Welcome to the Mountjoy Ministries Blog

This blog was authored by Bryan W. Sheldon, author and Bible teacher. His books are listed below. The studies in the blog are offered in the desire that they may be helpful in directing readers to the truths contained in the Bible.

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

The Conflict over the Oral Law (Continued)

It is proper and pertinent to draw attention to the phrase, “but I say to you”. The Messiah chose His words with great care, because He was formally announcing what was opposite to the teaching of the Tanaim and therefore unacceptable to the Pharisees.  The oral law, identified in the Bible as “the tradition of the elders”, relied on precepts handed on from one generation to another.  For example the Mishnah records the words of R. Joshua: “I have a tradition from Rabban Yohanan b. Zakkai, who heard it from his master, and his master from his master, as a law revealed to Moses at Sinai”.[1] But in the case of Jesus He was standing on His own authority as Messiah.   Furthermore, in His office as Messiah He was declaring that He had the authority to interpret the law.  There is also, in this phrasing, that element which implied deity, for the sub-text is that He was the giver of the law and therefore needed none other beside Himself to interpret it.

The sermon began with consideration of the inner life.  The blessed are the poor in spirit, the ones that mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart and those that hunger and thirst after righteousness.  Chapter 6 of Matthew’s gospel returns to the theme of the inner life.  For example, the matter of giving alms: “When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”[2]  Then the matter of praying: “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father … in the secret place”.[3] Then the Messiah turns to the subject of fasting: “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place”.[4]  

These were declared in sharp contrast to the hypocritical righteousness of the Pharisees that emphasised outward observances, hence the warnings.  In respect of alms-giving: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So … do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honoured by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.[5]  And regarding praying: “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”[6]  And then in respect of fasting: “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”[7]  The actions of the hypocrites were, according to the Messiah, designed only to impress others.

Who are the hypocrites Jesus had in mind?  At this time, He identified, by implication, the Scribes and Pharisees, those guardians of the oral law, but after His official rejection, He named and shamed them: “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me”“.[8] Then the seven times repeated, “woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites![9] There the Lord described them as fools and blind guides.  On occasion, He coupled the Pharisees with the Sadducees;[10] and sometimes with the Herodians,[11] indicating that they too were hypocrites

In the same discourse, Jesus taught that Pharisaic righteousness had a wide gate.[12]  As has already been mentioned, they taught that all Israelites have a share in the world to come.[13]  Yet, even they would exclude some.  “And these are the ones who have no portion in the world to come: He who says, the resurrection of the dead is a teaching which does not derive from the Torah, (2) and the Torah does not come from Heaven; and (3) an Epicurean.”[14]  This section effectively excluded the Sadducees.  A later inclusion seems directed at Jesus, “and those who whisper over a wound and say, ‘I will put none of the diseases upon you which I have put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you’ (Ex. 15:26)”.[15] Notwithstanding the exceptions, Pharisaic doctrine pronounced almost all Jews ‘safe’, it had a gate wide enough to take almost every Jew ever born.

Jesus further taught that Pharisaism was a broad road – only outward conformity was required.  However, it was a way of works, done publicly, which would only bring the praise of men.[16] It was a way that seemed right but led to destruction.[17] The man that followed the way of the Pharisees would have built his house on sand, a foundation that could not hold it. Paul, the great expositor expressed it thus: “they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God”.[18]

The Pharisees were also guilty of judging, finding specks in the eyes of others, when they had planks in their own eyes.[19]  The condemnation pronounced by the Messiah was absolute. They claimed to speak for God but were, in fact, false prophets.  They claimed to be the shepherds of Israel but were guilty of decimating the flock like wolves.[20] They pretended to be righteous people, living righteous lives, and bearing righteous fruit, but were, in fact, corrupt trees bearing evil fruit.[21] They practiced lawlessness,[22] an amazing charge considering that they imposed additional laws on the population.  Implicit in the condemnation of the Messiah is the understanding that the imposition of the oral law undermined the Torah.

More Next Time

[1] Eduyyot 8.7 A (Mishnah)
[2] Matt.6.3,4
[3] Matt.6.6
[4] Matt.6.16
[5] Matt.6.2
[6] Matt.6.5
[7] Matt.6.16
[8] Matt.15.1,7,8
[9] Matt.23.13,14,15,23,25,27,29
[10] Matt.16.3
[11] Matt.22.18
[12] Matt.7.13
[13] Sanhedrin 10.1.A (Mishnah)
[14] Sanhedrin 10.1C,D (1),(2),(3) (Mishnah)
[15] Sanhedrin 10.1.F (Mishnah)
[16] Matt.6.2,5,16
[17] Matt.7.13
[18] Rom.10.3
[19] Matt.7.1ff
[20] Matt.7.15ff
[21] Matt.7.17
[22] Matt.7.23

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