Religious leaders opposed Jesus during his ministry on earth for such reasons as his claim to the authority to forgive sins, disagreement over the proper observance of the Sabbath, fasting, his mixing with tax collectors among others.
Thus, the opposition to Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders created conflict between these two. The Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees and the Scribes were among the religious leaders who opposed Jesus.
In this high school WAEC Christian Religious Studies tutorial, we want to take a close look at the major areas of conflict between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders or sects during his ministry.
It is a likely CRS (past) question.
Remember that it is highly likely to have a WAEC/NECO question on the reasons why the religious leaders opposed Jesus. Below is one example of a WASSCE CRS past question on the areas of conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day.
Discuss any five reasons why religious leaders opposed Jesus during his time.
Find below the points you need to answer properly this common Christian Religious Studies or Bible Knowledge question for high school level examination candidates.
AREAS OF CONFLICT BETWEEN JESUS AND THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF HIS TIME
In the Synoptic Gospels. The Pharisees joined the Scribes in opposing Jesus on Jewish law and the traditions of the elders. The religious leaders opposed Jesus on such issues as his authority to forgive sins, the observance of the Sabbath, mixing with tax collectors and sinners, fasting and the tradition of the elders.
Now let’s take one by one the main reasons why the Pharisees and others displayed so much hostility towards Jesus.
1. The Authority to Forgive Sins
According to the Old Testament, only God has the power to forgive sins. Jesus, however, exercised God’s divine authority to forgive sins. This was when he asked a paralytic who had been let down through the roof by friends to rise and walk because his sins had been forgiven.
The Pharisees and the Scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy. Jesus replied that the son of man had the right to forgive sins so long as he had the right relations with God. Jesus pardoned the paralyzed man and he was healed.
2. Observance of the Sabbath
The Sabbath was a Jewish day of rest on which no work was to be done unless it was a case of life and death. Thus any activity was forbidden.
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The religious leaders opposed Jesus because of his lax attitude towards the observance of the Sabbath.
Here is an example.
One day, Jesus walked with his disciples through a grain field. They plucked some ears of corn. The Pharisees rightly complained that Jesus and his disciples were violating the Sabbath law. Jesus however defended his action that they had not violated the law in any way.
He cited the example of David and his men when they ate the Bread of Presence which was meant for the priests to eat and not for laymen.
Therefore, to Jesus, humanitarian considerations should take precedence over strict adherence to the letter of the law.
Jesus continued that the son of man is Lord over the Sabbath.
Other examples of controversy over the Sabbath are:
- the healing of the man with a withered right hand,
- healing of the woman with the spirit of infirmity in the Synagogue,
- the healing of the man with dropsy in the house of a Pharisee.
In all the above cases, Jesus reminded his accusers that the law allowed acts of kindness on the Sabbath even to animals. Thus he said, “Which of you having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a pit will not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath day”?
The above instances of Jesus breaking the Sabbath law did not necessarily mean that he was advocating disregard for the sanctity of the Sabbath.
3. Mixing With Tax Collectors and Sinners
Another reason why the religious leaders opposed Jesus has to do with his close association with people considered outcasts or sinners. These were people who did not strictly observe the Jewish religious commandments.
His accusers argued that if Jesus was truly a genuine religious leader, he would observe the regulations of his faith. He would have nothing to do with sinners and outcasts such as tax collectors.
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Below are some instances when the religious leaders criticized Jesus over his close association with tax collectors.
- During the call of Levi, Jesus mixed with tax collectors.
- Again, Simon, a Pharisee invited Jesus to a meal during which a woman regarded as immoral interacted with Jesus.
- At Jericho, the crowd murmured their disapproval of Jesus’s interaction with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was considered to be a sinner because he was a tax collector.
4. Fasting
The fourth area of disagreement between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day was fasting.
The Jews regarded fasting as a work of merit. In fact, devout Pharisees fasted twice a week.
The religious leaders opposed Jesus and his disciples for not fasting the way they, and the disciples of John the Baptist, did.
In response, Jesus argued that the wedding guest needed not to fast while the bridegroom was around for feasting. According to Jesus, fasting should be done quietly as a spiritual discipline while one goes about one’s daily routine.
Jesus condemned fasting which was meant to gain public approval. To him, such an attitude to fasting was hypocritical.
5. Tradition of the Elders
Jesus came under heavy criticism from the religious leaders because he did not observe strictly the Tradition of the Elders.
The Pharisees, for example, accused Jesus and his disciples of violating the traditions of the elders when they took their food without washing their hands.
The practice of hand washing was never for hygienic reasons. Rather, it was for the sake of ceremonial cleanliness. The Jews deemed it necessary because contact with unholy Gentiles would ritually contaminate them. The individual, therefore, needed ritual washing and cleansing to remain holy.
But Jesus argued that what an individual eats is not what defiles him, but rather what comes out of his mouth.
According to Jesus, the religious leaders had misinterpreted the tradition of the elders. He cited the practice of “Corban” which allowed the Jews to set aside the commandment of God for the sake of their traditions.
Conclusion
It is clear that opposition to Jesus by the religious leaders arose from several factors. Notable among the reasons the Jewish religious leaders opposed Jesus were his laying of a claim to the authority to forgive sins and his lax attitude toward the tradition of the elders.
Click the link below to download PDF copies of some key study materials. They will help boost your preparation for the examination.
Are you a high school teacher of Religious Studies or Bible Knowledge? The same downloads will serve a useful purpose for you and your students.
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Ralph Nyadzi is the Director of Studies at Cegast Academy. He is a qualified English tutor with decades of experience behind him. Since 2001, he has successfully coached thousands of High School General Arts WASSCE candidates in English, Literature and related subjects. He combines his expertise with a passion for lifelong learning to guide learners from varying backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. Ralph shares lessons from his blogging journey on BloggingtotheMax. He lives with River, his pet cat, in the Central Region of Ghana.
