THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES

Matthew 3:7-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two major religious groups in Israel at the time of Christ. The Pharisees were more religiously minded, while the Sadducees were more politically minded. Although the groups disliked and distrusted each other, they became allies in their common hatred for Jesus.

Name Positive Characteristics Negative Characteristics

PHARISEES

Positive Characteristics

Were committed to obeying all of God’s commands
Were admired by the common people for their apparent piety
Believed in a bodily resurrection and eternal life
Believed in angels and demons

Negative Characteristics

Behaved as though their own religious rules were just as important as God’s rules for living
Their piety was often hypocritical, and their efforts often forced others to try to live up to standards they themselves could not live up to
Believed that salvation came from perfect obedience to the law and was not based on forgiveness of sins
Became so obsessed with obeying their legal interpretations in every detail that they completely ignored God’s message of mercy and grace
Were more concerned with appearing to be good than obeying God

SADDUCEES

Positive Characteristics

Believed strongly in the law of Moses and in Levitical purity
Were more practically minded than the Pharisees

Negative Characteristics

Relied on logic while placing little importance on faith
Did not believe all the Old Testament was God’s Word
Did not believe in a bodily resurrection or eternal life
Did not believe in angels or demons
Were often willing to compromise their values with the Romans and others in order to maintain their status and influential positions