Facing Our Pharisee(ness)

Each of us that have been saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ have a tendency to become Pharisees.

If you aren’t familiar with who the Pharisees were, they were a group within the Jewish people that held leadership positions in the Sanhedrin, governing the nation of Israel and overseeing the temple. This was an important group of people that held necessary positions, but just like any other group of people with leadership and authority, there was a temptation to not carry out their leadership with wisdom and humility.

The Pharisees tendency was to show off. They would brag about their knowledge of the Old Testament and condemn people that were not carrying out the laws “perfectly”. They would not serve others and they took pride in how religious they looked. The biggest problem that Jesus addressed about them, is that their hearts did not align with their teachings at all.

When Jesus spoke of these people, he called them hypocrites. This is a term we are still familiar with today. It’s when you speak of one thing, but your life does not reflect it. The truth is, we all struggle with being hypocrites because we are human. The problem with the Pharisees though, is that they didn’t recognize it, and they didn’t seek the Lord’s grace for a pure heart. Their pride was greater than their humility. They relied on themselves and did not repent.

Consider what Jesus says about them in Matthew 23:

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach. They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. They do everything to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels^. They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 

The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The teachings of the Pharisees were accurate because they knew the Old Testament, but their actions were contradictory to their teachings. Jesus warned His followers during that day to pay attention to the words the Pharisees spoke, but not to model their lifestyle. This message is just as relevant to us today. We are all tempted to be Pharisees at one point or another and can easily slip into this way of living.

As I process what Jesus teaches in Matthew 23, here are some thoughts that came to mind with helping me think about facing my own Pharisee (ness) and giving it to Christ. I pray it helps you, too:

• Resist an US and THEM mentality. — There is a tendency for us to view ourselves as the US, and others as the THEM. Perhaps we sometimes think that we have reached a certain spiritual status and others should try to get where we are. Maybe we get wrapped up in being entertained and comfortable at church, forgetting that church is meant to be a spiritual hospital for the broken (which is all of us), where we all contribute our spiritual gifts and serve one another; we often can miss it and fail to do that. The Bible teaches us that no one is greater than anyone else, despite what someone has or doesn’t have, or what their past is. We are all on the same playing field and desperately need the grace of Jesus. Instead of US and THEM, it’s EVERYONE.
• Remember how Jesus was when He was on Earth. — When we read about Jesus in the Gospels, we see humility. Yes, we see power and authority, but we see it manifested in humility. He approached anyone and diagnosed the real issue with every person, which was their hearts. Jesus also made himself available and approachable to people. Even though He was God in the flesh, He chose to meet people where they were. Let’s also not forget that he was often homeless during his ministry (Matthew 8 and Luke 9). Jesus didn’t cling to a social status or possessions, but focused on the Kingdom. He didn’t even look like royalty at first glance. Yes, Jesus is perfect and we are not, but He is our aim and goal, right? If we are to be like Him, the way He lived should be the way we want to live.
• Confess our sins and humble ourselves. –When I see my sin for what it is, it should drive me to thankfulness and humility that Jesus came to save me and loves me. The moment we start thinking others are worse sinners than us, we are going down a slippery slope of Pharisee(ness). As Paul says in Romans, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” To clarify though, we aren’t defined by our sin anymore if we know Christ because He took it from us on the cross, but it’s our sin that compelled Him to do that and that’s key to remember. When we confess our sins, humble ourselves and remember that we need a Savior, all is made right.

The good news to remember in all of this, is that we don’t have to TRY to look religious or holy like the Pharisees did! We can let that go, and allow the finished work of Christ to rest in us and flow through us. Remember, it’s what He’s done, not what we’ve done! There is freedom in not living as a Pharisee.

Lord, as we face our Pharisee(ness), help us to remember that because of Jesus, we don’t have to perform. We simply obey and walk with you.