* Here were the different types of leaders in Christ’s day:

* 1) The Priesthood - appointed by Herod, the priests not only officiated religious life for the Jews but were also rulers and judges.

* The Romans wanted the priesthood to support their occupation in Jerusalem, so the Herods made sure this happened (but not all priests were Roman sympathizers).

* They lived in luxury beyond the average Jew.

* They feared Jesus because if a new King came then he appointed new priests and they didn’t want to lose their positions.

* 2) The Pharisees - the word means “to separate.”

* After the second temple period the gentiles were constantly encroaching on Jewish customs, so they arose to preserve the Jews from this perceived threat.

* They were zealous for the law of Moses but they came up with an oral law (tradition) as well.

* Jesus broke their oral tradition of not walking over 2000 cubits on the Sabbath when He healed the person at the pool of Siloam.

* 3) The Sadducees - the wealthy ruling class, many of them were priests and controlled the Temple and the legal council called the Sanhedrin.

* They only recognized the Torah - no prophets, no resurrection.

* They wanted to stay on Rome’s good side.

* They believed the Messiah would come with sword in hand to drive the Gentiles out of the Promised Land.

* 4) The Essenes - many believe they were the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

* They’re not mentioned in the gospels because they were destroyed by the Romans before they took control of Jerusalem.

* They were the “purists” - they pulled out of Jerusalem and lived in community on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea.

* There they would create a pure community from which the Messiah would come.