Pharisees, Sadducees, Publicans, and Sinners

Who are they? Who are we?

The church in its various forms (liberal and conservative) makes fun of or criticizes the Scribes, Pharisees, and the Sadducees (the religious communities of Jesus' day). They often uplift the tax collectors and sinners. Who are all these people and who would they be today?

 

I notice, however, that usually the ones they criticize don't look like them and the ones they praise are the ones they say they relate to the most. I want to be honest before I go any further and say in my understanding of the times, I would have been a scribe with a Pharisees background, not particularly high up but definitely better than others by the social standards of that day. Thankfully there were scribes and Pharisees who came to know Jesus though we don't hear about them much, just the troublemakers. I would hope I would have fallen into the group that recognized Jesus. 

 

So, who were these people? What is their equivalent in today's world?

 

The Pharisees: The conservative knowing there was a right way to get things done. They had rules and knew how things needed to happen. Of course, some of their rules gave them permission to disobey God's law, but since they loved the law, it was okay, at least in their minds. Their thought was it was their way or no way. Just to clear something up, someone could be a political progressive and still have the attitude of the Pharisees because they believed they were the only ones who were right and persecuted anyone who disagreed. They gave to the poor, but only because it was commanded and to look generous to those around them.

 

The Scribe: These were the educated people, the writers. They had the knowledge of their day. They were usually experts in transcribing words. They could be either Pharisees or Sadducees in their background. They probably wouldn't like being told they didn't understand something. They definitely knew they were better than the average man.

 

The Sadducees: These were the liberal or pragmatic people of their day. They used the religious establishment to get ahead but didn't believe much other than what they could feel or see. They moved with the politics of the day to get an advantage and to prosper. They controlled the highest place in the Jewish world, the temple (this might be the colleges and denominational hierarchy today). They moved with the tides of the day. On a side note, it was probably these who made sure the welfare of the day was given to the Jewish needy in Jerusalem. They were good people, just ask them.

 

The Sinners: These were the outcast. They were not liked or welcomed in polite circles. The sin they committed could have been their own or their families and it could have been once or ongoing. The sin was also what was considered a socially unacceptable sin (today it might be racism, greed, or intolerance). If people don't move away from you when you enter the room this isn't you. They were often a lonely lot.

 

The Publican/tax collectors: These people used the legal and economic system of their day to get rich on the backs of others. No, they weren't the capitalist of their day, because you can find them in socialist societies also. They used the system the law provided to line their pockets. Taxes had to be collected and they collected them with the backing of the Roman soldier but took extra just because they could. In the West today, they would be the Payday lenders, the Credit Card Company and Student Loan Executives, the sweatshop owners, Leverage bankers, the Stockbroker, and the CEO of companies who take advantage of their workers. They were the villains of their society.

 

The Masses: These people followed whoever they liked best or gave them what they wanted. They followed Jesus until he called them to make a commitment.

 

So, who are you really? How do you see people, not like you?

Remember, Jesus loved ALL of these people. He spoke harsher to some, but he loved them all. Do you love them all? Will you forgive them like Jesus commanded?