(2) Relation of Jesus to Jehovah. — Jesus taught that He wrought Sabbath nrirac^es and all miracles by the Holy Spirit and as Son of God (Jn 19"). Tlie Pliarisees replied that He did wonders by Beelzebub. It was the devil incarnate that went about doing good in Jesus. His forerunner, the Bajjtist, was also possessed by Satan (Alt 11'*). No wonder Jesus ' looked round upon them with anger, l)eing grieved for the hardness of their hearts' (Mk 3^). It Mas worse; Jesus called it blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (v.^^-)- I'^'ey expected the Holy Spirit to come with the Messiah ; but when both came, neither was accepted (Ac 7°'"^-). It was an age 'in the highest degree religiously excited, but it did not possess the Spirit' (Gunkel, Die Wirkiingen d. H. G. ISSS, p. 57). Jesus claimed authoritj- over all human afiairs — to regu- late the Sabbath, forgive sins, and adjudge future rewards and punishments. The claim to pardon sins especially provoked Pharisee attacks (Mk 2"), for it made Jesus equal Avith God (Jn 5"*). He had called them blasphemers of the Spirit ; they now called Him a blasphemer of God. The contrast was complete. Jesus' teachings and miracles pre- vented the Pharisees from attacking Him openly ; so they tried now to catch Him by questions on purification, worshij), the commandments, and tribute to Ctiesar. He told them they were so wicked they could not see a sign from heaven, silenced them, and declared them hypocrites. Then came His last visit to Jerusalem, and the secret plotting of the Pharisees against Him. He appeared now openlj^ as the Messiah (Mk 11'"). When Caiaphas asked Him, ' Art thou the Christ, Son of the Blessed?' He answered, ' I am' (Mk 2461. 62) 'f iig Pharisees asked Him to rebuke the crowd for calling Him Son of David ; they sent spies to profess to be disciples and betray Him to the Romans (Lk 20-") ; they cast the blind man healed out of the synagogue ; and led Jesus to ask, ' Why go ye about to kill me ? ' ( Jn 7^^). They said He had a devil, mocked Him, and took up stones to kill Him as a blasphemer in the Temi^le (Jn S--59). The Pharisees supported the Sadducee leaders in the last assault u))on Jesus. ' Chief priests and Pharisees' (Mt 27«-, Jn W) plotted to kill Him (Mk 14-''^), sent men to seize Him and went with them, judged Him in the high priest's palace, sought false witnesses against Him, heard Him say He was the Son of God and declared it blas- phemy, spat in His face, smote Him, jnit Him on a mimic throne and said, ' In this way let us honour the Son of God' (so Justin M., 1 Apol. 35, and
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PHARISEES
PHILAXTHEOPY
Evanc/. Petri), mocked His prophecies, and led the multitude to cry 'Crucify Him.' They charged Him with being- a false prophet, deceiver of the ■Jcople, a false Messiah claiming to be the Son of God "(Lk 22"^, Jn 19^), the enemy of Ciiisar, for- bidding to pay tribute to him, and claiming to be King of the Jews, able to save others but unable to save Himself, and a destroyer of the holy nation. ' Chief priests and Pharisees ' made His sepulchre sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch over 'that deceiver' (Mt 21^'^-'^).
2. Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees. — Jesus' criticism followed the line of Pharisaic attack, and showed (1) the legalistic perversion of religion in Judaism. He showed {a) that they were utterly wrong in limiting the grace of God to the Jew under the yoke of the Law. The man who was offended at Him for helping the poor and outcast was not among the blessed. The righteousness of the Pharisees centring in themselves would never admit to heaven. The Roman centurion had more faith than the best Pharisees (Mt 8^"), and Gentiles would enter heaven while they went into outer darkness (vv.ii-i-). (b) Jesus told them their ceremonial usages were worse than useless, for they led to transgression of God's commandments (15^). They not only killed obedience by legal- ism, but made it impoj5sible by putting small and great commandments on the same level. He told them they were doomed unless they abandoned their theology and mode of life, (c) He especially upbraided them respecting the Sabbath. In heal- ing on that day He imitated David, the priests, the prophets, the Giver of the Sabbath and tlie Lord of the Sabbath, all of whom they ignorantly opposed when they taught that a man could not do good on that day. Their Sabbath theory sprang from hardness of heart, which had no mercy for the witliered hand, the hungry disciples, the sick folk, the demoniac. They were blind, and with their followers perishing for lack of the knowledge He offered them. He then exhausted language in describing their wickedness. He anticipated St. Paul's description of heathenism and apjilied it to the Pharisees (Mt 23, etc., Ro l-*-^^ 2"-).
(2) Jesus upbraided them further for rejection of God and His Christ. He told Nicodemus he must be born again of the Spirit and Son of God. The Pharisees who opposed Him followed the old Serpent Avho deceived Adam, and did his deeds. They were liars and murderers, and could not believe Jesus, who was of the truth (Jn 8"- «). They could not see the lioly proofs that He came from God, because they were wicked and adulterers. The darkness could not comjn-ehend the light. They were be- witched, under demoniacal influence, and their per- secution of Jesus was a matter of course. Having no word of God, or love or life of God in them, they could not follow Jesus ( Jn 5^*'- ). Their rejection of Him -was proof that they had already forsaken God. Jesus had shown He did not break the Sabbath law. He then went on to tell the Pharisees they had no authority to criticise Him, for His works were the works of God (5"). But they did not know the works of God when they saw them ; they did not even understand Moses (S"**), or David, or the pro- pliets, for they were utterly out of touch with Divine revelation ; and the Law they thought they were defending would condemn them at the last day (6«f-)- They stumbled especially at Jesus' forgiving sin as Son of God, and His calling men to Him as the way to God ; but He told them that, unless they accepted Him as Saviour, they would die in their sins {8^). He mixed appeals and warn- ings in His last dealings with tliem ; but all in vain. Many of the common people accepted Him, but none of the Pharisees (7«). His last words to them were a series of ' Woes,' which He closed with the