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Post by homeschooldad on Jun 2, 2023 5:39:41 GMT
Just as some attempt to defend Judas, so do I maintain that the Pharisees can be at least partially defended. It is possible that they simply didn't know that true religion requires more than just meticulous observance of law, and that they thought they were doing the right thing, and that Jesus's harsh words were meant to shake them out of their ignorance and obtuseness.
So I'm not going to judge the Pharisees. As the saying goes, I'd give the devil himself justice.
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Post by tisbearself on Jun 2, 2023 18:41:48 GMT
I am sure there were Pharisees all along the spectrum of "good" to "bad" when it came to understanding and accepting Jesus' message.
Nicodemus, the member of the Sanhedrin who sneaked out at night to talk to Jesus and later helped to bury Jesus, was a Pharisee. (John 3:1)
The scribes, who essentially were the canon lawyers of their day, are often lumped in with the Pharisees ("scribes and Pharisees") and yet, at least one of them understood Jesus' teaching and Jesus told him "You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12:34)
Even if some Pharisee repented only at the last second of life, maybe having seen Jesus and realizing he was the Messiah after all, Jesus could have saved that Pharisee.
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