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One the main groups of religious people that Jesus had to deal with were the Pharisees. Jesus had several encounters with them, and He frequently socialised with them. In fact, He and the Pharisees had a number of religious convictions in common. Nevertheless, at times, He was also very confrontational in his approach to them. Particularly their interpretation of the religious law brought them into conflict with Jesus. But in His love for them, Jesus invited them to an intimate relationship with God the Father. As we see consequently, some Pharisees began to consider Jesus the culmination of the law and submitted their lives to His authority.
The author is convinced that we can draw several parallels between the Pharisees of Jesus’ day and the religious Muslims of today. This means that the way Jesus related to the Pharisees, and the message He communicated to them, might also be relevant for Christians today in their interactions with religious people they come into contact with. Learning about the Pharisees might help Christians better understand their Muslim friends. Learning about Jesus’ relationship with the Pharisees might help Christians share their lives with religious Muslims. This might lead them to begin to understand that Christ is the culmination of the law for them, too.
Bert de Ruiter is Consultant in Christian-Muslim relations with several Christian organisations in Europe. He received his doctorate in Christian-Muslim relations from Bakke Graduate University. He has authored several books, including A Single Hand cannot Applaud and Sharing Lives. He has written several courses that are taught in churches and educational institutions throughout
Europe.
Bert is also involved in marriage training and counselling. He lives in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, is married and has two children and five grandchildren.
