Do You Act Like A Pharisee?

What is a pharisee?

     The description of a Pharisee can be summed up in three words: Morally superior purists. Two other words that basically mean the same thing are often used by others referring to Christians in today’s world: Self righteous! Pharisees believed that they could become righteous by adhering to a strict code of laws, rules, and man-made traditions. In the loosest interpretation of their code, it was akin to our United States constitution in the sense that the contents of the code were up for interpretation. They were especially concerned with the law that God gave to Moses. So much so, that they created rules describing how the law was to be applied. These rules for applying the law comprise what is called the Talmud.

     The Talmud is roughly 6200 pages in length. It is the ultimate sourcebook of the law, as it takes the rules listed in the Torah and describes how to apply them to different circumstances. The Torah is comprised of the five books in the Bible written by Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Torah is inspired by God, but the Talmud is inspired by man. The entire Bible consists of approximately 1000 pages, depending on which version you have. The 5 books of the bible, which the Talmud focuses on cover only 165 pages in the bible on average. So, the Talmud goes in to great depth using 6200 pages to apply what the Bible teaches in the first 165 pages. The Jews have always been very concerned with the law. In particular, the Pharisees thought they were the most righteous because nobody followed the law more closely than they did. Today, there are thousands of books written on right and wrong available in Christian book stores.

     Pharisees essentially made themselves self-righteous through a disciplined lifestyle adhering to the Talmud. They were sanctimonious – they acted like they were morally superior to everyone else.  I don’t think one has to label them self a Christian to act like a Pharisee. Many who don’t believe in God simply believe they are morally superior as a result of their own efforts to be good people. In that sense, behaving like a Pharisee is not exclusive to Christians or other religions.  However, I believe it is a big problem for Christians and something I will focus on. For the purpose of this topic, I am going to use the word “pharisaic” to mean self-righteous and morally superior.

     Oftentimes, we think less of those who disagree with our theology. We can obtain the belief that we are right and the other person is wrong about something. This occasionally leads to strong feelings or convictions on a topic - so strong that we at times disassociate with others who have conflicting theological viewpoints. There are many things the Bible speaks out against. Some of us are better than others at following the rules laid out for us in scriptures than others are. For example, if I am convicted of watching movies with lots of violence and swearing, and my Christian brother is not, then a tendency may arise, even sometimes in an insubstantial manner, to look down on them in some way. We think we are better than others because we don’t do something they have no problem doing.

Do you have a pharisaic attitude?

     Personally, I am not offended by someone using swear words. In fact, I think it is silly to allow yourself to get upset because someone else is cussing. There are some exceptions.  I don't want to hear dirty jokes or people insulting others. But, the exceptions aside, how many times have you heard someone say, “YOU HAVE A FILTHY MOUTH, I WOULD NEVER TALK LIKE THAT!” Or, they might say, “I don’t want to be around that kind of talk, so please don’t use cuss words around me.” That is a Pharisee if I ever heard one! Your actions don’t make you righteous – rather the grace you received through faith in Jesus makes you righteous. Never forget that! Some of us work around other people who drop the “F-Bomb” every second or third word that comes out from their mouth. When we ask them to stop cussing around us, we oftentimes offend them because people who use the “F word” repeatedly do not even realize there is anything wrong with it. They don’t think twice before saying it. All they know is some prudish person is telling them how to talk. Essentially, we are taking our own convictions and demanding, coercing, or constraining other people who don’t share our same convictions. Who are we to force our will of morality upon anyone else when God gives everyone a free will?

     As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to convict us. The Holy Spirit guides us, teaches us, and strengthens us to help us bring glory to God in our actions. Since the non-Christian population is much larger than the Christian population, there are many others who do not have the Holy Spirit to convict them about anything. Conversely, they rely on their own moral compass to direct their paths and help them decide the differences between right and wrong. They haven’t read Bible verses about speaking with a coarse or vile tongue. They calibrate their moral compass to match what they are taught by self-help books or society rather than the Holy Spirit or verses in a Bible.  The popular book titled, “Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars” describes quite well the differences between a Christian and a non-Christian. We are coming from two separate planets, and yet we treat people at times like they should do everything our way – “The Right Way!”

     It is no wonder many non-Christians refer to Christians as self-righteous people. In all honesty, we customarily may be acting pharisaic. Not only do we treat non-Christians with this sort of contempt, but we also lash out at each other the same way. Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”  So why do we judge each other when it comes to nothing more than our convictions from the Holy Spirit?  I love music. I listen to almost every genre of music accept for jazz and classical. I even like jazz and classical, but not nearly as much as I enjoy classical rock, alternative, rap, country, and other music genres. I also love my Christian music. I mostly listen to Christian music because I find that I am able to glorify God more listening to Christian music than secular music. If you were to listen to my iPhone, you would hear a wide assortment. I have about 2000 songs on my iPhone/iPod, 1200 or so of which are Christian praise and worship songs – The rest are secular songs. I also like to periodically watch a good action movie such as one of the Jason Bourne movies. I might reference something from the Simpsons once in a while in a conversation.

     Do you suddenly feel more spiritually mature than me knowing what types of music and movies I enjoy? That “feeling” is a pharisaic feeling. Feeling morally superior to others is exactly how the Pharisees felt. Consider this; there are many who teach that leaving the “world” behind means leaving all your non-Christian friends, too. When we keep non-Christians at an arm’s length because we are not comfortable being around them, are we modern-day Pharisees?

     Periodically, it may be appropriate to remind a brother or sister in the Lord that something might not be glorifying to God such as gossiping. Casting judgment in the spirit of love and correction from one brother or sister in the Lord to another brother or sister in the Lord is scripturally acceptable in the right context.  There is a huge contrast between righteously judging one another as Christians, and acting or thinking we are better than our weaker brothers and sisters. But, I believe that oftentimes, in little subtle ways, we are susceptible to thinking like the Pharisees. Whenever we are in an uncomfortable situation, I think our first reaction is to distance ourselves. The way we think transcends our actions whether we realize it or not. Our actions are a reflection of our thoughts. We might not even notice the smug look we gave someone.

     Indeed, we all would like to think ourselves the antithesis of a Pharisee. I’m not trying to act like the Sunday morning preacher who brings up a topic and then tries to set a wide enough trap to catch everyone up in it using several examples we may all be guilty of. In fact, many people I am sure have mastered the ability to live their lives without thinking or acting pharisaic in any way. Still, many of us do. Many of us are guilty of this, which is why it is important to scrutinize our hearts and thoughts. We want to glorify God. Does it bring glory to God when we turn people off to God or the church because we offend them with our convictions? We are all called to be a light in a dark world – The great commission. Are we leading people to God or turning them away from God when we act like a Pharisee?

More Concerned With The Tree Of Life Than The Tree Of Knowledge 

     Pharisees are concerned with what is right and wrong. Jesus was always concerned with life. That is a very important distinction. When Jesus walked the earth, most believed if you were sick that you probably did something bad to deserve it. Jesus was about giving life to those who were dying.  We were a dying world with no hope of saving ourselves, but Jesus died in our place to give us eternal life. Why are Christians so concerned about what others are doing with respect to right and wrong? Because Christians are taught more about what is good and evil or right and wrong than they are taught about the Gospel! Certainly we should be concerned with the law as Christians, but only as far as our own lives are concerned. I’m not talking about legalism; rather, I am talking about loving Jesus. Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. He didn’t say, if you love me, make everyone else keep my commandments. We need to be more concerned with the tree of knowledge of life rather than the tree of knowledge of good and evil! Jesus is our example. Be concerned with sharing the Gospel with others – not with things others are doing wrong.

     The most moral person walking the earth today needs Jesus just as much as the person who is the most immoral. It is Jesus, not laws that save us! If laws don’t save us, then they don’t preserve us either. The laws in the Bible are good. I would never suggest otherwise. We love Jesus, so we obey Him. The law condemns. Jesus didn’t come to condemn us, but to save us. We shouldn't condemn one another either! Conversely, we should love each other. Let the Holy Spirit convict the hearts of the people. The Holy Spirit is always more effective than people are at conviction!