October 15, 2023, 12:00 PM

The scribes devoted themselves to the study and interpretation of the Mosaic Law. They wrote commentaries on the Law and were considered experts in its teachings and application to daily life and worship. As writers, they copied the Sacred text and produced documents to provide interpretations of the Law. Their true intentions were to preserve the Law and encourage the people to live it. The Pharisees were also devoted legal experts. Although most were not scribes, the Pharisees relied on the scribes’ work to come to their own conclusions and application of the Law. The scribes and Pharisees came into conflict with Jesus, charging Him and His followers with violations of the Law. Jesus said the scribes often went beyond interpretation of Scripture by adding many man-made traditions to what God had said. Jesus argued that the scribes were good at spelling out the letter of the Law, but ignored its spirit, even making their own additions more important than the Law itself. A large portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) contrasted what the scribes and Pharisees taught and what God wanted. This led to many confrontations between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees. They knew the Law and taught it to others, but they did not obey it themselves. Jesus denounced them for their hypocrisy. As a result of these confrontations, the scribes and Pharisees played key roles in having Jesus arrested, tried, and crucified. We can only imagine Jesus’ frustration with them since He came to “perfect the Law” that the scribes and Pharisees claimed to know perfectly. Now you know!