Pharisees

"When the chief priest and Pharisees heard Jesus ' parables they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet." (Matthew 21:45-45) These two groups did not see eye to eye on most…

kept them from seeing the needs of others. Their hard hearts kept them focused on their laws instead of loving their neighbor. Hard hearts grieved Jesus then. Hard hearts grieve Jesus now. Please read Mark 3:6 and Luke 6:11. The Pharisees and the Herodians were exposed and humiliated. Jesus gained even more credibility with the people by speaking truth and challenging the Jewish leadership. Their world was crashing in. Although Jesus and the man with the withered hand did not…

who knew God’s word. He was a Pharisee. The Pharisees knew the Scriptures better than anyone. They prided themselves on their great knowledge of and their ability to keep the law. They were supposed to teach Israel and lead them to God, but they were prideful and saw themselves not as shepherds and servants, but as the elite who were better than the ones that they had been entrusted to care for. This is the root of Jesus’ frustration with the Pharisees. But before we judge them too harshly,…

In The Scarlet Letter, no character more perfectly embodies the tension between the individual community than Hester Prynne. Alienated from her community, Hester must raise her child outside the reach of society. Her interactions with others are rare, and she must be practically self-sufficient. Forsaken by her community, Hester is forced to grow as a person in her abilities and her independence. In Puritan communities, punishments for sin are harsh, and Hester knew exactly what the consequences…

This paper examines the figure of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospel according to Mark. I will seek to examine whether the religious teachings introduced, or actions displayed by Jesus were at odds with contemporary Greco-Roman and Jewish traditional practice. I will argue that Jesus as represented in the Gospel of Mark was, in both action and doctrine, the antithesis of what the Greek scholar, Celsus, would idealize as proper religious practice. To explain and defend my stance I will conduct a…

PRIEST Jesus first role as a divine human was to act like and be a Priest. A priest is a mediator or a bridge that performs religious rights and makes sacrificial offerings. Priests are people in the Old Testament who offered sacrifices to God in order to cleanse of sin. Priests are representations of Jesus as he is the true priest who offered himself a sacrifice. He cleanses us of our sin. Jesus made a sacrifice for us, he gave up something to help others. Jesus died on the cross for our sins…

Another area of divergence concerns the act of circumcision. It is clear that Jesus and Paul are Jews who are circumcised, yet throughout Paul’s epistles, he repeatedly and vehemently states that circumcision is not necessary. For example, in his first letter to Corinthians, he writes, “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything. Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called” (I Cor. 7:19-20). The significance of…

People today are so wrapped up in getting as much stuff as fast as they can, that the simple pleasures in life are often overlooked. Bigger houses, fancier cars, the latest smartphone – you name it and people want it. Not just any brand any brand will do either; it must be the name brand of that particular item. But what if there is more to life that just getting stuff? What if the secret of living a full life was in how a person lives his or her life? There are stories all the time of…

mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me” (Is 49:2). When you and your brother or sister are fighting it usually comes down to whom has the better comeback, well Jesus always had the better comeback against his enemies. The Pharisees often asked Him complicated questions hoping to trick Him, but they never could. However, Jesus never tried to start any disagreements and lived a quiet life in Galilee for thirty years. He was humble and as previously mentioned, wasn’t an…

1. What does this passage tell us about the sacrament of Baptism? This passage tells us that Baptism is a sign of welcoming one into the Catholic Church/ family. The passage also tells us that baptism is not just a sacrament, it is a celebration of the Catholic family, as in the passage it explained that people came for varies of places to see Jesus and to become Catholic/ baptised as well. 2. What is the meaning of Baptism? Baptism is the Catholic Church’s way of celebrating God’s unearned…