Let's Become More Like the Pharisees!

 

 

BEWARE OF THE PHARISEE!

 

That's what we've all heard from the pulpits at one time or another. But maybe we've missed the big picture. Maybe we all just need to become more like the Pharisees!

 

 So, how is that for shock value?

 

OK, but really, I truly believe that the Pharisee's get a bad rap-especially from Christians. (Please hear me out before you shut me off) The Pharisee's definitely had their issues (like we all do), but all of us at one time or another misunderstands who the Pharisee's were and what their mission was. Please allow me to share a brief synopsis of their history.

The Pharisee's emerged during the 400 silent years or what some call the intertestamental period (between Malachi and Matthew when no prophetic words were uttered). It was during this time that the Greeks (Alexander) had conquered most of the known world, including Israel. Although Alexander allowed religious freedom, the Greeks brought their own ungodliness and humanistic thinking to the Jewish lands. Well, Alexander eventually died and soon a leader named Ephiphanes took over. In 167 B.C Ephiphanes desecrated the temple system and overthrew the Jewish priesthood. This is where the Pharisees come into play.

The Pharisee's started as a type of rebellious resistance group with the goal of restoring temple order and the priesthood to Israel during a time of political upheaval. This group of overtly religious men saw the worldly climate that the Greeks had infiltrated into the Jewish culture and they were ready to battle to reinstate God's order.

 The Pharisees in Hebrew means the "separatist." They wanted to "separate" from the worldly thinking that had invaded their culture and get back to God's principles. In essence, they were "law" restorers. Now, here is where many get into issues with them. The Pharisee's knew that the law was vital to Israel because it protected and guided the people so they would not destroy themselves. For example, the Egyptians did not have the law, and most historians say that a prime reason for their destruction was due to a disregard of sanitation laws like God had given to Israel (i.e. the Lord told Israel to bury their feces. This is what is done even today with modern septic systems. The Egyptians did not practice this and many died of horrific diseases.) But the Pharisee's took the law to an extreme by placing their own "interpretation" on much of the inexplicit parts of the Law. (For example, they interpreted the word "work" on the Sabbath to mean not tying or untying your shoes or walking more than a 3/4 mile, or even writing a letter to a loved one). The main issue is that God never put these requirements on the people.

The Pharisee's definitely had their role for their era, but like even most Christians they failed to see the "why" of what they were doing. They had the "what" down pat-they were restoring the law of God to the land-but they didn't know why they were doing it. The law of God had many purposes for the Jew (and yes, even for the Christian). Like I mentioned above, it protected Israel from themselves. The main reason God had set His foundational law in place was to keep Israel from annihilating themselves as a people. Israel had a mission, but they couldn't accomplish it if they didn't exist (Remember the Egyptians). So what was that mission that the Pharisee's didn't understand? Well, they didn't rightly interpret God's intentions for them to be a part of the "light" to the whole world (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). God had chosen Israel to be a beacon of hope for all humanity-just like Christians-to draw all humanity to Himself. But the Pharisee's became very exclusive of their religion-even rejecting their own if they didn't meet certain "religious requirements" that were set forth by the rabbinical sages and law scholars.

Indeed, the Pharisee's had some good qualities about themselves, but they ultimately became stiff-necked toward God and the people. We have to remember that above all else, people are God's (and our) main priority. You know, so many Christians-whether they are Charismatic, Pentecostal or even Lutheran-have someone in their mind whenever the preacher announces from the pulpit to "not be like the Pharisees." If you're a Charismatic person, you might automatically think about some Baptist neighbor or relative. If you're Lutheran, you might think about a particular Catholic that rubs you the wrong way. But sadly, whenever we make a statement about not becoming a Pharisee and act this way, we ourselves actually become the unloving Pharisee. In one book I read, the author says that the first mark of a Pharisee is pointing out the Pharisee in someone else.

 We must understand that the principles that the Pharisees started out with were not necessarily wrong. Jesus did not say to "beware of the Pharisee." Paul even wrote that he was "...a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6, 26:5, Philippians 3:5). One of the main characters that affected Christianity (Nicodemus) was a Pharisee (John 3 & 7). Gamaliel-a high ranking Pharisee-stood up for the Christians in Acts 5:34-39. Jesus did say, however, that we should "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." That leaven (sin) were the things that the Pharisees were doing wrong that made them very unloving toward people. When Jesus was in the synagogue on the Sabbath, a man with a withered hand was present that needed a touch from the Lord (Mark 3). Were the Pharisees concerned about this man's well-being (spiritually or physically)? Did they love him? Nope. They were only concerned that Jesus was not "keeping" the Sabbath because, in their estimation, He was "working" by healing the man's withered hand on their holy Sabbath day.

The Pharisees made three pivotal errors on that day: 1) They didn't love their neighbor enough to put aside their interpretation of the most miniscule matters of the law,  2) they thought that Jesus was the one "working"-but actually it was God, and 3) they didn't understand that the "Healer"-the Sabbath Himself-was present to meet this person's needs. The law was to help meet the needs of the people to protect human life so they could reach others for the Lord.  God chose Israel to be an extension of Himself to a polytheistic or paganistic world. How could they do this without the proper protection? The Sabbath was a day set aside for healing the mind and body. It was a day of restoration after six hard days of labor. Sadly, the Pharisee's didn't understand that the Sabbath was made to meet mankind's needs-and the one that was standing in the synagogue with a deformed hand was very needy. Jesus was the healer-ready to take away the hard life that this man had went through for many years and give him a Sabbath rest from it all. Jesus brought the "rest" to this man-and then...the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus. Amazing huh?

The Pharisees had some very admirable traits-especially the years preceding the coming of Christ during the 400 silent years. Their most basic error, however, was not having an understanding (and then applying) that the very thing that they were upholding was only in place to protect and guide the Jews for a "higher" purpose. The problem was not with the Pharisees as a whole, but with their theological position that was void of love for the people. Whenever we draw attention to some facet of God, whether it be drawing people back to the law (like the Pharisees did in Jesus' time when the law was becoming forgotten) or grace or faith or whatever it is you're focusing on this week, remember that if you don't have a love for the people of God that you are making the same errors of the unloving Pharisee of Jesus' time.

Our mission is clear. It is not to pass out groceries. It is not to give the homeless dude a few bucks. It is not to preach another message about our favorite doctrine or teaching. All those things are good, but the real mission is to reach out to lost humanity with the loving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You must understand that Jesus' ultimate purpose in coming to the earth 2,000 years ago was not to feed a few thousand people on a hill. It was not to provide a seemingly endless supply of drink to some wedding guests that had run out of wine. It was not even to heal crippled people. His message and mission was very simple. It was always to turn the hearts of the children back to the Father in heaven (Matt. 18:10-14). Jesus' wanted to prick the hearts of the people to return them to Israel's "first love." That was the point for the man with the withered hand. That was the point for the Pharisees that stood by condemning Him. Jesus wasn't there just to be a nice little healer. He wanted to affect change in the hearts of whoever was in the building. He simply used the touch of God as a catalyst to bring in the real message-love. Love for God and love for people. The two greatest commandments!

 

Deuteronomy 4:5-6: See I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep and do them, says Moses, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'

Isaiah 42:6 I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.

Jesus said: You are the light of the world...Matt. 5:14