Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes Oh My!

For Lent I had decided to read The Last Hours of Jesus by Fr. Ralph Gorman (you can find it here on Amazon).  I had read it last year - but had found it late into Lent, so did so very quickly.  It is a great book, and I highly recommend it.

The author takes the four Gospels and merge them together to get a good picture of Jesus' last hours with great background information.  This year I decided to read it again, but a little slower to get a true grasp of what what going on.  The first was his descriptions of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes.  I've heard of these groups all my life, but never took the time to really learn who they were and just why they had such a problem with Jesus.  So, as I read, I began listing the items the authored had wrote on each group, and as I did, a picture of who they were came to light.

Let's start with the Sadducees.  We really don't hear much about them until Jesus turns over the money changer's tables in the temple (which would have been the day after he rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.)  Most of the Priests were Sadducees.  They performed the rituals and sacrificial functions reserved exclusively to the priesthood.  They completely rejected the oral traditions of the Pharisees.  And they did not believe in:  the providence of God, the existence of spirits, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection, future retribution or in the Messiah.  Their main efforts were directed to providing a cushion of riches and honors against possible adversity.  All the sacrifices the people brought to the temple, went to the Priests which they kept and used for themselves.

The people looked to the Sadducees as political leaders who administered civil and criminal law.  They were the ones who represented the Jewish population with the Romans.

So, why did they have a problem with Jesus?  Well let's start with the big issue - the money changers in the temple - the priest received a cut of the profit the money changers received and Jesus throwing them out hit the Sadducees right in the pocketbook.  Jesus also taught on everything they did not believe it - the Kingdom of God, eternal life, of the judgement of God of our sins and so on.  And though they did not approve of the Pharisees teaching - they joined forces with them against Jesus for fear of what they could loose if the people began following Jesus' teaching.

Next is the Pharisees.  Pharisees were separatist - they kept themselves away from anything that might render them impure and avoid all contact with non-Pharisees because they considered them unclean and almost as low as the pagans.  They did believe in Divine providence, free will, final retribution and the existence of angels and spirits.

We can see one but issue they had with Jesus - he walked, slept and ate with sinners - the "unclean" and had no problem with it.  This is the group Jesus called hypocrites for their enforcement of the law on people -  without concern of how it effect the people.  Remember Jesus' answer on the Sabbath "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Even though they did not look highly of the Sadducees - they partnered with them to get rid of Jesus since the Sadducees administered the civil and criminal laws - they were the ones who could punish Jesus.

And last is the Scribes.  I will admit, I had no idea of who this group really was - I had always pictured them as the ones sitting by the Pharisees writing down everything they said.  But this is not true.  Scribes were the most learner-ed of the three.  Most scribes were Pharisees and trained in the knowledge of the law.  They developed extreme complex and detailed oral law (remember Sadducees rejected these laws) that theoretically, expounded and applied the Torah.  They taught/believed the Messiah was a mere man, whatever his gifts and office, his mission had nothing to do with supernatural benefits or the salvation of souls - his sole purpose, as far as they were concerned, was the delivery of Israel and the conquest of the Gentiles.  Scribes formed a closed circle with their own schools, their own disciples, their own doctrines and teaching methods.  These circles built up a "self-cult" that passed beliefs.  They demanded complete reverence and obedience from the pupils.  The author uses the example that if a student's father and teacher were both ill - the student was required to tend to the needs of their teacher before helping their father.

Jesus had not attended one of the Scribe's schools - yet he taught with such authority.  The people began calling him the Messiah - but Jesus was talking about loving your enemy. that he came to save souls from sin and at times (brace yourself) he associated with Gentiles.

The people looked to the Pharisees and Scribes for the teaching and example that would indicate what they were to believe and the way in which they were to live their lives.. 

So all together - Jesus was a threat to one big thing - POWER.  If the people began believing in what Jesus taught - the Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes would loose their power over the people.  Jesus was basically challenging their way of living - and neither of the groups were going to have anything to do with that.  Putting Jesus to death would be their only answer - for just locking him up, his teaching could continue and would continue to be a threat to them.

He Sighed from the Depth of His Spirit

As a kid, when I had done something really bad, my Mom would look at me and sigh.  And I knew what that meant; I was in trouble – big trouble.  The sigh was a precursor to the lecture and punishment that was to come.  I always dreaded when I heard that sigh.

In Monday’s Gospel (Mark 8:11-13) we hear the Pharisees once again badgering Jesus for a sign.  The Gospel writer tells us in response, Jesus “sighed from the depth of his spirit.”  I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty heavy and critical sigh.

This passage has had me thinking since I read it.  Sighing is one of those reactions that can have many meaning – it can be (as in my Mom’s case) in frustration, anger or sadness; it can come from loneliness or despair; but, it can also be one of happiness and satisfaction (think of the teen girls in the movies who sigh when they see the dreamboat captain of the football team.)  So, which one describes Jesus’ sigh?

I believe we can find a clue in the first reading.  We know that the first reading, which is from the Old Testament, is chosen to accompany the Gospel to add insight.  The reading with Monday’s Gospel was from Genesis 4:1-15, 25.  In this passage we hear about Cain and Abel – Abel brings God the best of his first fruits, Cain just picks something out – not necessarily the best and is upset that God was more pleased with Abel’s gift than Cain’s.  God sees this and approaches Cain – trying to encourage him to do better and reminding him that “sin is a demon lurking at the door.”  He also tells Cain that he is perfectly capable of becoming sin’s master instead of it’s slave.  But we all know what happens there - Cain kills Abel out of jealousy.

So, in light of the Genesis reading – I imagine Jesus’ reaction is one of frustration and sorrow.  “We still don’t get it.”  We ask for signs when the source of all life is standing right in our midst.  Mankind has not changed much from Cain to that very moment – we want what we want – and we expect to receive it – even though we might be too blind to see we already have it.

Like Cain, the Pharisees do not “get it” – which brings me to today – and I believe I do the same thing - I don't always "get it."  We can pray, pray, pray for the things we want – but we do not see what we already have – right in our hands.  Each Sunday (and some weekdays - you know weekday Masses are not just for the old) we receive the Body of Christ – the source of all love, joy, peace, mercy and hope – placed there right in our hands.  The things we want are of this world, and though we feel they are critical – in the big scheme of life – they really are not.  What is important is how we choose to live our life – one of demanding signs or one living in the joys of our God.

I don’t know about you, but today, I’m choosing joy.

A Measure of a Person

I think this story will be safe to share - I don't believe my husband reads my blog - and if he does - I will soon know....

A while back our refrigerator died and we needed a new one.  My husband measured the space several times and he felt he had what we needed.  We went shopping and picked out a new refrigerator based on his measurements.  When it was delivered however, we quickly learned that it was not going to fit.  There wasn't room for the door to open, and there was a light switch that it was tight against.  We ended up having to do a little home remodeling - taking down about 8" of wall and moving the light switch.  Whether when we looked at the measurements posted on the refrigerator they were the inside measurements or he measured incorrect, who knows we just knew something was not right.  Actually, I think it looks a little better with the changes we had to make, but that's a whole different story.

One of the Gospels for this week talked about measuring and it had me thinking about exactly what is measuring all about.  As I was researching this topic of measuring, I asked myself - "Is judging and measuring the same thing?"  I believe the answer is yes and no.  To be clear - these are my personal definitions.  To me judging is when we look at someone or something and hold it to our personal standards with us being the gold standard.  "She doesn't keep house as good as I do, so I judge her to be less than me." (just an example - my house is always in need of cleaning)  We are determining someone's worth based on our personal beliefs and standards.  Where measuring is something a little different, is when we are looking at people and things based on standards set by society or tools that we have created.  We can see where they are making progress.  But here is where it get's sticky - now, we can use those measurements to judge.  Just as when we were determining if a refrigerator would fit - my husband had used a measuring tape - we were not judging the refrigerator, we held it up to the measurements we had - but then we eliminated refrigerators if we judged that they were either too big or too small (or didn't have an ice maker - I desperately wanted an ice maker.)

So, when we "measure someone up" - we may be looking at how successful they are based on their education, income, profession, etc. We can also judge ourselves and measure our success by these same society standards.  I'm turning 60 and all the TV ads keep telling me I should have X number of dollars set aside for retirement, I do not have that amount, so I am not measuring up to others who are my same age and so I judge myself worth as being less..   These are standards set by our society - right or wrong.  For we can see by my refrigerator debacle that measurements can be wrong or incorrect.

Why is this important?  Jesus has told us that as we judge others, so shall we be judged, and what we use to measure, we will be measured.  That's a little scary.  It definitely makes me uncomfortable.  So, first we shouldn't be judging anyone or ourselves.  It's wrong and we know it.  It can be hard at times, but we must be strong.  Measuring someone or ourselves may not always be bad - it depends on what tools we use and what we are using them for.  And I believe (again this is my opinion) the only tool we should be using is the two commandments Jesus left for us.  Love God above all others, love others as we love ourselves. 

My next question - is why do we want to measure anyone or ourselves in the first place?  Sometimes I know I need to stop and reflect back on things - how I handled a situation or am I keeping the Lord first in my life.  And I measure my actions based on these two commandments.  And at times (no, really a lot of times) I can see that I did not measure up - this can help me to correct my actions, I may need to apologize to someone - or even to the Lord.  In writing this - I am seeing that perhaps we shouldn't be measuring anyone else - for then it is too easy to slide into judgement.  And when measuring ourselves - it should only be to improve our growth and not to determine our self worth.

This process has been a little eye opening for me; when I started my research, I thought measuring was ok, but now I can see it can lead to other problems (and more time in the confessional.)

Do Not Unpack and Get Comfortable

I will admit - I am a nest builder.  Whenever I've moved into a new home - I have thought about it, planned it, seen every room in my mind's eye.  When the faithful day comes, I know where I want each piece of furniture (movers love me - I can tell them exactly where to sit the couch and put the bed) and I know where to hang each picture upon the wall.  I feel safe, centered.  Life is in order. Life is good.  But is it?

And here comes the truth -- is this what God wants for our relationship with him - our journey to eternal life?  Do we tend to get to a point and stop for a while - unpack, hang pictures on the wall?  Go to Mass each Sunday, pray three Rosaries a week and pray before meals without a thought of the journey that the Lord has laid before us.  I know over my life I have many times - I grow,/move, arrive at a place and then get comfortable - too comfortable to move forward.  I come up with reasons why I cannot move - Lent is coming - so I will just stay here until Easter.  Easter comes, well it's Easter now - I like it here - I think I will hang another picture. And on and on and on it will go.

Our faith is one of growth - movement.  We are not meant to stop and move in.  We are meant to keep putting one foot in front of another.  Step by step till we reach the pinnacle of our love - the one who has loved us with an unending love - the one who created us, who loved us first.

So, why do we stop?  Why do we move in?  For me, I think it is one of fear of the unknown.  I like to understand and know what my next move will be. I tend to let life take my focus away, I can easily get "caught up" with what is going on around me and loose sight of what is stand right before me.

  But faith does not work that way - it will take us into the unknown - it takes our focus off of what is round us and moves it to what is in front of us - the Father's love.  Faith will take us to heights of which we have not dreamed of.  It will take us to people who we have not met or loved yet.  It is not always easy - it is not meant to be.  It is to be one of desire, longing, and movement.

In the Gospels we always see Jesus in movement - going from one city to the next, moving from one person to another.  We never hear of him "moving in" somewhere - even the cross could not keep him.

Growing in faith calls for movement - it calls for us to reach farther, experience God's love even deeper than we did yesterday.  It is one of learning, praying, doing.  We are called to love others as our selves.  We are called to love God above all others.  We are not called to stand still and settle in. - unpack and hang pictures.  This should  simply to be a rest stop; catch our breath and then arise and keep going.

This Lent will be for me a time of growth, movement.  I feel God's call to listen - hear His call - move closer and deeper in love with Him.  It does not mean I will abandon family and loved ones - just the opposite - my prayer is that they will join me on this journey. 

Now I need to take down those pictures....

Do Whatever He Says

This weekend's Gospel is the Wedding at Cana.  I have to admit, it is one of my favorites.  There are is so much going on in the story  and I simply love how Mary handles the whole affair.

It is suggested that since Mary, Jesus and Jesus' friends were invited to the wedding, that it most likely was for a relative.  And running out of wine for a wedding feast that goes for a week long would be terribly embarrassing for the Bride and the Groom.  Which is why Mary has taken notice of the lack of wine.  Not wanting her relatives to be embarrassed, she takes charge of the situation.

She calls her son over and explains what is going on.  Jesus makes a comment of why does this matter to me and it's not my hour.  Mary, a mother who has full confidence in her son's ability to handle the situation, does not accept Jesus' reasons.  I could almost see Mary roll her eyes (as mothers do sometimes when our children is trying to explain to us why they cannot do something we ask of them) and simple turns to the servants and tells them to do whatever Jesus says.  And then here is the best part - she leaves Jesus to handle it.

I am sure this either frustrated Jesus or amused him - the Gospels do not tell us.  We do know he was a dutiful son, who after being put on the spot, did his mother's bidding and handled the issue of the wine.

We don't know how Mary expected it to be handled, but she knew Jesus was resourceful enough to handle it and ensure that their relatives' wedding feast would continue without incident.   Jesus does handle it - and asks the servants to fill 6 large watering jugs which had been previously filled with water and was used to wash the guests' feet.  it is estimated that these jars each held 20 - 30 gallons.  The servants do as Jesus asks and then without another word, he simply tells them to draw some out and take it to the head waiter.  I'm sure they thought Jesus was crazy here - they had just filled these jugs with water and he wants them to take some to the head waiter?  But they did do just as he said, and the head waiter was amazed - not only was it now wine, but better wine than what was first served.  There are only a few witnesses to what has happened here - Jesus' friends, the servants and Mary.  We are told that his disciples began to believe in him.

As mothers we can see what our children are capable of doing - whether they believe they can or not.  And sometimes we need to do a little pushing to get them started.  Mary has done the same here.  She believed in Jesus and knew he could easily handle what needed to be done. 

Sometimes don't we all need a pushy mother in our life? 

When we feel we are being asked by the Father for something that may be a stretch to us, or we fear to do for whatever reason.  We can come up with hundreds of reasons of why we should not do it - not the right time, I'm too busy at work, I don't have enough money...etc.  But we need that mother who just listens to us and then puts us on the spot.  Mary is that for us just as she was for Jesus.  A mother who loves us, and who knows what we can do; she is fully aware of our gifts and abilities; and she know what we are capable of doing.  And she turns to us and say "do whatever he says."  There even may be a little eye rolling on her part when we protest.  But as good, faithful children - we do as our mother has requested and do whatever her son has asked of us.

A Year Acceptable to the Lord

I use to be someone who always made New Years Resolutions, and like most, I usually have broken them by mid January.  Then I went a few years with not doing anything, and now I much rather set goals.  My Spiritual Director asked me last week, where did I want myself and my faith to be at the end of 2019.  I thought about it and then said “I would like to be a published author and I would like to be bolder in my faith.”

I currently have 2 projects in the works - a children’s book and a devotional/advent calendar combo for the next Advent season.   More info on the both to come.  But what I wanted to look at is my goal at being bolder in my faith.

I had not really thought about it, but the words came tumbling out of my mouth when I answered Sister’s question.  This leads me to think, that the goal was not necessarily my goal,  but the Lord’s goal for me.

I have always been very open with my Catholic faith, but not one who really shared my deepest faith with but a few friends.  Not that I want to be in anyone’s face, but perhaps I should take the opportunity when presented to share my deep love of the Lord with others.

So, with that in mind, last week I had seen someone I am acquainted with on social media share a link about an article of nuns being sexually abused and her commentary on how the Catholic Church should close their doors and we Catholic should “wake up.” I rolled my eyes and moved on, then stopped and went back to the post.  I set it down for a little while, then decided I needed to respond.  My response was “I refuse to allow the sins of some, keep me away from the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.”  I didn’t see any instant replies to my comment and let it go.  A few days later I went back to see if anyone added any comments to find this “friend” had un-friended me.  Honestly, it made me laugh.  Perhaps a few years ago this may have discouraged me, but not anymore.  For me it was a sign, yes, this is the direction the Lord wants me to go, and I am following it.  For I have learned when I have been on the Lord’s path, evil has tried to shut me down.  I only feel bad that evil used this person to try to move me away from my Lord.

What goals do you have for your faith? What would be a year acceptable to the Lord in your life look like? Pray on it, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where the Lord wants you to grow. And join me on an adventure this year as we travel the Lord’s path.

Happy Epiphany