Scribes and Pharisees

The Jesus we all know and love is a kind, gentle Jesus who accepts the poor and the wicked and is kind to everyone. He isn't mean or loud or far too pointed. He's just ... nice. This, of course, is in stark contrast to the biblical Jesus. You know, the one in the Temple with whips overturning tables and chasing people out. Or the one in the public square talking about the Pharisees -- the local, highly respected religious leaders. Indeed, Jesus's harshest words were reserved for this group of people.

We've come to equate the term "pharisee" with a certain type of person. Typically when we think of a Pharisee, we think of a self-righteous hypocrite. Fine. But what does the Bible say about them? Well, Jesus said that they set a high standard of righteousness, that they searched the Scriptures, that they were very intent on observing the Law. Indeed, Jesus told the people to listen to what they said (Matt 23:3). Not all bad. So what was the primary negatives of the Pharisees? That is, what would a modern Pharisee look like?

Jesus's most descriptive remarks about the Pharisees are found in Matthew 23. Go ahead and turn to that chapter because it's chock full of what He thought of them. We know they were highly religious, publicly religious, the pious. What did Jesus think of them?

They were indeed hypocrites ... of the worst order. They preached right but didn't do right (Matt 23:3). They required more godliness of others than they were willing to bear (Matt 23:4). They were publicly religious in order to gain public approval (Matt 23:5-7). While claiming to point people to God, they slammed the door to the kingdom in their faces (Matt 23:13). They went to great lengths to make converts only to make them worse than they were (Matt 23:15). They held to human standards ("the gold of the temple") rather than God's standards (Matt 23:16-22). They were diligent in the small matters while missing what was important (Matt 23:23). They appeared clean from the outside but were dead on the inside (Matt 23:26-28). They abhorred the errors of their fathers while they multiplied their errors (Matt 23:29-35). About these, Jesus did not have kind words.

What would a modern Pharisee look like? Certainly self-righteous -- a righteousness built on self -- and certainly a hypocrite -- one who claims to be more godly than he is, who claims to not be guilty of the very sin in which he indulges. But so much more. He (or she) would appear to have a "higher standard" which he doesn't meet, like accusing others of being judgmental and being more judgmental in the accusation. He would call on others to be "more godly" and not bear that same burden. You know, "You need to give more to the poor!" without giving a penny more ... that sort of thing. He would proclaim peace with God, but when the genuine truth appears, he would deny it. "Sure, that's your interpretation, but there are lots of interpretations." He would work at "converting" people to his own viewpoint and, when he succeeded, they would only take his position farther than he intended. But that will be okay. That will be "progress". He will tend to sound spiritual, but his values will be worldly. "Yes, I follow Scripture ... as far as human reason and personal experience will allow. I mean, it's inspired, to be sure, but not God-breathed in any real sense, you know." He will focus on the "important" things like feeding the poor, helping the sick, caring for the needy -- certainly all good things -- but miss entirely the real important things like the Gospel, the need for repentance, that sort of thing. The standard here will be the world's standard, not God's standard. The modern Pharisee will have all the appearances of godliness -- nice and smiling, likely holding a Bible, preaching being kind and helping, that sort of thing -- all the while reflecting an internally dead spirit and opposing anything that reflects a truly godly life. Today's Pharisee will not be content with the errors of his forefathers; he will proceed to new ones in the name of progress and godliness and forward thinking.

Jesus loved sinners. He loved them enough to tell them the truth. "Repent and believe." But He didn't have kind words for the Pharisees. Indeed, in the Hebrew mind "woe" is not merely a "bad thing"; it is a curse. And Jesus said it about them repeatedly. The Pharisees had much to commend them, and that may be why they had so much culpability. And this group is not gone. They still thrive. They are self-righteous, hypocritical, appearing spiritual while being dead inside, and pushing others to be just as bad or worse. The worst thing, of course, is that they don't see it. To this day they don't see the real Jesus (Matt 23:39). And the best we can do is recognize them, pray for them, and, like Christ, call on them to repent. Just don't become one. The easiest way to avoid that? Recognize that righteousness is not accomplished by being good, and recognize that you are never as good as you might think. Oh, wait ... that's kind of two sides of the same coin, isn't it?