Posted on 02/18/2012 7:49:10 PM PST by pastorbillrandles
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.(John 3:1-2)
John 3 is one of those bible chapters which in my view are of an essential nature to all who are seeking God, and in need of the salvation God offers. Jesus himself is the instructor, the pupil, (standing on this passage as representative for all seekers of God) is a Senator of Israel and a Pharisee, named Nicodemus. The subject is the new birth.
But first a word about Pharisees. Who were the Pharisees?
Over the years, there has developed a serious misconstruction about who these people were and how we are to view them. Modern readers of the Bible often see the Pharisees as real “bad guys”, hypocritical to the core and vicious enemies of the Lord. The last thing anyone would want to be considered in modern evangelical christianity, would be to be called a Pharisee.
The Pharisees that Jesus rebuked, exposed, and vehemently denounced in scripture seem to the modern Bible reader as an almost alien species. This is because we have developed caricatures of Pharisaism, which allow us to mentally distance ourselves from any identity with them.We may be a lot of things but we are certainly not greedy, hypocritical, murderous Pharisees!
But the Pharisees, and Jesus’ encounter with them are meant to serve as a warning to us, for they apply particularly to we who are evangelicals . How could that be ? The Pharisees were to back to the Bible movement of the inter testamental period! They sought to resist the worldliness which was sweeping away the majority of their countrymen in the ancient world.
That virulent species of worldliness was called “Hellenism”, ie the acceptance of greek culture, and the repudiation of Judaism. How bad did it get? Hellenism was imposed by force, in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, the brutal anti-christ precursor, but many Jews willingly accommodated to it , some going as far as submitting to “reverse circumcisions”!
At one point the High Prest of Israel took on a greek name, and a gymnasium was built in Jerusalem. We are not talking about todays gyms for physical fitness. A “gymnasium” was a greek school for the whole man. Athletic activities were done in the nude, greek philosophy, and the worship of the physical body were involved, and homosexuality was rampant.
Pharisaism emerged out of a godly resistance to all of that. The Pharisee attempted to take on his shoulders all of the 613 commands of the Law of God , making it his life’s goal to keep them! He believed that by doing so, the Kingdom of God would come again to Israel.
The word Pharisee means “separated one”. This was a serious reform movement, within Judaism.
By no means am I saying I agree with what the Pharisees would end up as, nor do I deny that the Pharisees were the hypocrites Jesus exposed them to be. My purpose is to remove the caricature of hem, so that we can realize that God is not describing some openly hateful, alien cult to us, but rather people very much like the modern “back to the Bible ” movement, concerned about worldliness and seeking to separate ourselves from it by turning to God and the Bible.
Actually, the Pharisees were theologically closest of all of the contemporary sects to Jesus. Unlike the ruling Sadducees, the Pharisees believed in death, resurrection, angels, demons, the afterlife, heaven and hell. The Pharisees were right on board with John the Baptist and Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Because He was closest to them, Jesus critiqued them more than any other sect.
The many warnings to the Pharisees are meant as a message to all of us. Warnings against mere externalism, innovation, substitution of man-made precepts for the word of God, eye service, self-seeking, and self-serving religion, misplaced emphasis, proof-texting, “using scripture” rather than truly seeking God apply to every spiritual reform movement. The Pharisees were evangelical, crossing “land and sea” to make one convert!
This particular Pharisee served in the Sanhedrin, the senate of Israel. He was a “chief ruler”, and was called “The Teacher of Israel”. His subject was the Kingdom of God and entry into it. everyone esteemed Him as a Spiritual giant, and as a teacher of the nation.
But something about Jesus penetrated his heart, so the “teacher of Israel” went to meet him on evening.
to be continued…
Yeah, but the Pharisees were pretty bad about putting their traditions above the Word of God and then getting offended when they were called on it.
True, they often did. I do not deny that. It is a subtlety that still deceives many. The Pharisee is alive and well, and not that far off from any of us. Thats all I have been saying...
As the Pharisees were the only sect ordaining rabbis through semicha means Jesus himself was one.
It is my understanding that if you asked a Jew of that day, “Who are the most righteous people around?”, they would say without a doubt the Pharisees. They had 613 laws and kept them. The problem was, it was all external. The commandments became a “checklist” instead of what the Law’s intent was - to point out the sin in our heart and our inability to please God, therefore left to cry out for His mercy and look to His Anointed One who was promised to “crush the head of the Serpent.”
This statement by Jesus in Mt 5 had to blow them away!
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Then Jesus goes on to show the spiritual application of the Commandments as it relates to the heart of man, leaving many to question, who then can be saved? Which is exactly where the Law is suppose to take you.
Your understanding is spot on! BTW it was by reading the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ exposition of the true meaning of the commandments, that I was gripped by the conviction of my need for the Saviour!
I am not trying to paint the Pharisees in a good light, contrary to popuar opinion, am only trying to get us to see that they weren’t that alien to our own tendencies.
J-sus did not fulfill the Torah. He took away from it. Keeping kosher, obeying the Sabbath,divorce,burying the dead,treatment of the Jews and Gentiles,etc.
He also violated Passover.
Laws of kashrut: Leviticus 11
Changing the laws of kashrut: Matthew 15:10-11,16:20.
Burying the dead: Deut.21:23
Violation of law: Matthew 8:22 Luke 9:59-60
I will return with other examples.
All depends on which Book is believed. It is not as if there is NO 'history' prophets, foretelling of the virgin birth of 'God with us'. The prophets already wrote down what was to come.
Isaiah 7:14 does not mention a virgin birth. The seventh Book of Isaiah has to do with King Ahaz of the Kingdom Judea. In 732 B.C.E. the House of David was facing imminent destruction by two fighting kingdoms: The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Syria. King Ahaz and the House of Israel were terrified and G-d sent Isaiah to reassure the king that he would be protected and the two armies would not succeed in destroying Jerusalem. The alleged virgin birth would not occur for another 700 years.
Read Isaiah 7:11 and 16 to get the correct context.
Clear evidence of what I said. J-sus is not the messiah and did not fulfill the Torah.
Isaiah's words are prophetic not limited as to what would happen to Ahaz, but as verse 11 Ahaz is told "Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; as it either in the depth, or in the height above."
But Ahaz answers 12 "I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD."
The 'sign' was given anyway. 14 Therefore the LORD Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Immanuel means God with us, and of course that birth did not take place for around 700 years.
15-25 is history now but prophecy to Ahaz. Just as the 'sign' was prophecy to Ahaz and history to us.
Ch*istians of all denominations are being misled. Jews know their scriptures which have been misinterpreted (on purpose)and mistranslated by Ch*stianity.
How can G-d’s promise to Ahaz have anything to do with j-sus? G-d is reassuring Ahaz that he and Jerusalem will be protected. No man-god figures in anywhere.
Isaiah 7:14 refers to a young woman, NOT a virgin.
God was not just talking to Ahaz, He was speaking even to US this day. Christ was to become that one and for all time perfect sacrifice so that the judgment pronounced upon the first rebel would be fulfilled, and... no longer was the shedding of blood required for the remission of sin. Isaiah 14:12---- and Ezekiel 28:12---- That is the point of this 'flesh' age so each individual soul/spirit can make up their own mind which path to take the left or the right. God wants all his children to love Him of their own free will. Pure love cannot be forced or bought.
A damsel, and this particular Hebrew word is used 7 different times/places. But what distinguishes this particular scripture 'damsel' is the naming of the child .. Immanuel, which means God with us. AND it give witness to what Luke and Matthew wrote all those many years later. But this is not the only prophecy by the prophets from Moses to Malachi of the Promise to come in the flesh and then the return to take a harvest.
There is no accident that Psalms 22 foretold of the crucifixion a thousand years prior to the event and even what would happen and would be said. These things are not accidents or coincidences.
No,G-d was talking to Ahaz. It has nothing to do with j-sus. Ahaz was in dire straits and needed G-d’s help right away. j-sus didn’t come around until 700 years later.
Moses would not lead the Israelites to idolatry. Worshipping anyone other than G-d IS idolatry and is to be avoided at all costs. It is a grave sin.
Perhaps you can tell me why j-sus was calling out to G-d,when j-sus was supposed to die for our sins,and is supposed to be G-d in the flesh,which is heretical and blasphemous.
“My G-d,my G-d,why have you forsaken me” is not something j-sus should have said,since he was supposed to die for us. He knew G-d’s alleged plan,so why did he ask G-d that question?
If j-sus is supposed to G-d,was he crying out to himself?
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