Beware of Pharisees & Sadducees.

After the church leaders had asked Jesus for a sign from heaven to prove he was the Son of God, Jesus said to his disciples, " “Watch and beware of the leaven (doctrines) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Jesus said of the Pharisees, "You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:8 He also called them "hypocrites," which meant they looked religious but were not godly. They had a form of religion that meant nothing.

The name Pharisee in its Hebrew form means separatists, or the separated ones. They were also known as chasidim, which means loyal to God, or loved of God - extremely ironic in view of the fact that by His time, they made themselves the most bitter, and deadly, opponents of Jesus Christ and His message.

The Pharisees perhaps meant to obey God, but eventually they became so devoted and extremist in very limited parts of The Law (plus all that they themselves added to it), that they became blind to The Messiah when He was in their very midst. They saw His miracles, they heard His Words, but instead of receiving it with joy, they did all that they could to stop Him - eventually to the point of getting Him killed because He truthfully claimed to be the Son of God.

http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/pharisee.htm

Jesus said of the Sadducees, "Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both" Acts 23:8

The Sadducees were one of the major sects of Judaism at the time of the first coming of the Messiah. Along with the Pharisees and the Herodians, the Sadducees formed the religious council of authority in Jerusalem - whose disparate beliefs and teachings had drifted far from what the LORD had commanded to their fathers 

http://www.keyway.ca/htm2012/20121219.htm

So, if the disciples were to beware of the teachings of Pharisees and Sadducees then we also should beware.

We should beware of legalism, self-righteousness and exclusiveness. We should beware of not knowing and believing the scriptures. We should beware of asking for a sign from heaven and ignoring all the signs God has already given to the world. We should beware of rejecting God's messengers and wanting to kill them; for this is what envy and unbelief led the Pharisees and Sadducees to do.

The Pharisees

Jesus said, "For I tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Pharisees were the dominant teachers of the people during this time. They were strict about obeying the law of God. Jesus once said to them, "You clean the outside of the cup, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may be clean also."

The majority of the Pharisees were not truly righteous, that is why Jesus said we must be better than them. They looked good on the outside, but inside were full of evil, for they had not given their hearts to God. Some were good men however, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.  Their minds and  hearts were open to the leading of God and so recognized the Messiah when he came. Many priests believed after Jesus was crucified.

God said, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people." Jerimiah 31:33

This is what it means to be more righteous than the Pharisees.

Jesus at a Party.

Matthew gave a big dinner party for Jesus. Jesus went and when the church leaders saw it, they criticized him.

"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" they asked Jesus.

Jesus said, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Matthew and his guests wanted to hear what Jesus said about salvation. They knew they needed help in their lives. They felt comfortable with Jesus.

The Pharisees didn't feel a need for Jesus. They believed they were already righteous. They also thought it was a sin to hang around with people who were obviously sinners. They thought they were better than them.

Next they attacked Jesus' disciples, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink."

Jesus told them there was no reason to fast right now. He was with his disciples, but when he was gone, then they would fast.

He then told them a parable of how when people drink aged wine they then do not like newly made wine. They say, "The old is good." He was telling them that they did not want to give up their old beliefs and accept the new things he was trying to teach them. Therefore, Jesus appealed to the young, they were more open to new ideas.

The Pharisees had a critical and judgemental way of looking at people. They actually found fault with God himself when he was here. This is the kind of attitude that keeps people out of churches today. We are not to judge and condemn people. That is God's work alone. We are not wise or good enough to do this. Let us love and accept people instead.