http://www.theliberalspirit.com/?p=1206

My additional discussion pertains to the historical factors that account for the partial and biased treatment of the Pharisees in the New Testament. I mentioned the hostility between Paul and the Jerusalem Jewish church that accounts for much of his seemingly anti-Jewish rhetoric and the Jewish civil war and the ensuing re-emergence of the Pharisees as rabbinical Judaism in conflict with the now mostly gentile church of Jesus.

We must remember, however easy and gentle and kind we want to be toward the Jews, especially considering the way Christianity the Religion has treated them, climaxing in the Sho'ah, the Holocaust, that Jews, as Peter the Jew said, are saved, justified, sanctified and redeemed, in the unique Jewish way of salvation, the Lord Yeshua' Messiah, just as we Gentiles are.

Look back, consider the history of the Church: How often do you think the Lord's been really pleased with us?

Then look back, consider the history of the Hebrews in the Old Testament: how often was the LORD really happy with them? Not very often. He threw them out of his Land twice…

If the only folks our beloved Jewish Lord Jesus was ever publically furiously angry with, the Religious Right of his day, the Pharisees, he had a reason.

One morning in Jerusalem Peter the Jew preached a Jewish sermon to a Jewish crowd in which he said 'There is salvation in no other, for there's no other name given among men by which we must be saved.'

Modern Judaism is the descendant of those Jews who did not acknowledge the Messiah freely given them by the LORD God of Israel, even following his Resurrection the third day after his death (At the hands of a diabolical three-way conspiracy of Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees and Roman Gentiles, all of whom hated each others' guts.)

The Rabbis to this day will tell you a Jew can do anything at all and remain a Jew EXCEPT 'confess with his mouth that 'Jesus is YHWH,' and presumably 'believe in his heart that God has raised him from the dead.'

In fact the only person who can become a Christian WITHOUT giving up his old religion is a Jew. Did any of the Apostles stop being a Jew? Did Jesus?

These are hard sayings. May we deal in God's own love and grace and wisdom with the ancient People he still loves more than his own life.

<3 TV2

You may have answered your own question. For openers, Israel, for millennia an “oppressed” people, once it got some power, turns around and does the oppressing, similar to the Boers in South Africa toward blacks in that country; it's no surprise that even Jimmy Carter considered that situation analogous to apartheid. Second, in the process it holds itself to a higher standard. Third, it gets billions annually in American aid.

Besides, the post really had virtually nothing to do with modern Israel.

And let's keep in mind theological ramifications, as well. The Scriptures are clear in that Israel was constantly disciplined for disobedience. Are we Christians now supposed to ignore that just because they're Jews?

Paradoxtor you are quite right , this statement has bo Bibical basis .

According to Jesus there was no one greater then John the Baptist . And he would be the least in the kingdom of God . His disciples were taught that he himself was unfit to being the same category of Christ . That group of followers are the ones Jesus kept closest to Him and many of them followed Him .

John the Baptist was not being modest . Jesus spoke of the evil thoughts the Pharisees , Herodians, and Sadducee's used . Love your God with all our hearts , love your neighbor as yourself . Thats regardless of who they are , political differences or ideologies.
I would think that covers diversity , and diversity is not greater then Love according to Christ.

Caiaphas promoted religion , while playing with the politics of Rome in the background . He sacrificed his Godly knowledge and principles to improve his relationship with Rome .

“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he..”

The Pharisees and Saducees are found in most religious institutions. In fact in ourselves. Myself at times anyway . That part of me is bunk.

The real problem with the Pharisees is that they missed the point of the law — to drive them to Him.

But I think you're right on the main point of your sermon. The Pharisees were actually the closest in thinking to Jesus of any group at the time, and this often gets lost in our recapitulation of his stories. He was preaching against those closest to him, perhaps *because* they were the closest to him. And if we think that all pharisees are bunk, then by his very words, we have to throw out most of our New Testament- written by the pharisee Paul.