THE PHARISEES
When we consider Pharisaism as an organized religious movement, which it was in ancient times, we can trace it to at least the Maccabean period. If we dig deeper, however, we will find that it actually started as a restoration movement during the time of Ezra the prophet. Israel had returned to their land after a seventy year Babylonian captivity and it was a period of intense revival and enthusiasm for God among the people. The early Pharisees were totally committed to the work of restoring the Law of God to its proper place of supremacy in the life of Israel. Part of their zeal was a desire to rid the lives of all Israelites from the wicked, pagan practices they had picked up in captivity. This led them to become “watchdogs” of everyone's sins but their own.
Their intentions at the beginning were surely very good. In time, though, legalism and self-righteousness took over their lives, so much so that now Phariseeism is virtually synonymous with hypocrisy and legalism in theological circles. Their hypocritical emphasis on “externals,” which they saw as more important than the spirit of the law, brought them into constant conflict with the Son of God while he was on earth. They were so blind to their own hypocrisy, their warped interpretation of the Scriptures, their warped view of “sinners” and, worst of all, their warped view of God, that they were among the chief instigators in the death of Jesus Christ, their own Messiah.
The spiritual descendants of the Pharisees are still among us. Their hypocrisies and their heresies must be opposed. Every aspect of life among the Jews during the time of Jesus was influenced by the Pharisees. The people, in general, looked to them with great respect, viewed them as trustworthy interpreters of the Law of God, and the affluent segments of society saw no reason to question them. They virtually controlled civil affairs through the Jewish “Supreme Court,” the Sanhedrin, which was under their domination.
Jesus attacked this group. To learn something of the mind of Christ and the way he viewed religion, a study of the Pharisees is vital. There was constant conflict between the Pharisees and the Son of God. Thus, there will be constant conflict between those who are like the Pharisees in disposition and practice, and those who truly follow Jesus.
In Matthew 23, Jesus took off the gloves and unleashed penetrating condemnation against the religious leaders who had been hounding him since the beginning of his ministry. In verses 13-36, the judgment is clear. The Pharisees and scribes were guilty of religious hypocrisy, a condition abhorred by God. They were the ancient equivalent of the “religious establishment.”
There is never anything wrong with wanting to please God. That is part of the relationship. We are to love Jesus and seek to follow him. He said, “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). The problem is that legalists make up their own laws. They make laws for God. They add to the laws of God. They are not content to let others have their own relationship with the Lord and seek to follow him as best they understand him. Legalists want control. The Pharisees wanted power and control, and the modern-day Pharisees want power and control.
When a person is harder on the sins of others then he is on his own sins, he is a Pharisee. He is under the condemnation of God. When a person likes to appear outwardly religious but inside their hearts are “far from God” (Matt. 15:8-9) they are like the Pharisees. And when they pay attention to things that are less important while neglecting the most important things, then they are like the Pharisees. Beware of this mindset. It permeates organized, man-made religion.
Dewayne Dunaway
