The Pharisees and Sadducees were two of the major sects or special-interest groups among the Jews
in New Testament times. These groups stood for different principles, but Jesus clashed with both parties at different times
during His ministry.
The word Pharisee means "separated." Their burning desire was to separate themselves from those people
who did not observe the laws of tithing and ritual purity...matters they considered very important.
The Phaisees exerted strong influence in Jesus' time. They supported the scribes and rabbis in their
interpretation of the Jewish law as handed down from the time of Moses. In Jesus' day, this interpretation of the law had
become more authoritative and binding than the law itself. Jesus often challenged these traditional interpretations and the
minute rules that had been issued to guide the people in every area of their behavior.
Jesus was also sensitive to the needs and hurts of individuals...an attitude that brought Him into
conflict with the Pharisees. Matthew's Gospel (23:1-36) contains Jesus' harsh words against the
Pharisees. He believed they placed too much emphasis on minor details, while ignoring "the weightier matters of the law",
such as "justice and mercy and faith" (Matt. 23:23).
The Pharisees often tried to trick Jesus into making statements that would be considered heretical
or disloyal to Rome. On one occasion, Jesus used a denarius, a common coin of the day, to show that citizens of His country
had responsibilities to the civil ruling authorities, as well as to God (Matt. 22:15-22).
(The denarius coin was considered a day's wages for a laborer in the time of Jesus.)
Not all Pharisees were legalistic and hypocritical, however. Three Pharisees favorably recognized
in the New Testament are Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-53), Nicodemus (John
3:1-21), and Gamaliel (Acts 5:34-39).
The apostle Paul emphasized his own heritage as a Pharisee (Acts 22:3), but he also recognized the importance of abandoning this emphasis for the way of Christ (Phil. 3:1-14).
The Sadducees were the elite of Jewish society in the time of Jesus. As priests, merchants and aristocrats,
they supported the Roman authorities because they enjoyed a privileged status under Roman rule. In contrast to the Pharisees,
they advocated loyalty to the original Law of Moses, insisting that interpretation of the Law could not be trusted. Also,
unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead...a belief which Jesus challenged on one occasion
(Mark 12:18-27).
