The Pharisees – Part 1
May 28, 2000
Dear Friends:
What do you think of when you think of the Pharisees? Can you get a mental image of them in your mind? Many people probably think of the Pharisees like they do figures of a children’s story. They are obviously fiendish individuals like a Darth Vader, Cruella Deville or the wicked stepmother. Reading through the New Testament and what the Lord has to say about them, you can conjure up those images. The Lord likens them to the “blind”, “hypocrites”, “fools” and “whitewashed tombs.”
However, it is probably closer to the truth to say that the Pharisees were viewed in their day as respected citizens, avid Bible students, morally upright and, just maybe, nice guys. Of all people in the society, the Pharisees were the right there near the top.
Now, why would anyone say such nice things about the Pharisees in light of what the Lord says about them? Well, if the Pharisees were obviously mean and nasty guys, what value was there in the Lord stating the obvious? To the contrary, the people seem genuinely shocked when they here what Jesus has to say about these men.
When Jesus said things like “I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven,” he did so because this would shock his hearers, not because this would be blatantly obvious. The Pharisees had such respect that people did what they said and believed what they taught simply on their word. This is indicated by the passage that states “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?” In other words, “unless you see the Pharisees believing on him, don’t bother yourself.”
What did the average man see when he looked at a Pharisee? More than likely he saw a man who was continually involved in a religious activity whether is be a discussion, prayer or some activity at the synagogue or temple. He would also notice the Pharisee’s strict adherence to the Law. The Pharisee was very careful not to go beyond his add-on laws in case he might transgress the actual Law. The Pharisee would know more about spiritual things than the average man. He could give a discourse on fine points of Scripture such as the laws concerning corban. In short, the people saw a “righteous” man by all of their measures and standards.
If we are to believe the Pharisees were easy to spot as “vipers” (as John the Baptist labels them), this paints the common man of the day in the most unflattering light. If the men of that day were of normal intelligence and as good as anyone at spotting a fraud, there is a startling lesson for us. Again, it seems reasonable that the beguiling ways of the Pharisees were not easy to spot, but that they appeared to be the best among men.
Why is it important that we establish the normalcy of the Pharisees? It is always the case that most dangerous elements of religious disruption are subtle. “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” The wolves don’t come in as wolves, they come in disguised. They are indistinguishable from the rest of the flock. Wolves are dangerous enough. Wolves dressed like sheep are far worse.
The lesson then is for us to be on guard. Men with characters like the Pharisees are not cartoonish freaks who are easy to spot. They stand as beacon for all those who would learn from the mistakes of the people of the first century.
We’ll look at the Pharisees a little more next week to see what we can glean from their prominent place in the New Testament.
Have a great week!
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