After the introduction of John the Baptist, Matthew turns his attention to the opposition, the Pharisees and Sadducees. These were two of the religious/political parties in Israel, and were prominent in the Sanhedrin, the ruling Council of the Jewish people.

First, it’s worth taking a moment to understand just who the Pharisees and Sadducees were. Pharisees were a sect of the Jews founded in the days of Jonathan the high priest, somewhere around 159-144 BC. The word “Pharisee” means “the separate.” Originally, they were patriots and reformers. Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, and in an afterlife that contained rewards and punishments. The believed in angels and spirits. In the days of Herod, there were an estimated number of around 6,000 Pharisees.

By the time of Jesus’ life, they had degenerated into a party of formalists, who paid more attention to outward forms and expressions than to the inner life. They were scrupulous in their observation of religious ceremonies, and were very orthodox. But their weakness was that they were full of spiritual pride.

The Pharisees rival in the Council were the Sadducees. Their name probably comes from their founder, Zadok, who were originally called Zadokites. This word probably eventually transitioned to Sadducees. They denied everything the Pharisees held to: the resurrection, rewards or punishments in the future life, and the reality of angels and spirits. Most Sadducees were wealthy, and they held the high priesthood. With more of a disposition for the pagans nations around Israel, the Sadducees held more favor with Rome. Anything spiritual was simply a facade, because they were filled with unbelief.

Last year, I began a study through the book of Matthew. After a few posts, I put that study on hold until I finished my run through Psalm 119. So this year, I’ll be picking that study up where we left off. Matthew 3 begins with an introduction of John the Baptist, and his involvement in preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry.

In Matthew 2, we read about Joseph taking the baby Jesus to Egypt and then returning. In Matthew 3, we see the ministry of John the Baptist, preaching a message of repentance. With the change to a new chapter, Matthew skips over a period of nearly thirty years. Only in Luke do we see any details of this period, with the description of Jesus visiting the temple at age 12 (Luke 2:41-51).

As you read through Matthew 3, take a look over at the parallel passages in Mark 1:1-11, and Luke 3:1-22. These will help you better understand the big picture of what is happening here.

Matthew 3:1 begins with the phrase ““Now in those days…” This is an expression in the Hebrew language that isn’t very time specific. It means “in that age” or “in that era,” much like our own phrase, “the good old days.” Matthew is referring back to a time when John was actively ministering, and the ministry of Jesus was just beginning.

This is our first introduction to John the Baptist. He was a cousin to Jesus, according to Luke 1:36. Their mothers were together for a period of three months just before either of them were born, and you can imagine, with the angelic announcements and special circumstances surrounding both of their births, these two women repeated the stories of their births often. John probably grew up with a solid sense of his mission, as revealed to his parents before he was even born.