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.
