Sadducees: Position, Power and Perception.

Sadducees: Position, Power, and Perception

By Heather Collver

Jesus was in Constant conflict with the Sadducees.

The Sadducees were wealthy and held powerful positions, including that of chief priests and high priest, and they held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.

They seemed to be more concerned with politics than religion. They did not relate well to the common man, nor did the common man hold them in high opinion. The common man related better to those who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, therefore the Sadducees went along with their ideas to please the common man. As long as they held their status, they weren't responsible to be held to integrity.

They definitely were not perfect in their doctrinal views. The following is a brief list of beliefs they held that contradict Scripture:

1. They were extremely self-sufficient to the point of denying God's involvement in everyday life.

How often does God get his say in your daily schedule? How involved are you and God?

2. They denied any resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18-27; Acts 23:8).

Do you believe that Christ resurrected from the dead?

3. They denied any afterlife, holding that the soul perished at death, and therefore denying any penalty or reward after the earthly life.

What do you believe? Do you agree that we will not be held accountable for the things we do, say, or think in this life?

4. They denied the existence of a spiritual world, i.e., angels and demons (Acts 23:8).

Have you ever experienced the existence of the spiritual world? What does the Bible say about Angels and Demons?

Because the Sadducees were more concerned with politics than religion, they were unconcerned with Jesus until they became afraid He might bring unwanted Roman attention. It was at this point that the Sadducees and Pharisees united and conspired to put Christ to death (John 11:48-50; Mark 14:53; 15:1).

They were unconcerned. Yikes!!!! They did not want the Romans to know that they were not taking their positions seriously, that they were conforming to the Pharisaic community in order to keep peace and be popular among the people.

The Sadducees ceased to exist in A.D. 70. Since this party existed because of their political and priestly ties, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70, the Sadducees were also destroyed.

It's like a mafia movie or something. The Sadducees were people pleasers who were more concerned about their position in life than their moral integrity. I know people like that. Some of which are very close to me. I am not sure if they even realize that they put so much energy into their status. It is very apparent though, how they try to set themselves apart from those who do not carry a title. Notice that the Sadducees ceased to exist. It's true, at one point or another, we will all cease to exist here on Earth. Do we want to leave a legacy of love or of position, power and perception? It's not an easy question to answer at times. Could we be satisfied with who we are in Christ, striving to serve him our entire lives, with or without the big title that is perceived as a status in THIS world?

Dear Lord,
Help us to be content with our current status here on earth. Whatever we strive for, let it be to glorify you, to transfer more power to your name than to our own. Lord, you are Power, you have the highest position and you KNOW all things. Help us to discern in this life what is right and wrong. Help us to be people of integrity and transparency, so that we leave no room for question in our Christian walk. You are amazing and I pray that we continue to pursue you and recognize you throughout each day. Amen.

Please pray for a devotional member who will have surgery tomorrow. Please also pray for all those who are ill right now.