Pharisees, Sadducees, and Sheep

Anyone remember this Oldy-But-Goody by Brian Howard?

I Just Wanna Be a Sheep

Don't wanna be a goat…nope
Don't wanna be a goat…nope
Haven't got any hope…nope
Don't wanna be a goat…nope

(Chorus)
I just wanna be a sheep
Baa, baa, baa, baa
I just wanna be a sheep
Baa, baa, baa, baa
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
I just wanna be a sheep
Baa, baa, baa, baa,

Don't wanna be a Pharisee
Don't wanna be a Pharisee
'Cause they're not fair you see
Don't wanna be a Pharisee

(Chorus)

Don't wanna be a Sadducee
Don't wanna be a Sadducee
'Cause they're so sad you see
Don't wanna be a Sadducee

(Chorus)*

(And, of course, there are as many variations as there are Sunday School teachers!)

     Today the text for Pastor Albert’s sermon was Matthew 22:23-33, in which the Sadducees try to catch Jesus in a logic riddle.  Of course, they fail miserably since (1) they don’t believe the premise on which their riddle is based, (2) they don’t know the scriptures from which they’ve attempted to cook up their riddle, and (3rd-but-not-least) they’re debating with Jesus.  He’s the Son of God, after all!
     As part of his sermon, Albert explained the basic differences between Pharisees and Sadducees.  Pharisees were obsessed with the Law of the Old Testament.  They believed holiness was judged according to how well one kept the laws and toward that end, they were ever codifying, “Illuminating,” extrapolating, detailing, and in general just adding to the laws to the point that it was impossible to keep them perfectly according to their definitions.
     On the other hand, Sadducees doubted the authority of the scriptures.  They were skeptics, and kind of the opposite side of the coin from the Pharisees.  While the Pharisees tried to literally be perfect according to the scriptures, the Sadducees let their skepticism blind them to the truth of the scriptures, and they spent more of their time debating the veracity of the scriptures and looking for perceived flaws than they did reading them with open hearts and minds.  What jumped out at me during this part of the sermon is that too many Christians still fall into one of these two categories!
     Many Christians are legalists, beyond even what is biblical!  They look down their noses at other sinners while ignoring their own moral debt.  They focus too much on the “Don’ts” in the Bible and almost never on the “Dos.”  They worry about others’ behavior and appearance so much so that they would rather make someone feel unwelcome in church rather than “Suffer” the affront of their presence!
     Then we have those in the other camp.  They are the inheritance of Dr. Spock, who have been taught that everyone must “Find their own way.”  They hold no values sacred enough even to pass them to their own children!  Instead they hide behind the platitudes like, “Let the children discover their own truth.”  Indeed, for them truth is relative and the authority of the Bible itself is subservient to whatever their own conscience says is “Right” or “Wrong.” 
     So are you in one of these two camps?  Are you more concerned that the visitor to your church arrived in shorts and a ball cap with a coffee mug in her hand than you are with welcoming her into God’s house and among His family in love?  Or is church a place you choose based solely on whether you feel that you are “Being fed,” because you feel better about yourself for being there, and not because you are seeking to learn more about God and believe in the authority of His Word?
     Friends, we must strive as the song says, to “Be a sheep.”  It is the narrow path of humility and love, living Christ’s dualistic gospel of truth and grace.  So come sing with me, “I just wanna be a sheep, Baa, baa, baa, baa…”





*Some verses omitted for space.

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