Seder 126: Matthew 23---Being Phair to the Pharisees

 The Gospel accounts include frequent interaction between Jesus and a group of Jewish teachers called the Pharisees.  Sadly, naïve readings of these encounters have left this group with an undeservedly negative reputation.  There are several recent books that try to correct negative stereotypes about them and give a more accurate picture, including books by Kent Yinger and Israel Knohl and a collection of essays by a group of scholars.  

There are several things to take into account when reading about the Pharisees in the Gospels:

• Jesus shared many beliefs in common with them.  Brad Young in his book Meet the Rabbis shows, for example, that almost every one of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount is paralleled by teachings of the rabbis, the successors of the Pharisees.
• Jesus' interactions with them were not always hostile--see for example Luke 13:31, where Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod Antipas wishes to kill him.  Paul's teacher Gamaliel, a leading Pharisee, urged toleration toward the Christian movement (Acts 5:33-39).  
• A number of Pharisees became followers of Jesus, most notably the apostle Paul, who was a "Christian Pharisee" rather than a "former Pharisee."  Nicodemus is another example.
• Jesus' critiques of the Pharisees were intra-Jewish discussions.  The Pharisees were innovators, and Jesus sometimes disagreed with their innovations (see Mark 7).
• Jesus corrected Pharisees because he cared about them and believed they were worth correcting.  This correction can be likened to the words of the biblical prophets or to a corrective sermon.  There was also lots of correction of the Pharisees in the literature of later rabbinic Judaism.
• The Pharisees can be compared to deeply religious people in any setting.  When people profess high ideals, they then become subject to close scrutiny on whether they are living up to those ideals.  In order to be accused of hypocrisy, one has to actually believe something.  Jesus wanted them to live up to their high ideals, and his words to them are also a challenge to religious Christians who strive to obey God and have high ideals.   

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 26, 2022, Kyle Kettering brought out many of these points.  In particular, he reflected on the challenge posed in Matthew 23:23, where Jesus says that we should emphasize the "weightier matters of the law" while not neglecting the details.  He observed that there is lots of confusion today in the Christian world; often serious sins are overlooked with appeals to God's love.

Seder 83: Lev 11---Diet of a Holy People

 God tells the Israelites in Lev 11:45, "For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God.  You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." 

This is a message repeated often in the book of Leviticus--see 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8; 22;16.  God had set them apart for a special mission, and they were to be submitted to God in every part of their lives, including the way they ate.  

Leviticus 11 covers the rules for which kinds of meat were to be eaten by the Israelites, and which kinds were not to be eaten.  All of the sacrificial animals fell into the former category, the "clean" animals that could be eaten.  The distinction between clean and unclean animals seems to have been present for some time, going back to before the flood (Gen 7:1-3).  

There's no one rationale that covers all of the cases covered in Lev 11.  Certainly a number of creatures that are predators and scavengers fall into the "unclean" category.  Health benefits of following these dietary rules are often pointed out, but these are side benefits rather than the main purpose of the rules.

It should be remembered that all animals are God's creatures, and being declared "unclean" does not lessen the worth of a type of creature.  The rules of Lev 11 give some measure of protection to the unclean animals.

There is a common misunderstanding of Mark 7:19 ("Thus he declared all foods clean") that has Jesus abrogating these rules.  However, a growing number of scholars (Daniel Boyarin, James Crossley, Matthew Thiessen, Yair Furstenberg, John Van Maaren, et. al.) have recognized that in context, the discussion of Mark 7 is about ritual purity issues rather than dietary laws, and Jesus would not have cancelled biblical commandments in the same discussion in which he upheld such commandments as being superior to human traditions (vv 6-13).  

Peter's vision of Acts 10 also does not do away with these rules.  The vision had to do with Peter's treatment of people, not with his diet.  The issue of what things will best set God's people apart today is a separate discussion.

Seder 79: Lev 6-7---Instructions for the Priests

 The sixth and seventh chapters of Leviticus give further discussion of the types of offerings described in chapters 1-5, this time focusing mainly on the responsibilites of the priests with each type of offering.

Burnt offerings are discussed first in chapters 1-5, and they are discussed first in chapters 6-7.  In Lev 6:8-13, the priestly responsibility to keep a fire burning on the altar of burnt offering at all times is emphasized.  Commentator Jay Sklar observes that this was like a continual prayer that praised God and requested favor and forgiveness.  He also sees here the principle that spiritual leaders must be faithful to their duties so that worship can continue.

Verses 14-18 give the rules for handling grain offerings.  Sklar notes that when the priests respected God's property, they modeled this respect for all of Israel  As with Exodus 29:37, verse 18 ("whoever touches them becomes holy") does not mean that someone unholy can become holy by touching a grain offering.  Rather, it means that the only ones who could touch a grain offering were those who were already holy.

Verses 19-23 instruct the priests to give a continual grain offering.  Sklar explains that this would be a continual reminder of God's presence and the priests' need for his favor.  This would protect the priests from pride and also sent the message that God was serious about helping them to help God's people. 

In chapters 1-5, fellowship offerings are mentioned third, while in chapters 6-7, they are mentioned last.  Sklar points out that here "most holy" offerings (ones that could only be eaten by priests) are dealt with before the ones that are merely "holy", the fellowship offerings that any ritually clean Israelite could eat.  

There is an unusual detail in Lev 6:28.  An earthenware vessel in which a purification offering was boiled was to be destroyed afterward, while a metal vessel was washed and could be reused.  Earthenware vessels are porous and could absorb liquid from a most holy offering.  They were destroyed so that they would not subsequently be used in the realm of the nonholy.  Metal pots, on the other hand, are not absorbent.  

The offerings provided food and clothing for the priests (7:8-10).  Here we see the principle that a congregation should see to the physical needs of its spiritual leaders, a principle repeated in the New Testament (in 1 Cor 9. e.g.).

One kind of fellowship offering was the thanksgiving or praise offering, given for example to thank God for deliverance from trials (Ps 107:17-22).  This kind of offering had to be eaten in one day, perhaps as a way of encouraging the offerer to include as many people as possible in the celebration.  Requiring that the offering be eaten promptly also lessened the chances that it would become defiled.  

Another type of fellowship offering was one given to fulfill a vow.  Here the offerer may have promised God to give such an offering if a particular important prayer was answered (Ps 66:13-16).  

A third type of fellowship offering was a freewill offering.  These may have been general expressions of thanks, not tied to a specific incident or answer to prayer.

Priests had an opportunity, if they chose to pursue it, to become fairly wealthy.  Lots of gifts came their way.  So it was important for them to keep things in balance and prioritze the "weightier matters" of the Torah.  Kyle Kettering spoke on this topic at Church of the Messiah on Nov 13, 2021, using Mark 7:10-13 as an example.