DISCUSSION QUESTION:
How would the Sadducees have described themselves religiously ?
Notes:
The next section is used to caution people against being religious and scripturally knowledgable but not having a true inward spirituality. The example of the Sadducees is used to caution us against the falling into the same trap that they fell into.
How would the Sadducees have described themselves religiously? The Sadducees were a religous group that controlled the operation of the temple of God in Jerusalem. They tended to be "upper class" and better than the average Jew. They considered themselves blessed of God. At this point, God only authorized one and only one holy temple. As keepers of this place of worship and thus having immense influence over the masses they considered themselves knowledgable and spiritual. The fact of the matter is that they were making great spiritual mistakes.