The Pharisees Gathered Again - Matthew 22:34

Matthew the apostle wrote how the “Sadducees” desired to know Jesus' answer to which of seven brothers would be married to a woman who was widowed to all of them, and Jesus answered, “You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse thirty-four of his book Matthew shared how the Pharisees “gathered together” when they “heard that” Jesus “put the Sadducees to silence” where we read:

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence,

they were gathered together.

The verse reads, “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, ...” Matthew began with the word, “but” or “nonetheless, nevertheless, moreover and” “when” which means “at the time and moment” “the Pharisees” which refers to “a sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to OT books the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life” “had heard” which means “understood, perceived, discerned and discovered” “that he had put” or “that Jesus was successful in causing” “the Sadducees” which means “the righteous” and refers to “a religious party at the time of Christ among the Jews, who denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the Israelites, and who deemed the written law alone to be obligatory on the nation, as the divine authority” “to silence” or “muzzled, closed their mouth and reduced and made them speechless”. Matthew shared how the “Pharisees” saw how Jesus “muzzled” and “closed the mouths” of the religious group known as the “Sadducees”.

The verse goes on to say, “... they were gathered together.” Matthew continued with the words, “they were gathered together” which means “the Pharisees were assembled”. Matthew shared how the “Pharisees” assembled after hearing the reaction of the multitude and the “silencing” of the “Sadducees”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus so affected the “Sadducees” that the “Pharisees” took notice and assembled because of it. Jesus' words cause an impact and reaction to every person. Jesus Himself said, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathers not with me scatters” (See Luke 11:23), and the “Sadducees” and “Pharisees” were set against Him. God wants everyone to “come unto” Him through His Son Jesus, and those who are wise will understand that submitting to Jesus is the “only way” to gain access to God.

Next time Matthew wrote how, “one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.