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Blog Archive
January 26, 2016
A Paradigm From The Past
If you have spent any time reading the gospels, you are probably familiar with the groups known as the Sadducees and Pharisees. You are probably less aware of a third group called the Essenes since they were marked by separating themselves from the culture and therefore didn't warrant any air time in the Bible. You probably are not, however, all that familiar with what makes these groups distinctive.
The Sadducees developed during the 2nd temple era following the return from exile. Their main concern was temple service. They were committed to the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) and set aside the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is for this reason that they didn't adhere to belief in a resurrection. They were not concerned with what the prophets had to say about what was to come. It was the past and how it informed the immediate present that occupied their attention. They were dedicated in their efforts to uphold all things related to the temple. As a result, they were satisfied with a picture of God rather than God Himself.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, were committed to the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures and its concern with the restoration of God and His rule. That rule would guarantee that holiness would reign once again. They were dedicated to the idea that holiness must extend beyond the temple into everyday life. It is for this reason that they developed numerous rules to guide even the most mundane aspects of life. They were consumed with the personal benefits from the outcome of holiness rather than with the One from whom holiness is derived and defined.
The Essenes, as I mentioned before, withdrew from the culture. They too were committed to serving God as well as holiness but believed that true dedication to God and holiness would only come about by a complete separation from the world at large.
In modern Christianity, we look back on these groups of people and see the error of their ways. After all, even Jesus had some pretty harsh words for both the Sadducees and the Pharisees. And it's obvious that complete disengagement from society leads to extinction like the Essenes or else we would find them present along side the others. The more we consider these groups, the more we will come to realize that in our quick denunciation of them, we find that history has replicated these groups in many ways in almost every era, even today.
There are those today who are dedicated to all things "church." Often, to the point that one's spiritual temperature can be measured by the number of hours spent at the church house. The church (building) is sacred after all. You don't run in it, wear a hat, etc. . . You get the picture. These types of Christians place a great amount of value on numbers (both people and money) and church sponsored events, among other things, so long as it puts the church on display.
Then, there are those who have responded adversely to the "church-centered" group. To them the church is not a building but a people. Those who are spiritual do not get caught up in events and numbers but instead seek to live out the gospel in their neighborhoods, workplace, and schools. The relational life is ultimate, not a geographical building. It is difficult to measure but it is what matters.
Then there are those who may or may not share similar traits with either of the previous groups but have taken one or the other or both to a completely different extreme. They are either so "church" centered that they create an extreme separation from the culture around them and build up walls to keep the outside from getting in. Others,though they are so relational focused, surround their lives with only those who think like themselves and cease having any real contact with anyone else. In essence they withdraw from the culture around them in the direction of one extreme or the other. All in the name of their version of what is more godly.
Here's the point. While we may sit back and point out all the awful characteristics of those groups of old, They provide us with some important issues to wrestle with. They chose to ignore some things and exalt others while "meaning" well in the process. In some sense what they chose to sacrifice wasn't theirs to sacrifice and what they chose to exalt became distorted because it became an end in itself rather than a means to THE end. Today, we must continue to cherish the church! Not the building (it did not replace the temple, Jesus did), but the people of God. The corporate body of believers is significant in God's scheme of bringing about the consummation of His Kingdom. We must not seek to reduce its central place in the plan of God. We must, however, remember that the church has little to do with the place that we gather. So far as the building provides a suitable location for believers to gather, it is important, but that is the extent of it. The church (God's people) are not to be inward but outward, seeking to take the gospel to those outside. Therefore, believers are to seek to engage relationships wherever they find themselves. Those relationships, however, need to be targeting those who need to see and hear the gospel with the goal that they cease being outsiders and become part of the church. It has been and will continue to be true that we will gravitate toward safety and security amongst those who are like ourselves, but we must intentionally strive against this trend. If not, we will find ourselves safely withdrawn from the very task we were left here to accomplish. The Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes all had significant positive points to be embraced, but not to the exclusion of truth. We can't major on one truth and ignore another simply because we've experienced those who distort that truth. We must seek the whole truth and strive to be the church who demonstrates the gospel to one another and to the world by engaging the world with the very gospel that compels us in the first place. What kind of Christian are you? Are you consumed with "dedication," "law & morality," "separation," or the glory of God revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ?