Jesus and the Pharisees
Below is theMessage Audio followed by Typed Notes.
The Jewish religeous leaders particularly the Pharisees challenged Jesus and His ministry.
There is a series of confrontations between the Pharisees and Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.
The Pharisees believed they were good and right, and believed that Jesus was evil and wrong.
The word “Pharisee” means “separated one.” The Pharisees were committed to the Old Testament Scripture, to the laws of Moses, and to Israel’s unique status as God’s chosen people. They considered themselves to be the “good Jews” who were living life the way God wanted them to live it.
Conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees escalates during His years of ministry mentioned in Luke’s Gospel.
They criticized Jesus because His followers did not fast like John’s followers did. (Luke 5:30, 15:2)
They accused Jesus of doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath when His disciples picked and ate some grain while going through the grainfields. (Luke 6:1-5)
They questioned Jesus’ authority to forgive sins. (Luke 7:36-39, 44-50)
They put Jesus to the test, asking Him what one must do to inherit eternal life. (Luke 10:25-28)
The Jewish religeous leaders sought to develop a plan to put Jesus to death in a way that would not incite a riot with the people with whom Jesus was popular. (Luke 22:2)
Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, criticizing them for performing religious acts to gain public admiration rather than genuine devotion. Matthew 23:27-31.
Jesus has greater authority than the Pharisees. John 5:16-18. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
Another confrontation with the Jews was when they asked him if he was greater than Abraham. Jesus told them, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” The Jews mockingly replied, “You aren’t even 50 years old yet, and have you seen Abraham?”Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” John 8:53–58.
The Jewish religious leaders never accepted Jesus as the Son of God who came to redeem sinfull man. The reason why they did not was that accepting him as God would have gone against the Jewish religeous tradition which was based on the Mosaic law and salvation by works not by faith in the Son of God.
Below is the underlined link to the Notes pdf