Bridging the Old and New Testaments:

As we bring an end to our study in the Old Testament we begin in the New Testament with the birth of Jesus. Did you know that there were about 400 years between the end of the Old and the beginning of the New? In the New Testament there is the introduction of the Synagogue, the Roman Empire and the presentation of Jesus coming on the scene and these people called Pharisees and Sadducees. What do you think happened that may have brought about such change? They never had the crucifix until just about a hundred years before Jesus was born. Doesn?t it seem odd that all of these things came together just in time for Jesus to come? The Bible says in Galatians 4:4, ?But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son?? the ?fullness of time? means ?when the time was right?. Isn?t it cool that God knew the right time for Jesus to come, He had planned it from the beginning of history. Jesus came at just the right time in God?s redemptive plan, when the world was perfectly prepared for God?s work. The time was right because Roman law extended over most of the civilized world and travel and commerce were possible in a way that had never been possible. Great roads linked the empire, and its different regions were linked by the Greek language. The world was crying out for change, they had such a spiritual hunger and one has a perfect time for the coming of Christ and for the early growth of the of the Good News of Jesus.

The time was also right because the 483 years prophesied by Daniel were drawing to a close (Daniel 9:24-26). Jesus would ride a donkey into Jerusalem at the exact time Daniel had prophesied it would happen. Now that is amazing!

The synagogue came about as a place of prayer and a gathering place for the Jewish people to learn about God. Mathew 13 tells us that Jesus taught in the synagogue and that the people marveled at His wisdom and authority. We don?t see Pharisees and Sadducees in the Old Testament; they came about during this time too. The Pharisee was member of an ancient Jewish sect that emphasized strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic Law in both its oral and written form. The original meaning of the word that we get Pharisee meant ?separate?, like these people were separate and different. It is too bad that they became prideful in that title and began to think they were better than everyone else. If you call someone a Pharisee today that typically means they are hypocritically self-righteous person. The Sadducees were a priestly, aristocratic Jewish sect founded in the second century B.C. that accepted only the written Mosaic law and that ceased to exist after the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. They held so tightly to the first five books of the Bible, the Torah that they didn?t even believe in angels or the after life. You can remember that because they were ?sad-you-see?. It would be sad to not believe in heaven.

Jesus came on the scene and he had to deal with these two religious groups who thought they knew what God expected and thought that God approved of their religious faithfulness — they were faithful to their cause, but really not to the truth of God?s word. Jesus had the biggest issues with these groups of religious people and it was the Pharisees and Sadducees who rallied to have Jesus hung on the cross. It must have been a very sad day when each of them died and thought they were getting into heaven, instead God would say to them, ?depart from Me I never knew you.?

If you haven?t read the New Testament, I recommend starting in the gospel of John. The author John one of Jesus? disciples wanted to show the reader the Jesus is God. It is an awesome book to read. God bless you as you grow closer to Jesus.

Call or write to me if you have any thoughts or questions my number at church 385-0450.

Godspeed!

Pastor Casey