm this is a written commandment...and needs to be adhered to.
Yet, to a Pharisee, there is no given instruction as to what exactly it means to remember the Sabbath day, and in particular how are we to keep it holy?
Enter the "Oral Torah". The "Oral Torah" would then go into much detail as to how one is to keep this day "holy", to rest on the Sabbath, and refrain from any activities that would involve any work. And did they ever go into detail......
In fact, after it was all "said and done", it turns out for every one page (scroll actually) of the written Torah, there were...50 pages of the "Oral Torah" to give specific instruction as to how a person was to carry out the commandments...of the written Torah.
Jewish Rabbinic tradition holds that Moses, when on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights, not only received the 10 Commandments, but was given the entire written Torah, yet leaves out the concepts and procedures as to how these written commandments were to be carried out. Without these necessary and added instructions, the reader is left no course of action but to seek out details through supplemental sources...which was followed to the "t" by the Pharisees...namely the "Oral Torah".
And here then lies the real problem....Jesus in no way shape or form....fit into the pattern of the type of Messiah they were looking for, that is...the Messiah who would elevate the nation of Israel and destroy any who opposed her, and equally important, had little regard for the "Oral Torah". This need to have a changing of our hearts and loving our enemies, mixing with the poor and destitute of society, and hangin' out with tax collectors and prostitutes....this is not what the Scribes or the Pharisees had in mind when it was announced to the world: "The Messiah has come!", and His lifestyle?... totally out of control when it came to instructions given by the "Oral Torah."
So, what are they to do?...They need to get rid of Him...especially with the people of Israel responding so positively to His Call: "Follow Me".
And, they committed themselves to this course of action...and here in the Gospel of John, chapter 8, is yet another vain attempt by these "protectors of the freedom of Israel"...to destroy the very One they were looking for....The Messiah of God.
Back to John 8.....
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