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Online Truth
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SHOULD TRUE DISCIPLES OF MESSIAH FOLLOW THE DICTATES OF THE PHARISEES? Many have been somewhat confused as to what Yahshua (Jesus) meant in his instructions in Matthew 23:2-3. Others have insisted He definitely was giving instructions to follow the bidding of the Pharisees because they definitely were sitting in Moses’ seat. Some insist that this passage gave the Pharisees and their descendants the authority to create postponements in their calculated calendar—and that true disciples are, therefore, instructed to follow their bidding. The King James Version reads, “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.” From this version it would seem that Yahshua was saying that the Pharisees teach with authority because they are is Moses’ seat. Actually, there are two main opinions on the meaning of the phrase “Moses’ seat.” Some say that in every synagogue there was an actual chair called a “Moses’ Seat” in which the leaders of the congregation would sit and teach with authority. The other opinion was that “Moses’ Seat” was a figure of speech indicating someone who teaches with the authority of Moses. Either way, the statement that the Pharisees sit in “Moses’ Seat” meant that they had some kind of Mosaic authority. From this version it would appear that the author, Matthew, was saying that the words of the Pharisees should be followed but because of their hypocracy, their actions should not be emulated. This implication would be that a true disciple of Yahshua should do whatever the Pharisees taught, in order to faithfully obey Yahshua’s instructions. This would mean that true disciples would have to follow all the rules and regulation which the Pharisees added, even though they had no Scriptural basis. Unfortunately, many have come to this conclusion. In order to reach the proper conclusion, it is necessary to understand the fundamental principles upon which Phariseeism is based. The first of the fundamental principles is the doctrine that when Moses ascended Mt. Sinai he received two Torahs, an Oral Torah and a Written Torah. The Talmud insists that the “Oral” Torah was revealed to Moses in a second revelation on Mt. Sinai. The Midrash states that this “second” Torah was given orally to keep it out of the hands of the nations (gentiles), since the Law Giver knew that the Tanach (law, prophets, and writings) would be translated into Greek. So He gave the Oral Law by work of mouth to preserve it as the exclusive domain of the Rabbis as a “secret knowledge.” Of course, the Oral Torah was written down, starting in about 200 CE, in two Talmuds—the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. The second fundament principle of Rabbinic, Pharisaic Judaism is the belief that the Rabbis have the absolute authority to interpret scripture. They also believe that what the Rabbis say in any matter of a religious nature is binding—even if it is factually untrue. This belief has led to their use of irrational interpretation. Deuteronomy 31 records a commandment that the entire nation of Israel—men, women, and children, and the strangers in the gates—were to gather at the Feast of Tabernacles to hear the Torah read to them. The purpose of this reading was so that the Israelites would hear, learn, and do all that was in the Torah. Deuteronomy 31:11-13 “When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Deu 31:12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: Deu 31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.” The average Israelite could not afford his own copy of the Torah, so his main access to the divine instruction was at this public reading. We learn from this chapter that the Torah was written in such a way that it would be completely comprehensible to the average person by hearing the reading of it. When Scripture is interpreted today we have to place ourselves in the position of the Israelites in that day when they heard the reading of the Torah. It must be concluded that any interpretation that would not have been obvious to an Israelite shepherd who would have been listening to the public reading cannot be what is intended by Torah. However, the problem is that the Rabbis interpret Scripture by using what is known as midrashic, or “hermeneutical” or “homiletical” interpretation. Midrashic interpretation usually consists of taking words out of context and reading meaning into them. The next fundamental of Pharisaic Judaism is the belief that if something is done by an entire Jewish community for an extended period of time then this custom, called minhag becomes binding upon the community. The maxim is “accustom of Israel is a law—or Torah. Another fundamental of their belief is that the Rabbis can enact new laws called takanot (enactments or reforms) or mitzvoth derabanan (commandments of our Rabbis). They believe God commanded us to obey the Rabbis—at least according to the Oral Law. But Our Messiah asked, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3). On this occasion they had violated Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; and 13:1. Messiah continued in Matthew 15:6 “Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” He was in no way supporting their teaching that their traditions were law, or that they could add their man-made laws to the law—Torah. They certainly do not believe in sola scriptura –the scriptures alone. So why do so many well-meaning groups insist on believing that there actually was an Oral Law that was passed down from mouth to mouth through all the generations—especially when scriptures concerning the times of Josiah and others show that the book of the written law was lost and unknown on several occasions? What is the proper understanding of Matthew 23:2-3? To start with, it must be acknowledged that the standard English translations have faithfully represented what was written in the Greek. So the question must be asked, “Was the Gospel of Matthew originally written in Greek—or was it originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic? Many believe parts of the first three Gospels were originally written in Hebrew because they are full of Hebraisms. There are many word puns in the Hebrew that beautify the text, but which make no sense in the Greek. Now, a Hebrew version of the book of Matthew had been preserved by a 14th Century Spanish Jew named Shem-Tov Ibn Shaprut. He lived in Spain during the Inquisition. We have already noted that in Matthew 23:2-3 (KJV) it says: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not you after their works: for they say, and do not.” However, when we look in the Hebrew text we find something quite different. It translates into English as: “The Pharisees and sages sit upon the seat of Moses. Therefore, all that he says to you, diligently do, but according to their precedents do not do, because they talk but they do not do.” So in the Hebrew Matthew, Messiah is telling his disciples not to obey the Pharisees. If their claim to authority is that they sit in Moses’ Seat, then diligently do as Moses says—but don’t do according to their precedents because they talk but they do not do. Further analysis needs to be done on the phrase “because they talk but they do not do.” What was it Messiah was saying “they do not do?” Perhaps a better understanding of this phrase can be achieved by understanding the proper Hebrew syntax of the same phrase in the passage in II Kings 17:28-34. This is a passage dealing with the Samaritans. When the Israelites were deported and Babylonian Gentiles (those of other nations) began to settle in the land, they requested that the king of Assyria send them a priest from the exiled Israelites to pay homage to the local god of the land. Of course this would have to be a priest who had already compromised himself and had served at the high-places—which was one of the sins of the northern tribes since the days of Jeroboam. 2Ki 17:25 And it happened at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear Jehovah. And Jehovah sent lions among them, who killed them. 2Ki 17:26 And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the manner of the God of the land. And He has sent lions among them, and, behold, they kill them because they do not know the way of the God of the land. 2Ki 17:27 And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Cause one of the priests whom you removed from there to go there. And they shall go and live there, and he shall teach them the way of the God of the land. 2Ki 17:28 And one of the priests whom they had removed from Samaria came and lived in Bethel. And he taught them how they should fear Jehovah. 2Ki 17:29 And every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 2Ki 17:30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 2Ki 17:31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their sons with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim. 2Ki 17:32 So they feared Jehovah, and made to themselves, of the lowest of them, priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 2Ki 17:33 They feared Jehovah and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations whom they removed from there. 2Ki 17:34 Until this day they do according to their former ways. They do not fear Jehovah, neither do they do according to their statutes, or according to their ordinances, or according to the Law and commandment which Jehovah commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel. Proper syntax would have us read verse 34 as: “Until this very day they do according to their former ways, according to their statues and their judgments, they do not fear YHWH, and they do not do according to the Torah and commandments that YHWH commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel.” The verse is structured in Hebrew in a way that lays emphasis on the Samaritans doing “according to their statutes and their judgments” but “they do not do” according to the Torah. And the same Hebrew syntax is evident in Matthew 23:3, and Our Messiah is saying basically the same thing. He is saying that, as the Samaritans in II Kings 17:34, the Pharisees have and follow their own statues and judgments, and, while they talk Torah they do not do Torah—they do not do according to the Torah and commandments that YHWH commanded the children of Israel. So really, was Our Messiah telling His disciples, and by extension, us today, that we should following the teachings of the Pharisees—or Rabbinical Judaism today? Because they sit in Moses’ seat and speak with his authority?” I think not. It is for this and other reasons that the customs and traditions of Judaism which have no foundation in scriptures are not deemed to be guidance for true believers.
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