Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents
Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed– Chapter 10 – The Class of Apparitions
Pharisees
[Bible references: Matthew 5:20; Luke 13:31’ John 3:1-15]
The Pharisees developed out of the scribes who were copying the writings of Moses and, in doing so, were concerned with knowledge of the law, as well the writing of the prophets who came after Moses and the traditions of elders (rabbis). They were also concerned with how to interpret the law to make applicable to everyday life and there were many teachers of the law who wrote commentaries on the law, and the Pharisees also studied these commentaries. The people identified as rabbis came from this group.
The Pharisees became more identified with the everyday people, as opposed to the Sadducees who were identified with the wealthy ruling class. It is not known exactly when the Pharisees were identified as a group but may have happened as their opposition to the teachings of the Sadducees developed.
Jesus had a lot of interactions with the Pharisees. Most of what is recorded in scripture is confrontational, but the dynamics were more nuanced and could be misunderstood. By the times of Jesus, there were two main schools of rabbinic thought: the rigorist school of thought, led by Shammai the Elder, insisted on getting every detail right, particularly in the area of cleanliness, and was beyond the possibility of normal Jews to live out; the humanist school of thought, led by Hillel, was more intent on getting the spirit of the law right and was therefore within the realm of normal Jews.[1]
Another nuance had to do with the normal culture of conflict within Judaism (after all, ‘Israel’ means ‘wrestles with God’). It would have been normal for the scribes and Pharisees to question this new teacher, Jesus, and test his knowledge to see if he knew what he was talking about, although there may be a question about their motives – was the testing done to gain understanding or was the testing done to try to discredit Jesus. We shouldn’t forget the time that some Pharisees warned Jesus about Herod’s plot to kill him.
[1] Johnson, Paul. “A History of the Jews” Harper Perennial 1987 (p 127)
Observe
Read John 3:1-15. A closer reading of scripture shows that Jesus did not just have a confrontational relationship with the Pharisees but had a more nuanced relationship. This can be particularly seen with Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus. Describe the type of interaction between Nicodemus and Jesus.
Dancing In The Kingdom 
I found this blog post really insightful and informative about the Pharisees and their interactions with Jesus. It’s interesting to learn about the different schools of rabbinic thought and how Jesus navigated his relationships with them.
Do you think the nuanced interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees, like the one with Nicodemus, reveal a deeper understanding of the relationship between spirituality and religious authority during that time?
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As with all groups of people, there is likely quite a range of opinions within the Pharisees. People who joined the Pharisees would likely have some different motivations. There is some thought that the harsh words of Jesus in the gospel of John was directed toward a particular group of Jews; the Ioudaioi (usually just translated as “Jews”) may have referred to the ruling elite of Jews within Jerusalem itself and those rulers that were affiliated with them throughout the country. That would have been one end of the spectrum of Pharisees. Those Pharisees who disagreed with the elite would have likely been quite about their disagreement, such as seen with Nicodemus approaching Jesus at night. Then there would have been Jews such as those found in the birth narratives, Simeon and Anna, those who were quietly waiting for the Messiah. So when we read the accounts of those scribes and Pharisees who questioned Jesus, we should keep in mind that some of those questioners may have been trying to trap Jesus, but others may have been truly seeking the truth.
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