Biblegems #115
Question:
Since the Sadducees did
not believe in eternal life, what was their motivation for them being priests
and also for the sacrifices, even for being Jews? It seems that it couldn't
have profited them much, except for the priests having a good job.
The
Sadducees were priests, as were the Pharisees. The Chief Priest in New
Testament times was an office typically held by a Sadducee. However, the
Sadducees were predominantly a political party that developed sometime after
the Restoration of the Jews to their own land following their Babylonian captivity
in 536 B.C. They represented the wealthy Jewish nobility. Their tendency was to
protect their positions of power and authority both in religious matters and
with the Roman government. They also encouraged the Jewish people to “fit in”
with the Hellenistic culture of the Roman Empire.
It seems
that their religious distinctives and influence came later than their political
motivations. They were often at odds with the more popular Pharisees. In an
effort to give their political views a biblical foundation, the Sadducees
gradually developed some core theological beliefs that distinguished them from
the Pharisees. In short, these beliefs were:
• Only the written Law (the Old
Testament) had authority, not the traditions and rules of man.
• The soul of a person dies with that
person. There is no immortality, no resurrection, no heaven, hell or Judgment
Day.
• There is no spirit realm (i.e.,
angels, demons, etc.)
• There is no predestination or God
acting providentially in human affairs.
How could
these beliefs be supported, given their confidence in the Law of Moses as
God’s authoritative rule? Their primary motivation was political, not spiritual.
They exercised their political influence within Judaism’s religious circles
because that’s where the power lay.
This is
why the Sadducees so adamantly opposed Jesus, and why they teamed up with the
Pharisees and others in order to destroy Jesus:
Matt. 21:15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw
the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area,
“Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
Mark 11:18 The chief priests
and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him,
for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Jesus
threatened the cozy relationship the Sadducees fostered with the Roman
government, so they tried to pigeonhole Jesus into implicating Himself as a
traitor to Caesar:
Luke 20:22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
This fear
and hatred of Jesus continued after the crucifixion and resurrection as the
Sadducees turned their attention to destroying the apostles and the fledgling Church:
Acts 5:17 Then the high priest and all his associates,
who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
Acts 5:33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.
The Sadducees are a powerful reminder of what happens when people
put their politics before faith in Christ and use their political views to
define their understanding of Scripture. No wonder Jesus said to them when they
debated the resurrection:
Matt.
22:29 …“You are in error because you
do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
Comments or Questions?
If you would like to leave
a comment or question, please click on the gold-colored “Comment” tag below,
then type your comment or question in the box. Below the Comment box you will
see a place to leave your name (or Anonymous) marked “Comment as.” Click on the
arrows to the right of that box and choose one of the options there by clicking
on it. Then click the “Publish” button below the “Comment as” tag, and you’re
done!
Your comment or question
will appear after I approve it as appropriate (usually within 24 hours). I look
forward to your questions and comments. Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment