Priesthood in the Times of Jesus 

The primary function of the Sadducees was to oversee ritual sacrifices and ceremonies essential to Jewish worship. And they were diligent in gathering temple taxes. They maintained the temple's sanctity, ensured the purity of worship practices, and administered sacrifices according to tradition and the Law of Moses. The high priest, the most senior Sadducee, played a crucial role in an annual rite, the Day of Atonement, entering the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices for the nation’s sins.

The Sadducees were the successors of Moses and a wealthy ruling class in Jesus’ time. They controlled the temples in Jerusalem and twenty-three other locations. They also presided over the Jewish court system, the Sanhedrin. They were, in some ways, more conservative than the Pharisees. They only recognized the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, as the inspired word of God. They acknowledged neither the prophets nor the oral traditions of the Pharisees. They did not believe in life after death and were often at odds with the Pharisees over this belief.

The Sadducees tried to keep peace with Rome. They were wealthy, and as long as they stayed on Rome’s good side, they could live comfortably. The Sadducees opposed Jesus because they feared he would turn people against them, and they feared Rome because its army was unbeatable.

The vast majority of the Jews did not share the Sadducees’ acceptance of Roman rule. They believed a Messiah would come, sword in hand, and drive the gentiles out of the "Promised Land." Even though Jesus never spoke against Rome or advocated rebellion, the Sadducees believed that if he truly were the Messiah, he would start a rebellion. Whether or not Jesus was the Messiah, he threatened their power, influence, and wealth.

In the second half of the first century, rebellion against Rome finally broke out and led to the sacking of Jerusalem. During the final siege of the city, the rebels killed many of the Sadducees. To save their lives, some of the Sadducees came over to the rebel’s side only to die at the hands of the Romans. This marked the end of the Sadducee priesthood.

Pharisees rose to prominence in what scholars call the second temple period. The Babylonians destroyed the first temple in Jerusalem in 587 BCE and took the Jews away as slaves. They were eventually released and returned to Palestine, where they built a second temple. The Pharisees set out to keep the Jewish people separate from gentile influences that surrounded them. The name Pharisee is derived from the Hebrew word that means "to separate." The Pharisees continued to shape Judaism after the rebellion in 70 CE. They transformed themselves into an order of teachers or rabbis. This rabbinical order effectively replaced the Sadducees and continued the Pharisaic tradition, maintaining their opposition to the spread of Jesus' teachings.

Before the rebellion, the scribes and rabbis, taken together, were called Pharisees. They referred to themselves as the "associates." In certain ways, they were the progressive group among the Jews. They adopted many teachings that were not well established in Hebrew scriptures, such as the belief in the resurrection of the dead mentioned in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Unlike their Sadducee brethren, they accepted the Prophets and the Torah.

The Pharisees held the Jewish people captive to tradition, ritualism, and legalism, a bondage far more real than that of Roman political rule. These traditions involved and invaded every domain of personal and social life. Jesus often found himself violating these arbitrary constraints and, on several occasions, refuted them in the presence of the Pharisees. He even dared to heal people on the Sabbath day, a serious sin in the eyes of Pharisees.

Although the Master’s relationship with the Pharisees was contentious, many followed him as he traveled, and some even joined him. Losing their brothers to Jesus only served to enrage the stubborn Pharisees who were blinded by spiritual pride and threatened by the changes Jesus brought.

The Essenes were a true religious sect, originating during a revolt in 167 BCE. Their stern requirements were, in some respects, more exacting than those of the Pharisees. They had adopted many Persian beliefs and practices, lived as a brotherhood in monasteries, refrained from marriage, and had everything in common. They specialized in teachings about angels. But their hold on the Jewish people was not as firm or absolute as with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The older Jewish teachers, together with Plato, Philo, and many of the Essenes, tolerated the theory that men may reap in one incarnation what they have sown in a previous existence. Jesus found it difficult to make people believe that their souls did not have previous existences.

The Essenes died at their monastery in Qumran at the hands of the Romans. Qumran is where the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were found in the mid-twentieth century. Authorship of the scrolls is a subject of scholarly debate, and many experts believe there is sufficient evidence to prove they were written by the Essenes.

The roots of the Nazarite order go back to the early years of Judaism, to Samson and Solomon. To the Jewish people, those who belonged to the Nazarite brotherhood were considered sanctified and holy. They regarded a Nazarite with almost the respect and veneration accorded to the high priests. The Nazarites were the only people, except the high priests, who were ever permitted to enter the "Holy of Holies" in the Jerusalem temple. John the Baptist took the vows of this order as a young man.

John’s father, Zacharias, was not a Nazarite, but he was a member of the Jewish priesthood. His mother, Elizabeth, was also of the priesthood, being a descendant of the "daughters of Aaron." Before John’s birth, Gabriel told Elizabeth that John was to become the forerunner of Jesus. When he was fourteen, his parents took him to the Nazarite headquarters at Engedi to finish his religious education. It was there that John took Nazarite vows and was duly inducted into their brotherhood.

John became a leader and a fiery preacher who was looked up to by his fellow Nazarites. After Jesus chose twelve of his followers to be his apostles, John did likewise and chose twelve followers. John chose Abner, a fellow Nazarite, to be their chief. The two groups went separately to many villages and towns to spread the gospel message. John was a heroic but tactless preacher; his constant denunciations and accusations against Roman authorities cost him his life. After Herod executed John, his twelve apostles joined Jesus’ twelve.

It should be noted that where Jesus grew up, the priests were not as strict as were the Jerusalem clergy. Nazareth was one of the twenty-four priest centers of the Hebrew nation. The Galilean priesthood was more liberal in the interpretation of the traditional laws than were the Judean scribes and rabbis. At Nazareth, they were also more liberal regarding the observance of the Sabbath. It was, therefore, the custom for Joseph to take Jesus out for long walks on Sabbath afternoons, something that was strictly forbidden in Jerusalem.

The priests at Jerusalem did not look kindly on their brother priests in Nazareth. "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" was a common saying among them. And they blamed the Galilean priests for Jesus’ presumed liberality. The northern shores of Galilee became Jesus’ headquarters, where he and his apostles often retreated for rest and relaxation. There were always watchmen on duty to warn Jesus if his Jerusalem enemies were approaching.

The Pharisees had spies and hecklers who watched Jesus and tried to trap him with insincere questions. He permitted them to infiltrate his followers and always turned their questions into lessons, thereby defeating their intended embarrassments. He often sat at meals with them but never belittled or ridiculed them. He did, however, denounce their hypocrisy, misleading teachings, and burdensome taxes. He once said: "Woe upon you, chief priests and rulers who lay hold of the property of the poor and demand heavy dues of those who would serve God as they think Moses ordained!"

The Jewish priesthood was undoubtedly jealous of Jesus’ popularity, but their primary motivation for seeking to kill him was fear. They believed that if a Jewish king came to power, he would surely set his version of the priesthood in place, and they would be demoted, replaced, or killed. The rumors that Jesus would become Judaism’s new king unnerved them. And the Romans did not take too kindly to unauthorized kings. In the Jerusalem priests’ opinion, Jesus was inviting the wrath of Rome. They did not understand or care that Jesus’ kingdom was spiritual, not political.

Jesus endeavored to teach his followers what their attitude should be toward the various religious groups and the political parties of Palestine. He advised, "We are seeking to win all of them, but we are not of any of them." His ministry often brought him into direct confrontation with the established priesthood. His teachings emphasized a personal and direct relationship with God, challenging the authority and traditional practices of the priests. Jesus advocated direct contact with God through prayer and worship without the need for priestly intermediaries.

Jesus sought to reform the spiritual understanding of his followers, urging them to transcend ritualistic practices, animal sacrifices, and embrace a more profound, heartfelt spirituality. His emphasis on love, mercy, and personal faith resonated with many, leading to a spiritual movement that would eventually diverge significantly from traditional Jewish practices.

The Hebrew priesthood provided structure and continuity to Jewish religious life; at the same time, it was rigid and unwilling to progress or reform itself. Jesus’ teachings introduced a shift, emphasizing inner spiritual transformation over outward ritual compliance. This shift gradually influenced the development of early Christian thought.

When Jesus cleansed the temple and his followers chased the money changers out of the temple courtyard, Jesus’ fate was sealed as his actions threatened the income and employment of the priesthood. The Sadducees and Pharisees who opposed him made up false charges and took him before the Roman authorities, who decreed crucifixion. But neither the priesthood nor the Romans could kill his message – the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of all people. Pentecost and the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth marked the beginning of the end of special priesthoods and belief in sacred families.