Should we bring every area of our life into subjection under the law of God? Should we have a deep and profound respect for the law of God? Should we emphasize humility, deplore pride, and abhor hypocrisy? Should we emphasize love as the fulfillment of the law? If you agree with these principles, then you are in agreement with the foundation of the Pharisees. Upon these four concepts is built the entire philosophy of the sect of the Pharisees. This group was not one that was shallow or insincere in their devotion to God, and I think we sometimes callously dismiss them based solely on the picture of them we see in the gospels.
The question we have to ask ourselves – instead of why were the Pharisees so obstinate – is this: where did the Pharisees go wrong? Where did they come from, and how did they come to be so in conflict with the Lord? How did this group who stood so firmly against self-righteousness and hypocrisy become the epitome of those traits as we see them in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
The Intention of the Pharisees
“Pharisee” means “separated one,” and, not coincidentally, we apply a similar concept to ourselves in the church. We see ourselves as separate and apart from the world, resisting worldly influences and preserving the traditions of Christ and His apostles. Likewise, the Pharisees began as a sect that resisted the Hellenization of Judaism. They sought to preserve the ways of Moses. They wanted to remain separate and apart from compromise with the Greco-Roman world. They were trying to preserve the old paths in the face of secular modernism.
Again, these were the ones who saw love as the wholeness of the law, very much as Jesus summed it up in Matthew 22:34-40. These were the ones who emphasized humility above all else in personal conduct. These were those who deeply respected the oracles of God and who sought to bring their lives under complete subjection to that law. Unfortunately, while attempting to preserve and protect the old paths, they built up an oral traditions that came to serve as a hedge of sorts around God’s law. This oral tradition was eventually codified as the Mishnah, and it became viewed as authoritative as any of the writings of Moses. Atop these traditions came the Talmud, the commentaries upon the Mishnah that also became a standard by which the people measured themselves.
For example, carrying a tool of your trade on Friday evening was wrong, for fear of working on the Sabbath. There would be rules surrounding when you could rescue an animal or put out a fire. These examples and more became the hedge built around God’s commandment to avoid working on the Sabbath. They forgot that their traditions were human interpretations, and they would condemn any who broke that oral tradition, blurring the line between scripture and interpretation. “My interpretation is law; yours is opinion.” The implications for us are evident.
Hypocrisy and Self Righteousness
In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks to the multitudes and His disciples regarding the Pharisees, those responsible for handling and passing on the law. Jesus even exhorts His listeners to abide by the teachings of the Pharisees. It is their example He warns against, expecting more of others than themselves, having words and actions that do not agree, seeking praise from men for their position. Jesus explains, in verses 13-26, that their hypocrisy was rooted in holding onto traditions surrounding the law more than the law itself – some of which circumvented those very laws they were intended to protect.
Verse 23 speaks to paying attention to the tiniest of details in the law while neglecting the intent and the attitudes behind those laws. Yes, those details are important, but they wanted to be so doctrinally pure they created problems for themselves. Not only would they expel sinners from their presence, but they would also not associate with those who disagreed with their traditions and private interpretations. They became their own standards of righteousness. In fact, Pharisaic tradition specifically named publicans as individuals to avoid in fellowship. Is it then so curious that we see publican after publican shown in a good light in the gospels? It is a contrast of how the Pharisees viewed others versus how God views them.
Jesus and the Pharisees
In their attempts to be righteous, the Pharisees had grown to be unloving, unmerciful, and contentious. Matthew 9:10 records the Pharisees wondering at Jesus taking the time to associate with those they would consider worthless, and Jesus rebukes them, reminding them of God’s desire for mercy and forgiveness. Also, Matthew 12:1-8 has Pharisees criticizing Jesus’ apostles for plucking grain to eat on the Sabbath, yet Jesus answers with their unwillingness to criticize one like David for breaking the Sabbath while being quick to condemn others. Again, Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, bringing to mind the state of Israel and Judah in the days leading up to captivity. That prophet called the people’s love a fleeting thing, and Jesus was giving the same warning to the Pharisees. Rather than dismissing the word, though, the Pharisees had come to a point where they put themselves in the place of God.
Indeed, we must preserve the old paths. We must set ourselves apart form the world. We must respect God’s word above all else. We cannot, however, become unmerciful, unloving, and contentious in doing these. We must not set our traditions and our interpretations on equal footing with the word of God. If we had existed 2,000 years ago, we would have found ourselves closely aligned with the Pharisees’ ideals and goals. Let us be careful to avoid becoming what they became while clinging to God’s law.
lesson by Tim Smelser
The question we have to ask ourselves – instead of why were the Pharisees so obstinate – is this: where did the Pharisees go wrong? Where did they come from, and how did they come to be so in conflict with the Lord? How did this group who stood so firmly against self-righteousness and hypocrisy become the epitome of those traits as we see them in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
The Intention of the Pharisees
“Pharisee” means “separated one,” and, not coincidentally, we apply a similar concept to ourselves in the church. We see ourselves as separate and apart from the world, resisting worldly influences and preserving the traditions of Christ and His apostles. Likewise, the Pharisees began as a sect that resisted the Hellenization of Judaism. They sought to preserve the ways of Moses. They wanted to remain separate and apart from compromise with the Greco-Roman world. They were trying to preserve the old paths in the face of secular modernism.
Again, these were the ones who saw love as the wholeness of the law, very much as Jesus summed it up in Matthew 22:34-40. These were the ones who emphasized humility above all else in personal conduct. These were those who deeply respected the oracles of God and who sought to bring their lives under complete subjection to that law. Unfortunately, while attempting to preserve and protect the old paths, they built up an oral traditions that came to serve as a hedge of sorts around God’s law. This oral tradition was eventually codified as the Mishnah, and it became viewed as authoritative as any of the writings of Moses. Atop these traditions came the Talmud, the commentaries upon the Mishnah that also became a standard by which the people measured themselves.
For example, carrying a tool of your trade on Friday evening was wrong, for fear of working on the Sabbath. There would be rules surrounding when you could rescue an animal or put out a fire. These examples and more became the hedge built around God’s commandment to avoid working on the Sabbath. They forgot that their traditions were human interpretations, and they would condemn any who broke that oral tradition, blurring the line between scripture and interpretation. “My interpretation is law; yours is opinion.” The implications for us are evident.
Hypocrisy and Self Righteousness
In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks to the multitudes and His disciples regarding the Pharisees, those responsible for handling and passing on the law. Jesus even exhorts His listeners to abide by the teachings of the Pharisees. It is their example He warns against, expecting more of others than themselves, having words and actions that do not agree, seeking praise from men for their position. Jesus explains, in verses 13-26, that their hypocrisy was rooted in holding onto traditions surrounding the law more than the law itself – some of which circumvented those very laws they were intended to protect.
Verse 23 speaks to paying attention to the tiniest of details in the law while neglecting the intent and the attitudes behind those laws. Yes, those details are important, but they wanted to be so doctrinally pure they created problems for themselves. Not only would they expel sinners from their presence, but they would also not associate with those who disagreed with their traditions and private interpretations. They became their own standards of righteousness. In fact, Pharisaic tradition specifically named publicans as individuals to avoid in fellowship. Is it then so curious that we see publican after publican shown in a good light in the gospels? It is a contrast of how the Pharisees viewed others versus how God views them.
Jesus and the Pharisees
In their attempts to be righteous, the Pharisees had grown to be unloving, unmerciful, and contentious. Matthew 9:10 records the Pharisees wondering at Jesus taking the time to associate with those they would consider worthless, and Jesus rebukes them, reminding them of God’s desire for mercy and forgiveness. Also, Matthew 12:1-8 has Pharisees criticizing Jesus’ apostles for plucking grain to eat on the Sabbath, yet Jesus answers with their unwillingness to criticize one like David for breaking the Sabbath while being quick to condemn others. Again, Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, bringing to mind the state of Israel and Judah in the days leading up to captivity. That prophet called the people’s love a fleeting thing, and Jesus was giving the same warning to the Pharisees. Rather than dismissing the word, though, the Pharisees had come to a point where they put themselves in the place of God.
Indeed, we must preserve the old paths. We must set ourselves apart form the world. We must respect God’s word above all else. We cannot, however, become unmerciful, unloving, and contentious in doing these. We must not set our traditions and our interpretations on equal footing with the word of God. If we had existed 2,000 years ago, we would have found ourselves closely aligned with the Pharisees’ ideals and goals. Let us be careful to avoid becoming what they became while clinging to God’s law.
lesson by Tim Smelser
