Our last post was about the arrival of the Magi and the discussion question led us to ponder about the memories of the Pharisees. Many of them would have been between the ages of twenty to forty years old when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and when the Magi cause such a disturbance in Israel with their announcement that they were here to honor the newborn king. As we jump back into the Gospel of John we find Jesus arguing with those same Pharisees who were in Jerusalem thirty-some years earlier when the Magi caused such a stir.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
John 8: 34
Thinking about the Pharisees’ resistance to the message of the Messiah, one might well wonder where their allegiance was. If it was to God, then their hearts would be open to God, but if not, then who were they a slave to?
Q: Who or what did the Pharisees serve?