In our modern Christian vernacular, the title Pharisee carries a markedly negative connotation, and rightfully so. In the days of Jesus, however, they were recognized as the most fastidiously observant religious leaders of the day. I suppose there exists some Pharisee in all of us, so it’s important to recognize their toxic attitudes and behaviors.
Fortunately for us, Jesus left little to the imagination about their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:1–33). We would do well to learn and apply the warnings that He gave to the Pharisees. In today’s post, we observe the final five marks of Pharisees to which we should all take heed:
6. Pharisees apply great zeal in coercing others to act and behave just as they do, to the ultimate detriment of the proselyte.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)
Without a people group, Pharisees have no one to control, to exploit, or to offer them the praise they so desperately crave. Therefore, they take great effort to “make proselytes.” That description is worth pondering again as we serve in ministry in the twenty-first century.
A subtle but powerful distinction exists between the notion of introducing someone to the Savior who will transform and the notion of introducing someone to a system that will conform. If my standard of success is to make people to be more like me, I have a low standard indeed.
7. They are deceptive and savvy, often engaging in institutionalized lying.
Matthew 23.16-22 provides their complex system of oath swearing. Through this mechanism, the Pharisees effectively created a series of loopholes by which they could bind others to—and exempt themselves from—religious responsibility.
In all their loopholes, however, they had forgotten the presence of God Himself. Jesus cut through all their complexity by declaring the pressing need for (a) a renewed God-consciousness, and (b) complete honesty.
8. To the exclusion of larger areas of internal obedience, Pharisees tend to emphasize relatively tiny, albeit valid, areas of external obedience.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:23–24)
When the attitudinal and internal matters of God’s law are addressed first, the external areas of obedience will have weightier context. In fact, there will be a less pressing need to address them because they serve as a natural by-product of heart obedience.
The Pharisees would strain a gnat out of their cup of beverage lest it die and render the liquid unclean! Such was their level of adherence to the purity laws regarding eating and drinking. But, by not addressing the weightier heart issues, Jesus said it was as if they were “swallowing a camel.” The camel was the largest unclean animal of the region. Talk about heart burn… Now there’s a mental image!
9. Pharisees approach holy living from the outside in instead of the inside out.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25–26)
Everyone gets this illustration. It’s not difficult to understand. Yet it plays itself out time and time again in our lives. Why? Because it’s so much easier to deal with cosmetics than it is to deal with character. Mowing grass beats pulling weeds, every time.
Jesus is concerned about the inside and the outside. But the teaching is clear: prioritize the inside. Deal with it first.
Always remember that a Pharisee will exert great effort to guard his image but will make little effort to maintain his integrity. Like beautifully maintained gravestones, their lives attract admiring attention, but testify only to the deadness within.
10. Sadly, Pharisees typically cannot identify themselves.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. (Matthew 23:29-30).
Pharisees see themselves as the heroes of history. “If we had been alive during the days of the prophets, we never would have killed them!” But Jesus said of them just the opposite, “Your fathers did kill them. And so will you.” And they did.
Isn’t that something? The Pharisees wouldn’t dream of identifying with the fickle, self-serving, hypocritical murderers of the Old Testament prophets. “We would never do that!”
Could it be that we, looking back at the historical Pharisees, wouldn’t dream of identifying ourselves with those fickle, self-serving hypocrites?
Jesus has painted us a vivid description – and also a warning – of what a pharisee is, what he does, and how he thinks. May God help us to learn from His warning and be the Christian He has called us to be.