Leaders of the Opposition

By Jeff Lucas

Who are the bad guys of Jesus’ time? The invading Roman army and the homegrown Pharisees. We all love to hate them, with their emphasis on rules and their seeming ignorance of God’s character and priorities. Certainly Jesus both criticized and challenged them, but is there more to them and Jesus’ relationships with them?
 
Jeff Lucas believes there is. As he seeks to understand who the Pharisees were and what motivated them, so we learn about them—and about ourselves. What would a modern-day Pharisee look like? How can we make sure we don’t become one?
 
Bible Daily notes are written by Jeff Lucas to help you apply the lessons of God’s Word daily. Each day and with each devotion, Jeff uses his signature wit and wisdom to reveal insights and practical application you can use in your own life. Each Bible devotion takes only a few minutes to read, but the lessons learned can last a lifetime.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: David C Cook
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780830782826

Jeff Lucas

Author and speaker Jeff Lucas travels internationally in a ministry of Bible teaching which carries a specific vision to encourage and equip the church.  Jeff is the author of twenty-two books, as well as a number of study guides, booklets and a DVD teaching series called ‘Life Journeys”.  Jeff’s books have been translated into French, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and German.  He writes a monthly column for Christianity Magazine.He broadcasts three weekly radio shows.  Jeff and Kay live in Loveland, Colorado, where he holds a teaching post at Timberline Church, Fort Collins.

Book preview

cover.jpg

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. Opposition Isn’t Bad

2. What Starts Well Doesn’t Always End Well

3. Wisdom Needed

4. Power Corrupts

5. The Scribes: Who Do You Think You Are?

6. Smiling, Cunning Flattery

7. Sinners

8. Rejection or Acceptance

9. Not Those People

10. Never Really Understood Repentance

11. Log-Eye Disease

12. False Judgment

13. Minds Made Up

14. Can’t Be Pleased

15. Offended

16. Shallow Righteousness

17. Empty Religious Disciplines

18. Advertised Piety

19. Sabbath

20. Closed Hearts and Sign Seekers

21. Extremism

22. Jerusalem Delegations

23. Tradition versus Obedience

24. Politics and Plans

25. Sneering

26. It Can Be Dangerous to Be Good

27. Separated

28. Praying to Yourself

29. Reverence

30. Single-Issue Christianity

31. Love God, Love Others

32. Pharisaic about the Pharisees!

33. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

34. Not from God

35. Intimidation and Religious Blackmail

36. How to Win an Argument (and Lose Your Integrity)

37. Jesus Went Looking

38. Accidental Pharisees

39. Distant in Heart

40. Brave Leadership

41. Burdensome Faith

42. Why We Do What We Do

43. Some Churches Need to Close

44. Church Recommendations

45. A Wasted Time

46. Personal and Social Ethics

47. Good on the Outside

48. Thinking We’re Better Than Those Who Have Gone Before

49. Tenderness and Anger

50. Dining with Pharisees

51. Saul the Pharisee Becomes Paul the Apostle

52. Pharisees in Acts

53. Joseph of Arimathea

Notes

Introduction

Like the wicked witch in the pantomime, the Pharisees are the bad guys that we love to hiss at. And for good reason. Most of the biblical snapshots of the Pharisees, together with the Scribes and Sadducees, aren’t terribly attractive. They dogged Jesus’ footsteps, whispering accusations, firing trick questions, and interrupting Him constantly as He went about announcing and demonstrating the good news of the kingdom of God. And ultimately they had a hand in His trial and execution.

So who were they, these leaders of the opposition? And is it possible that we can actually become more like them than the Jesus who they so frequently opposed? As we’ll see, any passionate, committed follower of Christ will need to take great care to avoid the pitfalls of Pharisaism. We’ve all met the passionate zealot who is a blustering bully, who divides and conquers, or the bigot who blasts people with good news turned bad, and makes them run a mile from the kingdom as he does so. So let’s take a careful look at this opposition group, and ask the Lord to show us if we’ve succumbed to becoming like them. It might be an uncomfortable journey at times, but vital.

Day 1

Opposition Isn’t Bad

John 3:1–21

3 John 9–10

I’ve chosen the title Leaders of the Opposition carefully. But there’s a danger that we can think opposition and questioning are bad. I’ve seen too many churches succumb to bullying leaders who control their congregations with the lie that to dissent, however thoughtfully, is wrong, rebellious even. Diotrephes is the most infamous example in the New Testament. But opposition is vital, especially in politics. The opposition exposes the downside of the policy and helps us to see the big picture.

While the Gospels are quick to show us Jesus rebuking some of the Pharisees, we shouldn’t rush to dismiss them all as evil schemers. Some were desperately trying to understand this unusual man from Galilee, and what He said and did must have been hugely confusing. Nicodemus was one of them. Jesus debated with the Pharisees, dined with them, and engaged with their challenges. It wasn’t their questions that earned them such strong rebukes, but rather the hard-hearted attitudes that some had. Questioning and even opposition are vital components in any healthy community and church.

Ponder: What are some of the signs of a bad attitude that can ruin healthy dialogue and questioning, especially in a church setting?

Day 2

What Starts Well Doesn’t Always End Well

Luke 17:20–21

Galatians 5:7–12

It’s important to understand the context in which the Pharisees lived. Israel was under harsh Roman occupation, with a crushing tax regime. Just before Jesus’ birth, thousands of Jews had been crucified in Sepphoris, a town near Nazareth. The nation was in a terrible state, drifting from God, with corruption rife in the priesthood, and Jewish identity under serious threat from the spread of Greek culture. A hope remained—that a Messiah figure would come and rescue Israel from her enemies, setting up a