Jesus’ interaction with the Jewish leaders in the Gospel of Matthew

As I read through the book of Matthew, I turned on my imaginary reel of motion picture magic to truly appreciate and captivate the interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the Law and scribes in 3D. I admit visually it was not as stunning as Avatar, in part due to my lack of imagination since I continued to envision dirt roads when Jesus traveled, however it was equally thrilling. Without hesitation Jesus courageously confronted the big bad Pharisees and teachers of the law, often in front of big crowds. He rebutted, rebuked and boldly reproved their pesky harassments, all without flexing a muscle. Jesus corrected their twisted interpretation of the law and demonstrated that indeed He is the Messiah they have been expecting (John 5:38-40). Not only is he the Messiah but the complete fulfillment of the law as He notes in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Whew, talk about thrilling and action packed; He’s also inspiring and courageous considering the context the confrontations.

In chapter fifteen you will find a classic example of Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisee and scribes. Mind you they were borderline stalking Jesus and His disciples. As they were coming from Jerusalem yet knew exactly where Jesus and the disciples were dinning. In addition the Pharisee and scribes were able to observe the disciples’ lack of sanitary discretion when they did not wash their hands before their meal, talk about overzealous. Of course being the law mongrels that they were, the Pharisees and scribes interrupted the meal by alleging that somehow the disciples offended God by breaking the traditions of the elders. In true form, Jesus replies in verse three with a thought provoking question of His own, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” He then continues to illustrate his point and lashes out by calling them “hypocrites” in verse seven. The Pharisees and scribes particularly, but I can imagine everyone surrounding them were shell shocked, if not mortified by what Jesus said, after all they were the religious leaders. His statement was profound and totally challenged their hearts. Jesus clearly reveals that the Pharisees’ intent is wicked; they are much more concerned with finding fault, enforcing the law and continuing traditions than living out the Word of God with love, mercy, justice, grace and faithfulness.

This type of heart wrenching challenge seems to be a consistent theme in the book of Matthew as Jesus interacts with the religious leaders. Several times he questions their thoughts, motives and practices (Matthew 5:20; 9:13; 12:1-8, 10-13, 38), often calling them hypocrites (Matthew 15:1-11; 22:15; 23:2-3, 13-39). Jesus goes off on a serious tangent and makes this abundantly clear in chapter twenty three after the Pharisees’ deceptive plot to “entangle Him in His words” in the previous chapter.

Chapter twenty two is particularly interesting as Jesus and several religious leaders face off in a series of confrontations. In verse sixteen the Pharisees, in all their craftiness, sent their disciples along with Herodians to challenge Jesus about paying tribute. They asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” By posing their question as such they hoped to snare and make Him liable to either the Roman magistrates or the Jewish crowds following Him. Aware of their malicious agenda Jesus responded in verse eighteen by calling the Pharisees and Herodians hypocrites. Then He continued with great sovereignty by saying, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In other words submit tribute, obedience and honor which are all due to Ceasar in his place of authority as ruler yet in the same token honor your God in obedience and worship for this too belongs to God as creator and ruler of all that exists.

The second instance in the series of confrontations in this chapter came by way of the Sadducees in a more philosophical tone concerning the resurrection in an attempt to discredit the great teacher. They use Moses’ very law (Deut 25:5) in a suppose scenario of a woman with seven husbands. The Sadducees propose that by following the law all seven brothers marry the widow yet she does not bare child with any of them before facing her own death. In verse twenty eight they ask, “In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” Jesus responded, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” He continued by clarifying that unlike our earthly lives in the resurrection we are like angles with no need for marriage. Jesus then concludes by declaring that God is not God of the dead but of the living.

In a final attempt, as chapter twenty two comes to a close, the Pharisees gather together after watching Jesus silence the Sadducees to craft another provoking question. In verse thirty six they ask, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus response, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Then He adds emphasis by noting that “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

What makes this passage intriguing is the question the Jesus posses to the Pharisees after responding to a series of question designed to deliberately ensnare him. In verse forty two He asks, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” The Pharisees responded by asserting that indeed the Christ is “The son of David.” In typical form, Jesus then counters with another question establishing His divinity, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

Chapter twenty three is probably the climax of all the rebukes against the religious leaders woven throughout the book of Matthew though he speaks directly to the crowd and his disciples. Jesus pretty much summarizes His discontent with their hypocrisy as He shouts “Hypocrites” an astounding six times. Again Jesus ends his rebuke by noting that he is the Christ.

The common theme that I’ve noticed throughout the book of Matthew is the rebuke of the Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the Law and scribes for living their lives contrary to the law yet enforcing such laws without grace, compassion, love, mercy, justice, and faithfulness (Matthew 5:20; 9:2-6, 11-13; 12:1-9, 10-13; 12:24, 38; 15:1, 12; 16:1, 19:3; 21:15, 45; 22:15, 23-33, 34-40, 41-46; 23:2-3, 13-39). Where I come from we say they “talked the talk but did not walk the walk.” In addition, Christ deliberately added in most passages that He was the Christ in one way, shape, or form; the Messiah they have all been awaiting, the Son of God.