Unmasking the Modern-day Pharisee
The reference scripture
verses for this article are Matthew 23:13-34 in which Jesus rebuked the scribes
and Pharisees for their religious traditions and their hypocrisy. We will see
from this study of the scriptures that the religious traditions and the
resulting fruits of unrighteousness of the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ time
had spanned for generations and continues to this day.
Like the Pharisees of
Jesus’ time, modern-day Pharisees are also known for their strict observance of
their religious traditions and their lack of empathy and compassion for others.
They have been described as being downright mean. Modern-day Pharisees possess
the same characteristics of the Pharisees of biblical times. They too reject
the two greatest commandments of God; to love God and to love others.
OVERVIEW
OF A PHARISEE
A Pharisee is one who possesses pharisaical characteristics. I looked up
the word “pharisaical and here is what it means based on information collected
from various sources. "Pharisaical" describes someone who is excessively
or hypocritically pious, often characterized by self-righteousness and a
tendency to focus on strict adherence to rules and rituals while lacking
genuine compassion or empathy. It implies a judgmental attitude and a focus on
outward appearances of piety rather than genuine spiritual depth according to
some dictionaries. [1, 2, 3]
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
• Hypocritical Piety: The term
originates from the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group in ancient times who
were known for their strict adherence to religious laws. However, they were
also criticized for being overly concerned with outward displays of piety while
neglecting inner spiritual qualities. [1, 4]
• Self-Righteousness:
Pharisaical behavior often involves a sense of moral superiority and a tendency
to judge others harshly, while overlooking one's own flaws. [4]
• Emphasis on External Observances:
Pharisaical individuals may focus intensely on following religious rules and
rituals, sometimes to the detriment of mercy, compassion, and genuine love for
others. [4]
• Judgmental Attitude: A key
characteristic of the pharisaical attitude is a tendency to be critical and
judgmental of others' behavior, especially their perceived shortcomings in
religious observance. [4]
• Negative Connotation: The
term "pharisaical" carries a negative connotation, implying a lack of
sincerity and a superficial approach to faith. [2, 3]
In essence, being pharisaical means exhibiting a false or exaggerated
sense of piety; often accompanied by hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and a
judgmental attitude. [1, 4]
Jesus
had a lot to say about the scribes and Pharisees of his day, and he has a lot
to say about modern-day Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day were
easy to recognize because they held prominent positions in religious
assemblies. Modern-day
Pharisees have not changed from the scribes and Pharisees
of Jesus’ time.
However, it is not as easy to recognize them because they are found in what
appears to be normal congregations, hiding behind iron doors of religious
traditions and doctrines of men.
Most
modern-day Pharisees don’t know that they are Pharisees because their religious
traditions are heavily ingrained in them. Most often, it begins in their
childhood years. As a result they are blind to the truths of God’s Word. Jesus
calls them blind leaders of the blind (Matt. 15:14). Paul writes, “But their
minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in
the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ” (2
Cor. 3:14). This article will unmask the modern-day Pharisee so that they are
recognizable in spite of their facade of righteousness.
PHARISEES DO
NOT PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH
The
scribes and Pharisees had
authority in explaining and enforcing obedience to the Law. In Matthew 23:1-4 Jesus warns the multitudes against the
hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus instructs them to respect the
offices held by the scribes and Pharisees because they were the
religious leaders of that time. However, Jesus warns
the people not to do what they do, because they burden others with strict
religious standards that they do not practice themselves.
Modern-day Pharisees place heavy burdens
on individuals to live up to their own standards of righteousness, while they
themselves reject the righteousness of God. Like the Pharisees of old, they
reject the two greatest commandments; thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. In the book of Hosea, the prophet
addressed the sins of the priests who were using the law to deal treacherously
with the people.
It is recorded in Hosea’s prophecy, “For
I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings” (Hos. 6:6). Jesus referred to Hosea’s prophecy when he said to
the Pharisees, “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy,
and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matt. 12:7).
Jesus’ prophetic words would come to pass when he was condemned to death by the
religious mob.
MODERN-DAY
PHARISEES REJECT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
“But woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men:
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go
in” (Matt. 23:13).
Many
of Jesus’ followers were willing to accept him as the Messiah. However, the
scribes and Pharisees did all that they could to prevent this from happening. They
took away the key of knowledge by teaching false interpretations of the
prophecies about the Messiah. They
substituted their religious traditions for the commandments of God and enforced
them upon others. They opposed Jesus and
convinced people that he was an impostor. In addition, they excluded people from
the synagogues who received Jesus.
Modern-day
Pharisees are still doing everything that they can to prevent others from
experiencing the grace of God. The
modern-day Pharisee distorts the commandments of God and replaces them with
their doctrines of men. Modern-day Pharisees do not
believe that righteousness comes by the grace of God. The ideology of the
modern-day Pharisee is that righteousness comes as a result of practicing
religious traditions.
Like
the Pharisees of old, the modern-day Pharisees religiously reject from their
assemblies those who are not bound by the same legalisms as themselves. Jesus
says, “They shall put you out of the
synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he
doeth God service” (John 16:2). Modern-day Pharisees think that they are
the only ones that will make it into Heaven. They think that they are pleasing
God by rejecting those who do not practice their religious traditions.
GOD’S EYES ARE WIDE
OPEN
It
is not God’s will that any should parish. God loves the Pharisee and gives him
revelations that should provoke repentance. God reveals his will through his apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. It is recorded in Jeremiah, “Since
the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I
have sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and
sending them” (Jer. 7:25; 25:4; 26:5). Amos says in his prophesy, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he
revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
God
also uses dreams and visions to reveal his will. The prophet Joel records, “28. And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see
visions: 29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days
will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29).
The
images seen in dreams and visions are God giving us the opportunity to see
through his eyes and experience what he feels. Often, in our dreams and visions
we see scenes playing out through open doors and windows. Looking through doors
and windows in dreams mean we are seeing something from a perspective that is not
our own. However, these revelations are often misinterpreted because people
will try to interpret the dream or vision based on their natural perspective,
instead of from God’s eyes. These images are evidence that God sees what is
going on and he is giving us the opportunity to make the necessary changes
before it’s too late. Isaiah writes, “Woe
unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works
are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?” (Isa.
29:15).
PHARISEES
ARE TRAPPED BEHIND IRON DOORS OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
The
modern-day Pharisee is trapped behind their impenetrable iron doors of
religious traditions and doctrines of men. They cannot escape, and those who challenge
their religious traditions in word, deed, or appearance are locked out of their
religious cliques. The
modern-day Pharisee rejects the true knowledge of God.
The religious
traditions of the modern-day Pharisee promote divisiveness in Christendom.
Jesus prayed that his disciples would be “one”
even as he and The Father are one (Jn. 17:22).
Christians today are divided on so many topics that they cannot be numbered.
Fellowship among Christians is broken because of varying opinions on women’s
appearances; baptism; divorce; tithes and offerings; forms of worship; women in
ministry; wealth; etc., etc., etc. Paul writes that the body of Christ must
come together in unity unto “the stature
of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
The
modern-day Pharisee is
intolerant of anything that offends their outward display of piety. For example, a woman with a gold crown on a front tooth
does not stand a chance of acceptance with the modern-day Pharisee. In the eyes
of the modern-day Pharisee, this woman does not meet their rules on the female
appearance. The carnal-minded Pharisee only sees the gold crown on her tooth,
and cannot see the spiritual needs of this woman. The modern-day Pharisee is
blind to the fact that the gold crown on her tooth is just one result of the
woman’s life-long struggle for acceptance.
Instead
of ministering to the woman spiritually, the modern-day Pharisee pours salt in her
wound by rejecting her from their assembly. Ezekiel writes, “The diseased have ye not strengthened,
neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which
was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither
have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye
ruled them” (Eze. 34:4).
The
Apostle Paul writes to the Colossians that Jesus is the head of the church, and he came to reconcile
all things unto God (Col. 1:18-20). Jesus did not
condemn the woman that was caught in adultery (John 8:11), and he does not
condemn a woman with a gold crown on a tooth. Jesus says, “For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved” (John 3:17).
Pastors are supposed to
love and protect the flock, not hurt them. Pastors beware! Jesus loves his
sheep. Jerimiah prophesied, “Woe be unto
the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD” (Jer.
23:1). When someone persecutes Jesus’ sheep,
they are persecuting him. Jesus confronted Saul (who would become the Apostle
Paul) on the road to Damascus with these words, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me” (Acts 9:4)? Saul had aggressively persecuted the
disciples of God. After being converted, the Apostle Paul writes that God will “recompense tribulation to them that trouble
you” (2 Thes. 1:6). This warning applies to anyone that troubles the people
of God.
WHAT
PHARISEES WILL SAY ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
When
the Pharisee stands before God on the Day of Judgment, they will be without
excuse. They cannot say that they did not know what they were doing, because
God sent his messengers; the apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Also, through dreams and visions
God allowed them to see their actions from his perspective.
The following passages
of scripture describe the modern-day Pharisee when he stands before God in
judgment. Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:22-23). There is no doubt
that these words of Jesus was referring to those who professed to be believers.
The question that many
people have regarding this passage of scripture is this: How could these people
perform miracles if they never belonged to God. There are varying opinions on
this topic, but biblical history shows us that God honors the positions of
religious leaders. For example, in the story of the childless Hannah, Eli the
priest spoke a blessing to her and she was able to conceive a child. The Bible
says, “Then Eli answered and said, Go in
peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of
him” (1 Sam 1:17). Hannah conceived and had a son that she named Samuel,
who she dedicated to God. Through the spoken blessings of Eli, Hannah bare
three more sons and two daughters. However, God was not pleased with Eli
because he did not discipline his sons Hophni and Phinehas. God told Eli that
he and his sons would be cut off, and a faithful priest would be placed in his position.
Therefore, those that believe that they will escape God’s judgment because
healings, miracles and signs are in operation in their midst, are deceived.
PHARISEE ASSEMBLIES ARE EASY ENTRY AND
EASY EXIT
The
Modern-day Pharisees are exclusive sects, and acceptance into their groups is
determined by strict adherence to their religious traditions. Like circular
driveways or revolving doors that provide easy entry and easy exit, people will
come into their assemblies, but quickly leave on their own, or are rejected
because they do not fit into their religious mold.
The modern-day Pharisee
use the Word of God to bring people into bondage. If people do not conform to
their religious standards, they hold private meetings about people where the
members decide if that person should be allowed to join the church. Paul writes
that Jesus is the “Apostle and High
Priest” (Heb. 3:1), and he is the “head
over all things to the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23).” Jesus alone is the one to decide who enters
into the doors of the church.
Christ came to save
those who are lost, even though it meant he would keep company with publicans
and sinners. Christ drew multitudes to him; he did not push them away. In the
following passage of scripture God issued a stern warning to religious leaders
who were unrighteous in their treatment of his people. God says, “[the religious leaders] Which say, Stand by
thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in
my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Behold, it is written before me: I
will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom” (Isa.
65:5-6). God’s warning also applies to the modern-day Pharisee.
PHARISEES
ARE LIKE VULTURES SCAVENGING FOR DECAYING FLESH
Like
vultures that scavenge for, and devour rotten and dead carcasses, the
modern-day Pharisee feasts on what they perceive as iniquities in others. They deliberately choose positions and
seating in assemblies where they can watch for faults in others. Most often they look for, and report what they perceive are
violations of the female dress code. Modern-day Pharisees are extreme in their
efforts to control the appearance of women. Like all of their religious
traditions, their focus on the outward appearance takes precedence over God’s
commandments to love him, and others. Their primary focus is to fulfil their
carnal desire to control, dominate, and manipulate others into conformance of
their man-made rituals.
When
vultures spot something that appeals to their appetite for decaying flesh they
swoop down in great flocks; and they all pick off pieces until it is completely
gone. Like cults, modern-day Pharisees also attack in flocks; even involving their
children in their sinful activities. Everyone takes their turn to pick off
pieces of their target in an effort to completely destroy it.
Modern-day
Pharisees despite
their differences will come together in unity against
anyone they feel threatens their religious rules and regulations. They can be
compared to the Pharisees and Sadducees; two religious sects with differing
religious beliefs who formed an alliance against Jesus whose doctrine
threatened their religious traditions.
PHARISEES
USE THE APPEARANCE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS TO MANIPULATE OTHERS
14. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayer:
therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15. 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 (Matt. 23:14-15).
Jesus
rebuked the Pharisees for taking advantage of widows by taking possession of
their property and pretending to be righteous with their long prayers (Matt.
23:14). Jesus also rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for corrupting the
proselytes with their doctrines (Matt. 23:15). The scribes and Pharisees were
enemies of the gospel of Christ, and in teaching their hypocrisy to others;
they made them more the children of the devil than they were themselves.
Modern-day
Pharisees continue to use the appearances of righteousness to deceive others.
They preach Godly love, but in reality they only love their religious
traditions. Like the evil Jezebel of the Old Testament, the modern-day Pharisee
knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting their traditions, they will use
any means necessary to corrupt others, and could care less if their deceitful
tactics causes emotional, physical, or spiritual harm.
PHARISEES
ARE ACCUSERS OF THE BRETHREN
23. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to
have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24. Ye blind guides,
which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel (Matt. 23:23-24).
The modern-day Pharisee
seeks out iniquities in others. King David writes about the wicked, “They
search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward
thought of every one of them, and the heart is deep” (Psa. 64:6). The
modern-day Pharisee feels it is their job to whip people into shape. It is not
the preacher’s job to stand in the pulpit pointing out the faults in others.
That’s the Devil’s job. John writes in Revelation 12:9-10
that the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan is the accuser of the
brethren.
The
modern-day Pharisee is not interested in hearing the truth because they feed on
lies. They hold meetings to judge people, but will not give the people that
they judge an opportunity to speak for them self, nor will they seek the Lord
for guidance. They
will break their own traditions to accomplish their wicked agendas. The same happened to Jesus, when the chief priests and Pharisees sent
officers to apprehend him. The Bible
says, “Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one
of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he
doeth?” (Jn. 7:50-51)
Their
decisions to reject the people that they judge are based on the words of
others, and God has no part in it. The
people sitting in the pews should not be pastoring the church. Isaiah
says in his prophesy, “WOE to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that
take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my
spirit, that they may add sin to sin” (Isa. 30:1).
PHARISEES
ARE CARNAL-MINDED
25 Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but
within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first
that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean
also.
27 Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear
beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all
uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also
outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity. (Matt. 23:25-28)
The
Apostle Paul writes that the carnal mind is enmity against God (Rom. 8:6). The religious
traditions and doctrines of modern-day Pharisees are all carnal, and have
nothing to do with salvation. Their traditions involve the exclusion of anyone
and anything that does not follow their religious traditions; they place strict
emphasis on the appearance of females; they impose strict rules regarding
praise and worship, including avoiding songs that are likely to stir up the
Holy Ghost in some cultural groups; and they prefer to stand behind the pulpit
and argue about doctrine rather than to preach about the good news of the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
PHARISEES ARE
ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the
sepulchres of the righteousness,
30 And say, If we had
been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in
the blood of the prophets (Matt.
23:29-30).
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers,
how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore I send
unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill
and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and
persecute them from city to city (Matt.23:33-34).
Paul
writes to the Philippian church that those who mind earthly things are enemies
of the cross (Phil. 3:18-19). The modern-day Pharisee
possesses the same character traits as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They
continue to persecute in their assemblies the prophets and others sent by God.
PHARISEES
CANNOT DISCERN SPIRITUAL THINGS
During
the ministry of Jesus the Pharisees were offended because Jesus healed people
on the Sabbath. They had no compassion for the sick, because their passion was
preserving their religious traditions. The modern-day Pharisee has no
compassion for the spiritual needs of others, and quickly rejects anyone who is
not like them.
During
a time when people around the world are facing issues including affordable
healthcare; climate change; drug addiction; gun violence; immigration issues;
inflation; national security; political divisiveness; poverty rising cost of
living; terrorist attacks; the federal budget; and the fear of a third World
War, the modern-day Pharisee stands before the congregation declaring that
women should not wear makeup.
The
modern-day Pharisee is completely devoid of spiritual discernment, they cannot
minister to the needs of a suffering society, so they resort to doing what they
feel that they can control; enforcing their restrictions on women.
The
modern-day Pharisee is committed to one thing, and one thing only; and that is
preserving their religious traditions. They utilize the pulpit to defend their religious
traditions while criticizing the religious observances of others. They isolate
themselves from other Christian groups whose religious practices conflict with
their carnal rules and regulations.
THE
PHARISEE REJECTS THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN
The modern-day Pharisee
restricts women from operating in their God-given spiritual gifts by denying
them the opportunity to hold certain leadership roles in ministry, and by
enforcing a dress code that strips women of their God-given femininity. Their
justification for this is that it was the woman who was deceived by the serpent
in the Garden of Eden and therefore women must atone
for Adam’s fall.
We
will tackle this fallacy with a couple of biblical truths. First, Jesus atoned
for the sins of all humankind by sacrificing his blood on the cross. Women
don’t have to atone for anything. Second, it was Adam who caused the fall of
mankind by neglecting his God-given authority to dominate the serpent. The Bible says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26). The
Bible says that when Eve ate of the forbidden fruit she also gave it to
Adam who was with her (Gen. 3:6). Adam should have taken dominion over that
creep and forbid him from speaking to his wife.
The
Pharisee of Jesus’ day sought to find accusation against him because he had
female followers. They were intent on preserving their religious traditions
that restricted women from leadership positions in their assemblies. However,
Jesus gave no commandments regarding the roles of women in ministry. Their
religious traditions regarding women are in direct opposition to the “Apostles
Doctrine” which they revere above the commandments of God. Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
PHARISEES
DON’T NEED A REVIVAL THEY NEEDS A REVELATION
Because
the modern-day Pharisee is lacking spiritually, they always feel like they need
a spiritual revival. Well,
here is good news! The revival came with the initial
out-pouring of the Holy Ghost in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost. What the modern-day Pharisee actually needs is a
revelation that the church is the body of Christ, and that all believers make
up the body. The Bible says, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
CONCLUSION
Although the modern-day
Pharisee cannot change on their own, there is hope for them. The Book of Romans
is described by most theologians as the most comprehensive exposition of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, and as the cornerstone of Christian theology. Paul utilizes
his divine illumination of the scriptures, and his training as a lawyer to
deliver an in-depth discourse on how God’s free gift of righteousness justifies
believers through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul says, “Therefore, we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28).
Only God can change the
mind of a Pharisee. The first step in their transformation should be to spend
some time in the book of Romans asking God for divine illumination of the
scriptures while reading, meditating on, and studying the truth of his Word. The Apostle Paul prays, “.
. . give them wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him . . .” That is our
prayer for the modern-day Pharisee.
If you
would like to have a personal relationship with Jesus, you must be born-again
according to Acts 2:38 which reads, "Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Thank you
for taking the time to read this article. Please share your comments and
questions in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.
Diane Margo
Penny is an author, content creator, social media specialist, and Web Designer.
Works
Cited:
All scripture references are taken
from The Bible, King James Version unless noted otherwise.
The Holy Bible, King James Version. Giant Print Reference ed. Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson. Publishers, 1990.
([1] https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pharisaical[2] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pharisaism[3] https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pharisaic[4] https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_it_mean_to_be_pharisaical.htm)
[BibleHub.com]
[BlueLetterBible.org]
[GotQuestions.org]
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