The Pharisees were a sect of Jewish rulers that lived during the time of Jesus. They knew the Law of Moses, and they tried to hold everyone to exact obedience of that law.
The Pharisees “wore” their religion. They placed certain laws on their garments. They prayed in public just so they could be seen. They made a display of their giving, condemning others for their small gifts.
Jesus condemned their actions. Here are some things He said about them:
- “They preach, but do not practice.”
- “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”
- “They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”
- “They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces, and being called rabbi by others.”
These statements are just a few of the scolding remarks Jesus gave the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. He also issued seven woes against them, and then called them a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33 ESV). Then He presented them with the outcome for their ungodly deeds: “How are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”
How would you like to hear that from the Lord? None of us want to hear that kind of condemnation, but that will be our fate if we are 21st century Pharisees.
In studying recently about the second coming of Jesus, I noticed something about the passages that refer to the end of this present world. Scripture gives us, not woes, but warnings. Many of these refer to our treatment of others.
Peter speaks of the longsuffering of the Lord, telling us that He does not wish that any of us should perish. God wants all of us to be saved (Second Peter 3:9). Then Peter speaks of the coming of the Lord like a thief, when the heavens will pass away, heavenly bodies burned up, and everything exposed. Verse 11 tells us we should be people living lives of holiness and godliness.
In First Peter 4, Peter tells us that judgment will begin at “the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God”? (verse 17).
Prior to this, Peter condemns the Gentiles for their sensual lifestyle. Then he makes clear how one should behave and for what they will be judged. He says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly…Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (First Peter 4:8-9).
Paul had similar instructions for the Thessalonians. He says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (First Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Before Paul told of the coming of the Lord, he told them how to walk and please God. He told them to abstain from sexual sins, not to mistreat his brother, continue in brotherly love, live quietly, mind their own business, and walk godly before those outside the church. At the end of the chapter, he says, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
In First Corinthians 15, Paul begins the chapter by reminding the people of Corinth about the resurrection of Christ. The Sadducees didn’t believe in a resurrection, and Paul addresses that beginning in verse 12. Then in verse 51, Paul speaks of the final resurrection. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (First Corinthians 15;51-52).
At the end of his description of the end of time, he tells them to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (verse 58). Part of the work of the Lord is how we treat others.
The Pharisees were self-righteous people who would not lift a finger to help anyone. They criticized the publican for his prayer, the disciples for eating without washing their hands, and Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. They were concerned with the “letter of the law” but not the heart of the law.
Our eternal salvation is dependent on our obedience to God and how we treat our brother, our enemy, our neighbor. Our brother (and sister) in Christ seems to be especially important to the Lord. We cannot wish them ill, mistreat them, gossip about them, ignore them, or do anything that shows us to be disobedient in our treatment of others.
We don’t want to be 21st century Pharisee. Like 1st century Pharisees, the Lord will say to us, “So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:28).
Sandra Oliver