The Righteousness of the Pharisees

Many of the characteristics which the Pharisees exhibited will subvert the people of God in any generation, in every nation and under any law. We can learn a lot about how God views us by how he viewed the Pharisees. For example, we may study the characteristics of the churches in Revelation to get some idea about what God thinks about our church. Unfortunately, we may find that God sees our church like he saw some of the churches in Revelation. The seven churches were “weighed in the balance” and often “found wanting.” The same is true with the Pharisees. Jesus often found the Pharisees (their attitudes, their ideas and their conduct under the Law) lacking.

Obviously, God was not well pleased with the Pharisees as a group. In fact, Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount: “For 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.” (Matthew 5:20) With this statement, he transitioned from his disclaimer (that he had not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets) to his contrastive teachings on how the Pharisees had failed to keep the Law.

We have constructed a list where Jesus found fault with the Pharisees. We cannot do this list justice. We are sure the reader can add to this list. And when we compare it with the life of Jesus, there is really no comparison. Whereas Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets perfectly, the Pharisees hardly fulfilled them at all. Of course, one of their worst faults was their rejection of the true Messiah. Unfortunately, when we compare ourselves with this list, we may find that we also have some things in common with the Pharisees. How do we compare? Here is our list:

• The Messiah would bring world peace. We include this first because the Pharisees were actually the enemies of Jesus. They firmly believed that they would be part of a world peace brought about by the real Messiah. The Pharisees were not exclusively at fault in their conclusion. Many of the common people (including the disciples of Jesus) believed this too. But this was a faulty conclusion which was derived from such passages as Isaiah 11:6. As we stated in a previous article, Isaiah 11:6 was about the spiritual regeneration of those who exhibit the spiritual characteristics of a ferocious Lion. But a Lion can change (spiritually speaking) and lie down with the lamb. There would be peace with the children of God (Jews and Gentiles, bond and free, males and females). In the early part of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refuted the idea that the kingdom would come about by force by saying that the “poor in spirit” would inherit the kingdom of heaven; and that the “meek” would inherit the earth. The Pharisees would not accept this reality. (John 11:48) When Jesus sent his disciples out on a limited commission (to the household of Israel), he advised them: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34) His disciples were not going out on some kind of a military conquest to bring about world peace. Using violence to bring about peace is somewhat of a contradiction in terms. This “sword”, as we learn in other places, was actually the “Word of God.” Certainly, there is nothing more divisive than this. It separates right from wrong, good from bad and brother from sister. It separates those who are eternally saved from those who are eternally lost. In short, it separates people. It, along with Jesus, is the greatest divider or the greatest uniter. It divides the sheep from the goats.
• They did not trust the “written word” to do its job. Satan is the master of deception. He uses misdirection, indirection and redirection (all the tricks of the trade). He hides every action. He quotes scriptures. But he puts a twist on every scripture that he quotes. He leads people in the wrong direction because people do not recognize the source of their temptations. Anytime we are tempted to do wrong (something that is not according to the Word of God) it is from our own lusts or from Satan. We shall be led astray. What is our defense? It is the same defense that Jesus used in his temptation. (Matthew 4ff.) Jesus used the “written word.” In Deuteronomy 8:3, God explains about the testing of the children of Israel in the wilderness. “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” God wanted to teach Israel respect for his word. In fact, chapter 8 begins with this verse: “All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live....” (Deuteronomy 8:1) The commandments were their life. But the Pharisees failed this test because they put a “fence” around the Law with their own words and ideas. They developed an “oral tradition.” (Matthew 15ff., Mark 7ff.) Therefore, they failed (just as Israel had failed before them). But where the Pharisees failed, Jesus succeeded. Jesus lived by every word that proceeded forth from the mouth of God. Jesus, as the Word of God, was the supreme authority and the most excellent servant. He was more than just a professor. He lived by the Word daily. He embodied it. In fact, he was the Word of God in the flesh. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us....” (John 1:14) Therefore, for Jesus to have denied the Word would have been the highest form of self-mutilation. That is why, in the disclaimer of Jesus, it was “...easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” (Luke 16:17, Matthew 5:17-20)
• They were a privileged class. They received much praise, glory and honor from men because of their assumption of power over the people. In fact, they sometimes received praise that was due only to God. They seated themselves in the seat of Moses (chief seat in the synagogue); not because God had put them there; but because they had put themselves there. They had simply assumed that position. (We may debate whether that power was legitimate or not. Jesus seemed to give them some credence along with his strong rebuke in Matthew 23ff.) But in any case, they expected to be catered to because of this power. They loved prominent positions at feasts and in the synagogues. They loved those special greetings and attention that they received in the market places. They also loved those special titles such as Rabbi and Master. They expected their personal opinions and their influence to be regarded on every occasion. In their minds, they were elevated above “that which is written.” The people bowed to their assertions on many biblical subjects. That is why Jesus warned them in the Sermon on the Mount not to believe everything they heard in their schools and in their synagogues.
• The Pharisees claimed special authority for their teachings and their customs. In previous articles, we have explained, the Pharisees were very upset when the disciples of Jesus did not follow after the “tradition of the elders.” (Matthew 15ff., Mark 7ff.) Jesus identified their “oral teachings” in his Sermon on the Mount with the expression “you have heard.” They claimed these “oral teachings” came from Moses. These traditions evolved into the Talmud. Today, people put forth their special creeds, edicts and historical interpretations of various biblical passages and attribute them to God. But Jesus often rejected their extra-biblical teachings (especially when they destroyed or contradicted the commandments of God as given by Moses). Jesus gave the “written word” preference (like we should do--as we have already said).
• They did not respect, love or fraternize with those whom they considered to be common, ignorant or sinners. They associated with their equals. They did not associate with the defiled. Jesus said: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Jesus went to the downtrodden, the brokenhearted, the blind and the bruised. (Matthew 4:16-21) He associated with “publicans and sinners” because they needed help. They needed a physician. Jesus gave them hope. The Pharisees scorned them.
• They taught false doctrine. Most people consider proselytizing to be a good thing. People want to convert others to their biblical ideas and practices. However, in the case of the Pharisees, Jesus disliked their attempts to convert people. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15) This is an important point. When we convert people, unless we are converting them to the right thing (with the right doctrine or the proper respect for the Word of God), we are not doing them any favors. We are also not doing ourselves any favors.
• They did not seek righteousness. This seems like a strange statement since they focused on learning the scriptures and their traditions. However, there is a difference between seeking knowledge and seeking righteousness. Attitudes can make a difference. Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Strong says righteousness is equity or justification. When the Pharisees came to John's Baptism of Repentance, they were not seeking righteousness. In fact, they rejected the Baptism of John. (Luke 7:30) When they came to Jesus, they came to tempt him, or catch him in some error, or to criticize him (not to seek righteousness).
• They did not seek repentance. They did not submit to John's water Baptism of Repentance. Repentance implies conforming to an existing Law and submitting to the will of God. A law must exist before a sin can occur. (Romans 4:15) They were guilty and needed to repent. Even Jesus, who was without sin, submitted to John's Baptism. “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) He came to do all righteousness under the Law. John was more than a great prophet under the Law. But the least in the kingdom of heaven were greater than John. (Matthew 11:9-11) This includes everyone who has been baptized into Christ's kingdom (which is a much greater dominion than that of Moses). Of course, John's Baptism of Repentance (along with the Law of Moses) became ineffective at the cross. (Acts 19:1-6) His baptism was not for all people for all time. The Pharisees thought it was enough to be of Abraham's seed or to be the “chosen” people of God. But as John explains to the Pharisees in Matthew 3:7-9, it was not enough to be born of the physical seed of Abraham. “But when he (John) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Likewise, if we are unwilling to submit to baptism, then we are like the Pharisees. (Matthew 18:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:27, 1 Peter 3:21 and so on)
• They swore falsely. Nedarim, the third Tractate of Nashim in the Mishnah, gives us some idea of all the rules about vows they had developed (and continued to develop after the death of Jesus). There is no way they could be innocent of forswearing when they followed these rules. In Matthew 23:16-22, Jesus soundly condemned their rules. Therefore, Jesus simplified their rules in Matthew 5:37 to just telling the truth. It was better not to swear than to try to follow their intricate rules. Solomon emphasized the seriousness of falsely promising God by saying: “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) Oaths and vows (which are different yet similar) had become a Pharisaical pastime. (For more information on oaths refer to the Shavuot or the Shabuot Tractate of the Mishnah. For an example of the complexity of oaths, refer to this link: Talmud Study - Lesson 10. Notice, this study is for beginners!) The Pharisees should not have toyed with the truth. There was no need for them to constantly emphasize their promises with oaths. Such promises lead to trivial and false swearing. They can also lead to great sins. Remember that Herod promised with an oath to give the daughter of Herodias whatever she asked. To his dismay, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. But for the oath's sake, he gave her what her mother desired. (Matthew 14:6-10)

We could add many more characteristics to our list. (We had about forty items). But we have included just enough to show that Jesus had a problem with the Pharisees. He had a problem with all sin. Some claim that Jesus had a problem with the Law of Moses or what is “written.” But Jesus examined and condemned the sins of the Pharisees and sinners (not the Law of Moses). The Law served the purpose of making Jesus righteous. Many of the characteristics of the Pharisees can be exhibited under any law (Law of Moses or the Law of Christ). Of course, we reject some of the details of the Law of Moses; just as we reject the Baptism of John. (Acts 19:1-5). We would not baptize anyone with this baptism. We would not command anyone to repent of their sins under the Law of Moses. We would not command anyone to keep the Law of Moses to inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:16-17) The Law of Moses is no longer effective. (Colossians 2:14) Therefore, we would not make the blanket assertion that everything Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount pertains to Christians. However, we would say that many of the deeds and attitudes of the Pharisees were wrong; and they are just as wrong today. To see a video that illustrates the problem of the Pharisees, please follow this link: Modern Day Pharisee.