My bible study has been reading in the book of Mathew for almost a year and a half now, and we're still only in chapter 23! It seems like we won't ever finish that book, but our study's have been in depth being that we only read a few verses at a time and really dig deep in them.
A general point though that I have noticed throughout the book is how Jesus is constantly calling out the Pharisees. Time after time they try to trick Jesus and yet He turns the table on them. There a funny bunch the Pharisees, they make laws for the people to follow, some of them biblical, but most not. Jesus calls them hypocrites multiple times throughout His time on earth.
The question truly is though, are we like the Pharisees?
Below if Mathew 23:23-27, Jesus was talking to the multitudes about the Pharisees:
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth
of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more
important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
This is what, from reading the above verses, I think a Pharisee is:
*A rule follower and maker, but a neglecter of the heart
*Self conscious of appearance, but not of the heart
You don't have to have a title to be a Pharisee, you just have to act and think like one. Which is why, if we are not careful, you and I can be modern day Pharisees. That's not something that is good though, because according to the Bible God frowned upon such.
Do you like to follow the rules? Haha, I know I sure do! I tend to be a real rule follower, so I do my homework on time, clean my room, and complete my chores. But is that enough to have a relationship with God? Is that providing for the needs of the heart? What about justice, mercy, and faithfulness?
What the Pharisees didn't' understand is that you can follow the rules to your hearts content and not murder or commit adultery, but that does not mean that you have a relationship with God. And what's worse, is that the Pharisees didn't even follow the rules that they expected others to!
The Pharisees had a carefully composed exterior. They made sure that they did all the right things in public, and that others looked up to them and followed them. There appearance wasd deceptive, for on the inside they were hollow.
Do you ever worry about your appearance? What about impressing someone? Putting on an act is something that I have even done to just try and please/impress others. It's false. It's fake. It's not me, and I lose all self respect for myself when I do it.
The Bible simply states that if you focus on Jesus and allowing him to form your heart, that you will be beautiful and impressive on the outside. And when you put on an act, others will only be impressed long enough to then find out that that is not who you really are on the inside.
With all that said and done, are you even a teeny bit like the Pharisees?
I will answer a simple yes to that.
It's not something that I like, but with acknowledgment it is something I can work on.
Perhaps it gives you something to reflect on as well :)
Blessings,
