Being Fair to the Pharisees

The Sabbath Praxis of the Pharisees from a Jewish Latin-American Perspective

Abstract

Although New Testament scholars affirm Matthew’s Jewish portrait of Jesus, many still treat the Pharisees in a one-sided manner. This article seeks to appreciate the Sabbath praxis of the Pharisees on its own terms by focusing on the Sabbath controversies reported in Matthew 12:1–14. The Pharisees’ praxis is reconstructed from a Jewish Latin-American perspective that underlines the imperative to rest on the Sabbath day from all work as an expression of liberation and complete trust in God’s providence.