In the last week of Christ’s life, he exposed the iniquity of Israel’s leaders through self-interpreting parables. In one of these, he depicts a householder who leaves his vineyard in the care of certain husbandmen (Matt. 21). After seeking to collect money due from the caretakers, the householder “sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.” Having committed the crime, what should be done to the murderers? “They (the leaders of Israel) say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus then quoted Psalm 118:22,23 to them and said, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”
The “kingdom of God” here has particular application to the nation of Israel which was governed by those “who sat in Moses’ seat” — the leadership of Israel in the days of Christ.
Early in the ministry of Jesus, “it came to pass on a certain day…there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town (note– every town) of Galilee, and Judaea and Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present to heal them” (Luke 5:17). Later in the same incident we are told, “They were all amazed and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today.”
Who were these leaders? What were their functions in religious and public life? Why did they not accept the teachings of Jesus — of all people, they should have been prepared for his coming, and anxiously looking for him.
The scribes
The scribes became an organization during the Jewish exile in Babylon. Being deprived of the ability to offer sacrifices, the Jews intensified their study of the Torah. There followed an increasing desire for each man to study the Law for himself. During the exile, however, the common people lost their skills in the Hebrew language. Therefore, a group of individuals arose who elaborated upon and interpreted the Law for the people.
Originally, the Sopherim (“scholars” or scribes) were of the priests and Levites; a class of men who devoted themselves to the study and exposition of the Law. In time, certain non-Levites devoted themselves to the study of the Law, and eventually formed a group of scribes fairly independent of the priesthood. As the people’s appreciation of the Law increased, this group assumed a more authoritative role. (Information in this section is being drawn from Worship in the Early Church by Ralph Martin and From Maccabees to Mishnah by S. Cohen, as well as other sources.)
Eventually, the scribes accepted the sole responsibility for the accurate, textual transmission of the Torah. Their goal was to see that “it was transmitted as accurately as when Moses first received it.” To facilitate their concept of a right application of the Law, an oral commentary accompanied the written word. Gradually, the oral commentary became more important than the written Law. The oral traditions were placed on an equal footing with the written word with respect to their origin but were to be superior with respect to their importance. Such a conclusion came from an interpretation of Exodus 34:27 (“After the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel”) which was interpreted to mean, “God’s covenant was founded on the spoken words in opposition to the written word’s.” Oral traditions were used to supplement the Law and to give it application to cases not expressly provided for in the Law.
Scribes in New Testament times
In the New Testament, the scribes are referred to as “lawyers” (Matt. 22:35; Lk. 7:30, etc.), “rabbi” (Matt. 23:1-8) and “teacher of the Law” (Lk. 5:17; Acts 5:34). By the days of Jesus, the scribes had developed three major functions:
- Studying the exact letter of the Law, they sought to show how it was to be followed in “all conceivable cases that might occur.” As a result, life under the Law became a heavy burden of external observance that offered little help in the true spiritual development of the people.
- They taught the oral law to their pupils. This was done by “constant repetition of its numerous precepts so that their pupils might have them imprinted on their memory.”
- They acted as judges in the Sanhedrin and in local courts. As “experts” in the Law, they held a unique position in the Sanhedrin. The scribes constituted the ultimate authority on all questions of faith and practice.
As could be expected, the scribes held themselves in high esteem. They considered they were “well plastered pits filled with the water of knowledge out of which not a drop can escape.” They felt they received the praise of angels and God and believed each one of them outweighed the common people in importance before God.
The Jewish citizenry paid homage to them recognizing them as the authority in matters pertaining to God. So firmly was the authority of the scribe class established that “an offense against the sayings of the Scribes was worse than one against those of scripture!”
The Pharisees
In the centuries before Jesus, the priests and Levites were heavily influenced by Greek philosophical and religious ideas. Such a condition was appalling to many of the scribes, who formed a group known as the Hasidim, or the pious ones. From the Hasidim developed the sect of the Pharisees (“separated ones”). As a sect, they had a “deep concern for separation from defilement and for strict observance of the Law.” Pharisaical scribes were the elite of this party.
At one point, the Pharisees controlled the Sanhedrin. By Jesus’ time, however, the Sadducee’s were the majority of the Jewish supreme court.
The Sadducee’s
While the Pharisees were initially preoccupied only with religion, the Sadducee’s concern was for secular and political affairs. Primarily, they consisted of priests who had gained position and wealth. They made whatever alliances they felt were necessary to survive and secure their wealth.
In New Testament times, under the direct rule of the Romans, the Sanhedrin was given authority to direct the internal government of the country. By controlling the Sanhedrin, the Sadducee’s controlled governmental affairs in the nation.
Rejection of Christ
While at times awed by the power of Christ, Israel’s leaders stubbornly refused to accept him as the Messiah. They started their rejection of Jesus by refusing to heed John the Baptist, “all the people that hear him (Jesus), and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him” (Lk. 7:29,30). They had not come to John because he was not one of them and did not have their permission to teach.
When Jesus is challenged by the ruler of the synagogue as he is about to heal a woman on the sabbath, he responded, “Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham…be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Lk.13:15-17).
The right application of the sabbath law was a major issue between Jesus and the leaders. “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them” (John 9:16).
Some of the leaders saw the resurrection of Lazarus. The miracle was so overwhelming that “many of the Jews…believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done…this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation” (John 11:45-53).
They were to lose their place and nation, however, for the kingdom of God would be taken from them.
The children of the kingdom
“Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness” (Matt. 8:11,12). The scribes, Pharisees and Sadducee’s had ignored the blunt warnings of scripture, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?…Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer.. if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity” (Isa. 58:6-10).
When Jesus appeared on the scene, they chose to ignore him. When they could not ignore him any longer, they tried to find reasons to reject him. When it became impossible to reject him and save face, they sought to kill him.
“The common people would have taken him and made him king, if he would have permitted them: but the rulers already possessed of the vineyard, hated him; for they knew that if he should obtain the kingdom, they would be cast out. They rejoiced, therefore, at his death” (Elpis Israel, 238,239, 1942 ed.).
He came to take the kingdom from those who had already lost it and give it to others more worthy than they. “He came unto his own and his own received him not. But to as may as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name…”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One