![]() ![]() They were self-righteous, and they were critical of all others who did not associate themselves with a strict observance of the Law. The main problem with the Pharisees and the scribes was that they had bad hearts. They were called “lawyers,” meaning an expert in the Mosaic Law. People looked to them for understanding and counsel because they wrote the Sacred Scriptures, and were familiar with the sacred text. The scribes were the interpreters of the Law. The Pharisees wanted to preserve the Law, and that was not wrong. Their adversaries mocked this attempt and called them “The Separated.” The Pharisees called themselves the Haberim or “ Associate,” a term meaning one who associates himself with the Law in order to observe it strictly, in opposition to the encroachments of Hellenism, or Greek cultural influence over Judaism. The Pharisees were dedicated to keeping the Law of Moses, all 613 provisions of it. Together, these men formed a large part of the ruling religious fabric of Jewish society. There was a third group that came to hear Jesus speak. In 1718 in Hamburg, Germany, Erdmand Neumeister was captivated by this thought and wrote these words. ![]() Every person who feels the weight of sin can know this fact. He did this without condemnation for Jesus came into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world, through Him, might be saved. The Lord met people were they were, in the struggles of sin and humanity, and moved them to where they should be according to gospel terms. Jesus welcomed all, and ministered to those in need. Then, there were the sinners, a polite expression for prostitutes and other unsavory characters. Other publicans would be curious about that, and some went to hear Jesus speak. It was known that one of the disciples of Jesus, the man named Matthew, was a former tax collector. The term for publicans is a reference to tax collectors, a hated group of Jewish people because they worked with Rome and exploited hard working individuals. The setting for the narrative takes place within the familiar occasion of the Pharisees and scribes following Jesus during the days of His public ministry because Christ attracted large gatherings wherever He went so that we read in verse 1, “ Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.” The story of the Prodigal Son takes place within the context of two other parables which can be briefly noted in Luke 15:1-6. ![]()
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