Phariseeism I. Introduction A. One of the many insults or derogatory words cast against brethren is the charge of being "Pharisees" B. Such refers to the sect of Jews living during the time of Christ and who opposed Him greatly and often C. The purpose of such terminology is to portray brethren as "legalistic" 1. Such is the common perception of the Pharisees 2. Being a "legalist," of course, is to stress the letter of the law and seeing everything through a strict constructionist viewpoint D. Are these portrayals accurate? 1. Are we really Pharisees because we expect Biblical authority for what we do? 2. Is this portrayal of the Pharisees consistent with the evidence? E. Let us consider the nature of the Pharisees so as to answer these questions II. Pharisees in Judaism A. The Pharisees prided themselves on being experts in the oral tradition of Judaism (Matthew 23:1-2) 1. Many trusted them to explain the truths of the Law 2. Believed in the "oral Torah," an "oral law" supposedly given by Moses B. They emerge in the time of Jewish freedom, under John Hyrcanus (135 BCE) 1. They seem to derive from the Hasidim of previous days 2. They end up wielding much political power in the middle of the Hasmonean period C. While not as great in the time of Christ, still a potent force 1. Political power curtailed, but still represented a sizeable portion of the Sanhedrin (cf. Acts 23:6-9) 2. Popular in the eyes of the people 3. One of the great religious powers among the Jews of the day D. Let us now see how these Pharisees are presented in the Scriptures III. The Difficulties of the Pharisees A. Phariseeism is most often equated with hypocrisy 1. Matthew 23:1-4 explains why 2. They were good at telling others to do things, but they themselves did not practice what they preached B. Pharisees were condemned for show and pretense 1. They would do things to be seen of men 2. Matthew 6:1-5-- thus they have received their reward 3. Matthew 23:5-13, 25-28: appear to be holy, inwardly rotten C. The Pharisees are guilty of being strict in certain aspects of the Law, as they are generally perceived as doing 1. They even prided themselves on building a hedge around the Torah so that one would not be found disobedient 2. This especially led to conflict regarding the Sabbath 3. Matthew 12:1-14, Mark 2:23-28, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:1-10, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 14:1-6, John 5:5-16, John 7:22-24, John 9:14-16 4. It was considered "not lawful" to heal on the Sabbath! 5. All this was based in traditions going back a couple of hundred years D. While the Pharisees did "strain gnats," they also "swallowed camels" (Matthew 23:24)! 1. While the Pharisees were strict in some regards, in other regards they were found to be too loose regarding God's commands 2. Matthew 15:3-6, Mark 7:9-13: invalidating a command of God by attempting to consider everything as "given to God" 3. Matthew 23:16-22: made swearing on gold or gift of more important than Temple or altar E. The Pharisees looked with contempt at those "beneath" them 1. Matthew 9:11: cannot understand how Jesus eats with sinners 2. Luke 7:39: questioning Jesus as prophet because He was being touched by a sinner 3. Attitude toward Jesus with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:3-7) 4. Attitude toward the blind man (John 9:34) F. Such are some of the many things for which the Pharisees are condemned in the Scriptures G. Can we discover some aspect that links all these together? IV. The Attitude of the Pharisees A. The Pharisees are certainly not portrayed positively in the New Testament! 1. They are seen as the opponents of Jesus 2. But do they really conform to the modern view of them? B. It is interesting to see the things for which Jesus does not condemn them 1. They are not condemned for keeping of the details of the law (Matthew 23:23; tithing mint, dill, and cumin) 2. They are not condemned for their zeal (cf. Romans 10:2) 3. They are not even condemned for much of what they teach (cf. Matthew 23:2) C. Therefore, the Pharisees are not condemned, as is so commonly supposed, because they held to the smallest aspects of the law D. In the end, the Pharisees condemn themselves in their arrogance and pride! 1. Such is the theme that connects everything above 2. In their arrogance they looked down at everyone else, not realizing that they were little different (cf. Luke 18:9-14) 3. In their arrogance they could not see themselves as wrong, or that they could learn anything from Jesus 4. In their pride they could not withstand having any of their precious traditions, whether gnat-straining or camel-swallowing, questioned or violated 5. Since they saw themselves as the religious elite of the day, the pretense of religion was more useful than the actual practice thereof 6. Tithing mint, dill, and cumin makes you look good; practicing justice, mercy, and faithfulness requires you to be humbled and get your hands dirty (cf. Matthew 23:23)! E. If they only had humility and were willing to love God and love their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37-38), they would not have been condemned! 1. Had they not seen everyone else as mere sinners, but fellow children of Abraham, they could have been moved with compassion and understood that it was not against God's will to heal on His day of rest 2. If they truly loved God and His law as they professed, they would have not only done it but would recognize the greater value of honoring parents and the Temple and the altar 3. If they were humble, they would have been willing to hear and see Jesus of Nazareth for who He was, and they would have perhaps believed in Him 4. They would have rejoiced as His coming if they could only understand the love that He had for all men (cf. John 3:16, etc.)! V. Phariseeism A. Phariseeism is less about one's doctrinal positions and more about one's attitude 1. As we have seen, the Pharisees did not just "bind where God did not bind"; they also "loosed where God did not loose" 2. They both put on unnecessary burdens upon the Sabbath and minimized an important command of God! 3. One then is not automatically a Pharisee because one seeks Biblical authority or because one does not care about Biblical authority 4. One is a Pharisee if he or she embodies the arrogant, smug sanctimony of the Pharisees B. After all, if Phariseeism were only about one's doctrinal positions, we could not explain why some did convert! 1. Paul was a notable Pharisee (Acts 23:6, 26:5) 2. Acts 15:5 demonstrates that there was a group of Christians in Jerusalem who had been Pharisees 3. It has been believed that Nicodemus did convert (cf. John 3:1-15) 4. If it were only a matter of doctrine, how could these Pharisees become Christians? C. It is easy to be a Pharisee! 1. As Christians, it is easy to forget from whence we came and begin to look down upon "all those sinners" with contempt 2. As Christians, it is easy to become so content in our practices that we are willing to defend tradition as truth and feel that there is nothing to be learned from anyone else 3. As Christians, it is easy to focus on the minors to the exclusion of the majors 4. Many do fall into the trap of becoming Pharisees! C. It is imperative that we avoid becoming Pharisees! 1. Let us always maintain the humility of knowing that we also were sinners, and but by the grace of God still lost therein (cf. Titus 3:3-8) 2. Let us remember that we are imperfect, and there is always more that we can learn (2 Peter 3:18) 3. Let us never forget that even though it is important to keep doing the small things in Christianity, we cannot neglect the weightier matters of love, justice, faithfulness, and mercy (James 4:17) VI. Conclusion A. The term "Pharisee" is too easily and inaccurately thrown around B. It is an easy way to get a jab in against an opponent and to try to discredit him or her, but in truth it is not a matter of doctrine but of the heart 1. The Pharisees went wrong first because of arrogance and pride, and everything else followed 2. No matter what Jesus of Nazareth said and did, they never would have accepted Him as their Christ C. It ought to be manifest that if we are going to be disciples pleasing to God, we must be humble and loving D. Be not deceived: if the Pharisees rejected Jesus in their arrogance and pride, if you maintain a heart of arrogance and pride, you will reject Jesus in some way E. Let us be humble servants of God, loving Him and our neighbor as He has decreed F. Invitation/songbook