May 2, 2023
Three Groups- One Unified Effort
“The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. Therefore Jesus said, ‘For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.’” John 7:32-34 (NASB)
To understand these passages a little better, it is important to understand the three groups of people mentioned: the Pharisees, Chief Priests, and Officers. “The Pharisees were the more conservative sect of Judaism. They were the religious leaders of the Jews, not the practical politicians (like the more liberal Sadducees). The highest qualification for membership was strict adherence to the Law, oral or written… they endeavored to live in strict accordance with the Law thus interpreted and amplified by the study and exposition of scribes, and the tradition of interpretation which they had established, and to bring the people to a similar conformity.”[1] There were long standing disagreements between each group. Most chief priests were Sadducees and somewhat liberal in their beliefs (as stated above). Because of this, the two were politically and religiously different in their views. This led to much disagreement. The last group: the officers, were temple guards who protected and maintained the temple. These were likened to a police force within the temple and other areas of worship. Their power, however, was limited, as they could not act outside Roman authority.
Because of the severe hatred of Jesus, these two groups (Pharisees and Sadducees) aligned, by putting their differences aside. They targeted Jesus. Otherwise, the power each group held could potentially be lost. It was a threat to their existence. “But many of the crowd believed in Him” (vs. 31). As the muttering from the crowd got louder, the two groups of leaders heard it. Robertson says the crowd’s muttering had, “now grown louder like the hum of bees. It was the defense of Jesus by a portion of the crowd (7:31) that irritated the Pharisees.”[2] Jesus knew the Word of God, and they were threatened. They could lose everything they had.
If we think about it today, we too are like them in many ways. We like our possessions. For some things, we work a lifetime to acquire them. Now imagine, a long-term acquisition of things, power, and prestige. Now imagine it all going away. This happens as you see someone exposing all you had to a murmuring crowd. He might even get them to walk away from everything you ever taught. It’s a threat, not only to you, but to your family as well. Would you attack Him as well? Or would you see freedom? Free enough to walk away, to be truly free indeed. At peace with God, and now having the peace of God. You don’t have to worry about the” things” when you die, but gaining treasures you inherit because of forgiveness and eternal life. I think this is a problem for many Christians today. We like our stuff. We want to keep our stuff. Some even think if they follow Christ, they will lose it. The truth is, when we follow Jesus, we gain so much more. The things we gain can’t be measured by the weight they carry here on earth. They are eternal, but they also can be had here like, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...” (Galatians 5:22).
[1] New International Bible Dictionary, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, MI., 1987, 778.
[2] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn 7:32.