One of the more interesting aspects of the Gospel of Matthew is you are confronted with various groups called the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Scribes, and others, too. If you were reading the Bible, and you finish Malachi and begin reading Matthew, you would have to wonder, WHERE DO THESE GUYS COME FROM? Remember that there were 400 years of time between Malachi and Matthew. Who heard of Republicans, Democrats, Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses four hundred years ago? These sects arose in Israel during this period of time. They are three of the major religious groups with political interests. They are enemies to one another, but in dealing with this powerful Man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth, they put their heads together to try to trap him. Throughout the Gospels they try to trap Jesus with His words, that they might accuse Him. They come up empty as they corner Jesus on three controversial questions and then find that they are trapped by the question of Jesus. They could not corner Jesus or trap Jesus with His words. The same kind of religious spirit that hated Jesus thrives today. Do not forget that these religious people are the enemies of the truth, the enemies of Jesus Christ, therefore the enemies of God.
Pharisees: They were self-righteous hypocrites.
Let’s quickly scan some verses that deal with the Pharisees: Matthew 3:7 is the first mention of the Pharisees and John the Baptist calls them a “generation of vipers.”
Matthew 9:34: Pharisees accused Jesus of using demonic power in casting our demons.
Matthew 12:2, Accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath.
Matthew 15:1, Accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking Jewish tradition.
Matthew 16:6, Warns his disciples to beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees.
Rising to prominence in the third century B.C., Pharisees, also called ?Scribes,? protested the Hellenizing of the Jewish people. Pharisee means ?separated.? In other words, they resisted Greek culture overcoming the Jewishness of the Jewish people. They were the guardians of the written law and the oral traditions. They were the Bible believers, but they had allowed self-righteousness and human tradition to enter into their faith that the true Word of God was covered up. Their walk with God became focused on DOING the 613 commandments they extracted from the Mosaic Law. 248 of these were positive; 365 were negative. They sought to maintain the many traditions that had developed through the years, and they thought they were so RIGHT. Their focus was not on walking WITH God in truth but on walking BEFORE MAN to appear righteous. They did everything for show and there was not an inward love for God. These traditions would later be written down and called the TALMUD. Their faith in God became more ceremonial and based on tradition rather than on truth. Their faith was based on TRADITION. They had greater control of the synagogues. God’s Word, however, had faded far into the background of their daily lives. The Pharisee sect had degenerated into a hypocritical group of people.

The political class of the Pharisees were the Zealots, who sought to throw off Roman rule with a Jewish Messiah. One of Jesus’ apostles was formerly a Zealot, and it was this group who would have forced Jesus to be King, John 6:15.

Sadducees: They were unbelieving religionists. They had a low view of God. They denied the resurrection and angels as spirit beings. They had a form of godliness but they denied the power of God. They were too logical to believe in such things. They were RATIONALISTS. Their god was HUMAN REASON. They were like religious liberals of Jesus’ day. They had greater control of the Temple worship and the Sanhedrin. They were comparatively few in number but a large proportion of the wealthy and influential men in Israel were Sadducees. They were an elite class of wealthy religionists. They were the UPPER CRUST who were very spiritually stale.

Herodians: They were political pragmatists. They were loyal to King Herod and to Roman rule. (They are also mentioned in Mark 3:6). They were more political than religious, you could say they were the political class of the Sadducees. To them, political peace was all important. They were SECULARISTS. Political peace was all important so they could make MONEY! If the economy was good, they were happy. They did not want any political disturbances by people claiming to be the Messiah. They wanted to pay their taxes to Rome and live at peace.

These three groups of people represent the popular thought of the nation and they come to question Jesus in order to catch him in his words so that they can accuse him to the Roman authorities or the Jewish authorities to have him arrested.

Political Question: Should We Pay Taxes?
Matthew 22:15-22

The Herodians and the Pharisees corner him with this question related to politics and religion. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?
What do you think the Herodians would want Jesus to answer? YES! What do you think the Pharisees would want Jesus to answer? NO!
Now, people say religion and politics don’t mix. Boy, are they ever wrong! Others say, I don’t talk about religion and politics because it always leads to a fight! They satisfy themselves with talking about the weather, sports, and shopping! I don’t know about you, but I like a good conversation about religion and politics, and believe it or not, your religion will affect your politics. It did in Jesus’ day and it does today, too.

The Herodians were loyal to Herod the Roman ruler in Palestine. The Pharisees resented Herod and the very presence of Roman rule in Palestine. No matter how Jesus answers them, he will not please them all. These guys were enemies, but they have a bigger problem on their hands than their present political and religious differences: Jesus of Nazareth. They unite against Him.

They come with syrupy words full of flattery, but Jesus with penetrating insight sees right through their hypocrisy. ?Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ?Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?? Jesus knew that no matter what he answered some would be against him or for him. Hypocrisy means to hide behind a mask.

Luke 20:19-20 tells us that at that very moment they sought to lay hands on him and have him arrested for something. They were watching Him and they ?sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.?

They knew if Jesus said ?YES? that they should pay taxes that the Pharisees would disagree with him. If he said ?YES? he could be accused of being unpatriotic to the Jewish cause of liberty from Rome. He could be reported to the Sanhedrin or they could use this to cause the common people to turn against Jesus.

If he said ?NO? that they should not pay taxes, he could be charged with being a disloyal troublemaker to Rome and could be accused of treason by the Herodians.

They felt that they could have Jesus arrested and accused for answering either yes or no.

What does Jesus do? He teaches that as followers of the One True God we can honor God and the King. In one brief statement, Jesus cleared up confusion that people can argue about for hours. What should a Christians relationship be to a government that is even oppressive and even idolatrous?
What is the application? We ought to have a sense of RESPONSIBILITY toward God and government.
Jesus teaches that government is allowed by God to have authority and we must submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake. Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s. Human government ought to maintain order, repress crime, preserve individual liberty, and protect each man’s rights. This is Caesar’s business. This cut at the heart of the Pharisees who hated Roman occupation and rule in Israel in their day. We ought to respect and pray for our earthly rulers whether we agree with them or not (1 Tim.2:1, Romans 13, 1 Peter 2:13-17). The Pharisees did not render to Caesar what belonged to him.

We are to pray for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, 1 Timothy 2:1,2.
Jesus also says we are to render to God the things that belong to God. This cut at the heart of the Herodians who had only political concerns. The Herodians did not give to God His due. Their goals were only related to government. They were so concerned with government that they forgot God. Do not let government take the place of God! Many in our day want the government to provide for them, but this is putting government in the place of God. God alone and not Caesar is to get our worship and praise.

Just like they were supposed to give to Caesar what belonged to him, we ought to give to God what belongs to God. Caesar’s image was on the coin and you give your tax to him. Remember that God’s image is IN YOU. Since you bear the image of God in every breath you take, give to God His due. Give Him your time, talent, and treasure. Surrender your all to Him, for what do you have that you have not received?

We are all responsible to both God and government. Are you giving to God what is due God? Are you giving to the government what they require?
Doctrinal Question: How Can There Be a Resurrection?
Matthew 22:23-33

Jesus is now cornered by the Sadducees who ask him a preposterous and hypothetical question about the resurrection. They try to make the resurrection sound unreasonably absurd with their speculative logic, and they end up looking like fools.

Remember that the Sadducees rejected the resurrection and angels. They were the religious elite, the intelligentsia, the upper crust. For them, religion was for weak minded people who needed a crutch.
They did regard the Pentateuch as being higher in value than the other Old Testament books. They question Jesus from Deuteronomy 25. The law said that if a man died before having a child that could carry on his name and family line, his brother should marry his wife and have a child that would bear the family name of his deceased brother. Well, the Sadducees say what if a woman married seven brothers who all died without having a child. If there is a resurrection, which of the seven brothers will have the woman in eternity? They reasoned that no woman could have seven husbands in the future life!
They erred, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. Err means to be led astray or to be deceived. You have gone astray! Religious people can be wrong when they do not know the Scripture or the power of God.
Ultimately, and in the final analysis, I do not care what you label yourself, just believe all the Scripture. Let the Scripture speak to you and let it stand. Do not believe the lie, ?No one can understand the Bible.? Do you know the Scripture? Do you know the power of God? If you do not know the Scripture you will never know the power of God. If you know the Scripture you will know the power of God. If you knew the Scripture you would know there is a resurrection.

Many religious people reject the clear teaching of the Scripture because they have not perceived the power of the Word of God nor the power of God. They have not perceived that nothing is impossible with God. He can speak and create something out of nothing. He can hold back the tides and stand up the sea like a curtain.

Jesus proves the resurrection and even says the word ANGELS to these Sadducees which believed in neither. We will be like the angels in PURITY, IMMORTALITY, and GIVING GLORY to God. Jesus does not say that we become angels in heaven.

He uses a verse from the Pentateuch, and even better, by a verse where God speaks to Moses, the man they admire.
Jesus uses the Word that has been written with authority that it is like God has SPOKEN it. ?Have ye not read that which was spoken you by God, saying?? We can read that which God has spoken! What has been written is like God has spoken personally to us.

Jesus proved that there was a resurrection by quoting Himself from the burning bush when He spoke to Moses. ?I AM the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.? God IS, long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, He was still their God, for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were ALIVE with Him. They were physically dead but spiritually alive! This puts to rest the question of soul sleep or purgatory or any kind of state of limbo. Friends, those who believe in God receive eternal life. Eternal life is uninterrupted, it is everlasting life with God.

When God says, I am thy God, he is saying that as long as He lives, so shall we. Even though Abraham was physically dead, God was eternally His God and God will be His God as long as God lives. A dead man possesses nothing, but Abraham, being physically dead was alive with His God in heaven!

What is the application? We all face ETERNITY.

There is a resurrection of the body. Those who are NOT saved will be resurrected body and soul to stand before God and they will be cast into hell. Those who are born of God will be resurrected to stand before God to inherit everlasting life in the Kingdom of God. What a joy that will be when Jesus we shall see!

My friends, there is a resurrection, and Jesus is THE resurrection and THE life. Your life will not end six feet under the ground. You will live forever and you will stand before God one day to be judged. In eternity we will not have marriage nor will children be born. We will not be angels in heaven, but ?as the angels? in that we will not be married nor given in marriage. The Muslims are certainly believing a lie with their false hope of a heaven with a harem of virgins.

Ethical Question: What is the Great Commandment? Matthew 22:34-40
A lawyer is sent to Jesus to tempt him with a question. They were craftily trying to test Jesus’ words to find some inconsistency in his life or lips.
What is the great commandment of the law? There were 365 negative commands and 248 were positive. Which one is the greatest?
Jesus hit a home run with his answer and the lawyer could say nothing to add or refute from Jesus’ answer based on the Word of God. Jesus quoted from the “Shema” (which means “to hear”). The greatest command is to love God. This first command summarizes the first four commands. The greatest command is to love the God of creation, the God of the covenant, the God who lives eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are to love the One True God, not the false idols of our imagination.
Love God with all the: Heart: Emotional being. Soul: Spiritual Mind: Intellectual Strength: Physical

Jesus then tells them to love their neighbor as themselves. This command summarizes the second table of the law, the last six commands. They were not being loving toward Jesus by their loaded questions and desire to have him falsely accused.

What is the application? Here is the question of PRIORITY. Jesus says, LOVE. Do you love God?

There are many things you may have questions about, and sometimes we get sidetracked with questions. Are you a Calvinist? Why are you a Baptist? Do you sprinkle or immerse? Should I read the KJV? Oh, those are good questions, but the most important is, ?Where will you go if you should die today? Are you saved?? Have you passed from death to life? Have you come to Christ and received the assurance that you are His child? Are you His sheep who have heard His voice? Have you made your calling and election sure? Have you confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in your heart that God hath raised Him from the dead? Finally, Jesus asks them a personal question. They are done with their questions. Their gun is empty and now Jesus asks the most important question of the day. What think ye of Christ? Whose son will the Messiah be? Well, Jews everywhere knew that the Messiah would be the son of David. Jesus then quotes from Psalm 110. David in spirit calls the Messiah Lord. If the Messiah is the Lord of David, how is he also the Son of David? In other words, the Messiah will be David’s son but also David’s God!

Making a decision about Jesus Christ is the most important decision you will ever make. This is a decision about life and death. Do you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, the Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of peace?
How can we know we are right and that we are right with God? When Jesus is ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!