Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, opening the confrontation over tradition that unfolds through Matthew 15:1-20. They had expected to meet Him at the Passover where a trap had been laid, and when He stayed away they came as a delegation to watch His actions and find some accusation against Him. Their coming was driven by jealousy at the widening reach of His work and by fear that the people in Galilee would receive Him as Messiah.
They came to challenge Him over the conduct of His disciples, making the disciples' omission of ceremonial handwashing before eating the ground of complaint, though God had given no commandment for it. The Pharisees held strong influence over Jewish religious belief, yet they were unconverted, treating rabbinical and human traditions as more sacred than God's commandments given at Sinai. The scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem were proud and hypocritical, displaying apparent devotion to the law while exalting traditions and useless ceremonies.
They repeated long, meaningless prayers in the streets to be heard by men in order to gain a reputation for piety and devotion, and they studied how to turn things to their own advantage to obtain riches and worldly honor. They were spiritually blind leaders of the blind, ignorant of the manner of Christ's appearing and wholly unprepared for the revelation of the Messiah. Though boasting learning and wisdom to expound the law and the prophecies, they looked for a mighty prince to reign on David's throne with a kingdom enduring forever, and knew nothing of the Babe of Bethlehem.
Their course stands condemned as disloyalty to God, setting aside the plain meaning of Scripture, distorting it, and using it to excuse disobedience, even to the point of opposing and killing Jesus over humanly devised ceremonies. That same warning applies to those who violate the Sabbath, calling all to follow God's Word rather than human traditions, maxims, and sayings.
Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, opening the confrontation over tradition that unfolds through Matthew 15:1-20. They had expected to meet Him at the Passover where a trap had been laid, and when He stayed away they came as a delegation to watch His actions and find some accusation against Him. Their coming was driven by jealousy at the widening reach of His work and by fear that the people in Galilee would receive Him as Messiah.
They came to challenge Him over the conduct of His disciples, making the disciples' omission of ceremonial handwashing before eating the ground of complaint, though God had given no commandment for it. The Pharisees held strong influence over Jewish religious belief, yet they were unconverted, treating rabbinical and human traditions as more sacred than God's commandments given at Sinai. The scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem were proud and hypocritical, displaying apparent devotion to the law while exalting traditions and useless ceremonies.
They repeated long, meaningless prayers in the streets to be heard by men in order to gain a reputation for piety and devotion, and they studied how to turn things to their own advantage to obtain riches and worldly honor. They were spiritually blind leaders of the blind, ignorant of the manner of Christ's appearing and wholly unprepared for the revelation of the Messiah. Though boasting learning and wisdom to expound the law and the prophecies, they looked for a mighty prince to reign on David's throne with a kingdom enduring forever, and knew nothing of the Babe of Bethlehem.
Their course stands condemned as disloyalty to God, setting aside the plain meaning of Scripture, distorting it, and using it to excuse disobedience, even to the point of opposing and killing Jesus over humanly devised ceremonies. That same warning applies to those who violate the Sabbath, calling all to follow God's Word rather than human traditions, maxims, and sayings.