The Accidental Pharisee

As you read the Gospels you see time and time again that the Son of God comes into contact with a group called the Pharisees.  The Pharisees were a collective thorn in Jesus's side as He accomplished His Father's will.  It hasn't been till recent years that I've received a true understanding of what a Pharisee really was.  And as I've studied, I've become more sensitive to Pharisaical attitudes in the church.  Just recently I've had friends, yes, even good Christian people dawn the Pharisaical spirit and attack the Lord's church.

So many times, we are what we eat.  It's true in the body, but also in the mind as well.  If we consume negativity all of the time, we tend to become a more negative person.  If we expose ourselves to a certain line of thought again and again, we can begin thinking along those same lines.  Suddenly, we find ourselves so influenced that we have become what we have consumed.  We must be careful...the teaching we sit under...the shows or podcasts we listen to or watch...the friends that we hang out with.  All of these things influence us whether we want to admit it or not.

So it is with attitudes like the Pharisees had.  They came to know the law.  They came to know a religious system.  Then they came to run the show.  They were full of pride.  They were elite...they knew more and believed themselves to be better than everyone else.  They were exclusive.  They were overzealous in their "faith".  They kept more people out of the Kingdom of God than they ever won to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus put it this way, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to."  And Jesus continued in Matthew 23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. ²² And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴ You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

If you are judging others and holding them to your own standard...woe to you.  If your expectations are higher than God's...woe to you.   Woe to you that truly care more about your snow white hands than a red hot heart for God.  Woe to you who do not follow what the Word of God says.  Woe to you if you think that you know it all.  Woe to you...yes, woe to you.

I don't think that people set out one day and say "I'm going to be like a Pharisee!" It's bit by bit and piece by piece.  The attitude of superiority toward other Christians, God's church and its leaders is like a slow fade.  You barely even realize it's happening and boom, you're already there.

So, keep your eyes on Jesus and what He taught and preached.  Strive to understand the whole counsel of the Word of God, not just the parts that you like or that are more comfortable to you.  Approach everything with the love and hope of Jesus Christ in your heart.  Avoid the hypercritical attitude of the church, God's leaders, God's people, the music that's not your favorite...anything that the devil would use as a stumbling block.  May the grace and peace of God reign in your hearts and minds.  May we ultimately be pleasing to God in all we say and do.  May we not find ourselves an accidental pharisee, keeping others from God.