Jesus, the Pharisee?

Today, we celebrated the Third Sunday of Advent, which includes the famous dialog between John and the priests and Levites, and then with the Pharisees. The latter is most interesting:

Some Pharisees were also sent. 
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

In this discussion, he was plainly speaking with members of the Pharisee party, not the public at large. The interesting line is ”there is one among you whom you do not recognize,..” What if John is being literal here.

It would answer the question of the lost years. He probably did not stay a day laborer because his brothers did not. His nephews, the sons of his sister or half-sister Salome were the sons of Zebedee. Being a fisherman is a lot more lucrative than day labor, but Jesus was not one of their partners. This verse shows that he may have gone to his Father’s house after all.  Were Pharisees mostly married? If so, this answers the question of whether Jesus was.

This would certainly add a twist to all of those times Jesus condemns the Pharisees. He would be speaking as a reforming insider rather than a rebellious outsider. Consider all of those times he had Pharisees with him, even until the washing of the feet by Mary of Bethany. Were they monitoring him or were they colleagues? He certainly attacked the Sadducees like a Pharisee.

This question makes the betrayal narrative much more profound. Was Jesus betraying his party or trying to perfect it? If he was not their enemy then he probably loved them and they him. This makes the actions of Gethsemane and Calvary all the more shocking and it explains why Joseph would provide Jesus a tomb.

There is no proof of course, indeed while the current understanding goes the other way, perhaps it should not. It is an interesting question to keep in mind as we listen to the Gospel throughout the year.