PHARISEES-MISCONCEPTIONS AND
REALITY:
The word "Pharisee" literally means "separated ones". They were
separated from the evil sinful world around them, as they saw
it. They were the experts in leading pure lives, offering up
pure worship to God, they valued friendship and accountability
in small groups, were active evangelists and tithers, prayed
long and often, and were the top experts in Bible reading,
study, understanding and instruction! Wow, what a bunch of guys!
Not only
removed from the evil influence around them, but completely
involved in
every spiritual act and discipline possible!
With those awesome credentials you would think that Jesus would
be
impressed and full of admiration for them when He arrived on the
scene.
Here's a list of some of the names Jesus called them, mostly
found in one
chapter, Matthew 23:
* BLIND GUIDES
* SERPENTS
* BROOD OF VIPERS
* SONS OF HELL
* FOOLS
* WHITEWASHED TOMBS
* HYPOCRITES
Have you ever wondered why? What did Jesus see different in
these near
perfect spiritual people? At one point Jesus even commends their
theology
when He says, " ..the scribes and the Pharisees have seated
themselves in
the chair of Moses, therefore all that they tell you, do and
observe, but
do not do what they do for they do not practice what they
preach. " Mt 23:2-3
In other words, since they're the so-called experts who have
appointed
themselves over you, go ahead and do what they teach...just
don't do what
they do!
The parallels between the Pharisees of Jesus' day and the
evangelical
Christians today are striking. It doesn't matter what
denomination, the
spirit of the Pharisees is alive and well in many of today's
churches. Why
do I say that? Because I was fast becoming one not too long ago
while in the
midst of doing all the "right" things, intense bible study,
prayer,
fasting, teaching, preaching, leading worship and many other
things. While not
wrong in themselves, these disciplines can became more of an end
to themselves rather than a means to an end. I began to find out
that I knew well the book of the Lord....but somehow missed
knowing the Lord of the book. The scariest part of all was in
realizing how easy it was to do! It was so subtle that a person
involved in that could go on for many years never having a clue
to the reality of the situation.
As a recovering Pharisee, let me say right now that if you
feel that
you do not in any way resemble a Pharisee, and would never come
close to
becoming one in any way shape or form, that you may be one
already! The
question is not who WERE the Pharisees, but who ARE they today?
It
doesn't matter if you're a pastor, teacher, Bible scholar,
prophet or
apostle....join the club! We are all very capable and likely,
apart from
God's grace, in going down that road.
As Tom Hovestol says in his enlightening book, Extreme
Righteousness-
exposing the Pharisees in Ourselves, "MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL,
WHO'S
THE MOST PHARISAICAL OF THEM ALL?"
To answer the question of where did they go wrong, in my
post-
pharisaical reflections, I present a two-point summary of what
I believe
were and are the main causes:
1. THEY LOST THEIR SENSE OF SINFUL DEPRAVITY
Many people will speak of this in theory and acknowledge it
verbally,
but it takes the illumination of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us
to our true
wretched condition. The Psalmist knew this when he prayed,
"enlighten my
eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death" Ps 13:3 Nobody arrives,
nobody graduates, nobody attains to some elevated state of
purity, we are all fumbling forward in faith by God's undeserved
love grace and mercy! We are all as Brennan Manning calls,
"ragamuffins", and the second that you begin to think you've
arrived at some spiritual plateau where you're really not that
bad, you're almost beyond help and spiraling fast down a
dangerous vortex of self-righteousness.
Again Tom Hovestol gives this honest assessment from Extreme
Righteousness: "We may believe and defend the theological
concept of
depravity, yet we do not always take it seriously on a personal
level. More
often than we would like to admit, there is a Hitler in each of
us"
In my walk with the Lord and study of the scriptures I have
found this
to be a very true statement: The closer anyone gets to intimacy
with the
Lord, the more they realize their own heart's depravity. It is
directly
proportional, and is more a constant universal law than gravity!
I have
often thought of how nice it would be if we had some sort of
measuring stick or barometer of spirituality to measure our
spiritual growth, or lack thereof.
While even though this is not some external visible indicator,
having a
real sense of our heart's depravity can be considered a definite
barometer of
spiritual growth.
Isaiah had an accelerated version of this happen to him! You
can read
about it in Isaiah chapter six when he was ushered into God's
presence at
the throne room. Minutes before, Isaiah was the top spiritual
prophet and
man of God. I'm sure he had a measure of humility, and an
understanding of
sinful depravity, but at that moment when he was facing God's
throne, he
immediately went to a much deeper understanding! He said, "
woe
is me, I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among unclean
people". In the new testament, Peter also encountered this
accelerated sense of sinful depravity when after Jesus performed
the miracle of the catch of fish, Peter said, " depart from me
Lord, I am a sinful man".
Not all of us have an accelerated understanding that fast,
but if we
are moving closer to the Lord, we should have a greater sense of
our own
sinfulness, but, as I will elaborate on, it is not a condemning
sense or
an overpowering hopelessness, but rather a sense of sinfulness
that will lead
us to God's great love and grace!
One of the reasons that Alcoholics anonymous has helped
countless
thousands of people is found in the first two of the twelve
steps:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives
had
become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could
restore us
to sanity.
It is upon that second step that I want to focus on in my next
point of
discussion, which is directly proportionate to having a sense of
depravity.
2. THEY FAILED TO LIVE AND DEPEND FULLY ON GOD'S LOVE AND GRACE
If we don't have a sense of our own personal sinful depravity
we will
never fully live and appreciate God's love and grace! They are
interwoven
and directly proportionate to each other, and we need them both!
If all we
have is a true look and understanding of our sinful depravity
without an
accompanied grasp and dependence on God's love and grace, we
will soon be
driven to self destruction. Also, if all we have is an
understanding of God's love and grace, without a sense of our
sinful depravity, we will swell up with pride and self
righteousness. But if we allow God to impress upon us both
our utter corrupt heart AND a growing reliance and understanding
of His love
and grace, it's then we can grow in His grace and avoid the
pitfalls of
either extreme. That was certainly one of the Pharisees
problems, they
thought that they had mastered God's laws and understood His
love, but when Jesus appeared, who was the perfect
personification of all of God's law and
love, they hated him and tried to kill him! Jesus asked them how
they thought they could escape God's judgment of hell. He said
that they had most certainly mastered many details of the law,
but neglected the more important issues of justice and love.
The Pharisees, like many today, including a great many
evangelical
Christians, don't understand, grasp, or rely on God's love. They
preach
about it, teach it, write books about it, but unless they also
have a God- given understanding of their own corrupt heart, they
will always have a limited and shallow view of God's love.
G.K. Chesterton once said it well in his usual colorful way,
"No man's
really any good till he knows how bad he is, or might be, till
he's
squeezed out of his soul the last drop of oil of the
Pharisees". D.L. Moody came to a new understanding of God's
love one day, and it was
also linked to a new understanding of his own corrupt heart. He
said,
"..if someone ever invents a way to take a photograph of the
sinful condition of our hearts, it would be so bad, terrible and
ugly that no one would
develop the picture". Someone else was quoted years ago as
saying," cheer up church, you're much worse off than you think!"
We are all much worse off than we think, but that's great news
if we also have know the enormity of God's love and begin to
rely on it!
NAME CALLING
Now as to some of those horrible names that Jesus called the
Pharisees.
Let's take a closer look at two of them in order to get a better
understanding of the Pharisees, and our hearts.
Brood of Vipers
A viper is a poisonous snake that gathers together with
other snakes in
a brood for warmth and protection. But even in a larger group or
brood, they
are still not easily detected because of their color and ease of
blending
in with their surroundings. In the beginning of Acts 28, we see
a good illustration of this when Paul and his companions are
shipwrecked on the island of Malta. Paul was helping to gather
sticks for the fire when a poisonous viper came out of the
sticks and bit him. Paul shook it off and went on with his task,
causing a big commotion among the natives who then thought he
was a god because he didn't die! But the point of the story in
this context is that the viper looked so much like just another
stick, that Paul simply picked it up with the bundle of sticks.
It was a viper hiding among the sticks and it perfectly blended
in so well it was nearly impossible to discover it hiding there.
Another common trait of these vipers was their habit of
seeking out
dry, warm and safe places like caves, which were and are
plentiful in that
region. The problem was that this was also the same kind of
shelter sought
out by weary travelers! What looked like a safe, dry haven,
could easily
turn out to be the home of one of these broods of vipers.
Jesus called the first century
Pharisees a brood of vipers,
what does
that mean to a Pharisee, both then and now?
1. Birds of a feather flock together
Usually Pharisees, like vipers, are attracted to each other
and draw
a sense of safety, protection and validation by gathering
together. It is a rare to see a Pharisee, or a viper living, or
working alone.
2. They gather in places considered safe by others.
We know the safe places where vipers gather, what about
Pharisees?
CHURCHES! Many times they are the advanced spiritual leaders
in churches
of all denominations. They even may have great Bible knowledge
with many
gifting, ready to give a spiritual solution for any problem
(except their own).
3. They are poisonous!
Just like the venom of a viper, the venom of a
Pharisee is
lethal!
It usually doesn't kill immediately, but rather inflicts a
long
lingering death to its unaware victim. But there is an
antidote, the only antidote available both then and now- GOD'S
GRACE!
4. They are extremely difficult to detect.
Pharisees, like vipers, blend in with their surroundings so
good,
they can go for many years without detection even by the
most spiritually discerning. In the scriptures, as far as
we are told, only Jesus and John the Baptist
clearly saw these Pharisees as vipers who otherwise were
seen as the faultless elite spiritual leaders by everyone
else. Today's Pharisees are just as difficult to detect apart
from God's enlightenment.
Whitewashed Tombs
In contrast to these false spiritual guides, a true Christ
follower is
washed clean on the inside by God's grace through faith.
Pharisees and religious hypocrites are whitewashed on the
outside. Even though a true believer is washed clean, they also
walk humbly in God's grace knowing that they still have a very
deceitful, corrupt heart and live in a corrupt world. God has
given us a new heart, but it is to be lived and experienced by
faith in Him.. "There but by the grace of God go I" should be
the motto of all Christ followers lest we fall into the same
traps that the Pharisees did, and still do today.
Now, what did Jesus mean when he called the
Pharisees
"whitewashed tombs"? They knew exactly what he meant! Here is a
short list of comparison of a whitewashed tomb to that of a
Pharisee, both then and now:
1. They were scrubbed clean on the outside.
By all appearances, they looked good, very good on the
outside to everyone who viewed them. Like the Pharisees of then
and now, it's easy to look good on the outside and fool people,
but God sees the heart. It is very difficult, if not
impossible, to see the actual condition of a person's
heart. There may be tell-tale signs, but no one, except God can
see it clearly! If all we see are the externals, we deceive
ourselves. With
that kind of view, it's easy to see some people as very bad, and others as very good,
decent and moral (usually ourselves).. The Pharisees were
the extreme element of people who were devoted to God in every
detail, yet Jesus saw right through them. Some of the most
corrupt people look decent, moral and pure on the outside,
but on the inside lies something beyond comprehension.
2. The inside was filled with dead men's bones.
Even though the outside looked clean, the inside had a rotting
dead
corpse! The analogy is clear: Jesus was saying that even
though you look
squeaky clean on the outside, inside your heart is filled with
all kinds
of evil and perversions, so much, that you're a walking
dead man! We might be so bold as to say this to a serial
killer, or child molester, but Jesus said it to the
so-called pure and upstanding religious leaders of his day!
3. These whitewashed tombs were to be avoided.
Even though they were clean on the outside, because of the
corruption of
the dead man's bones on the inside, they were clearly
marked for avoidance. Likewise, Pharisees, and many so called
religious leaders of today are also to be avoided! Not only do
they have nothing to offer, what can a dead
man say or do?...but they defile a person as well!
In contrast to these false spiritual guides, a true Christ
follower is
washed clean on the inside by grace through faith in Christ's
work on the cross. Even though a true believer is washed
clean, they also walk humbly in God's grace knowing that they
still have a deceitful and corrupt heart and live in a
corrupt world. Once again, "There but for the grace of God go I"
should be the motto of all Christ followers lest we fall into
the same traps that the Pharisees did.
4. Not only clean, but bleached white.
The color white is a symbol of purity throughout scripture,
and that is
exactly how the Pharisees thought of themselves. Outwardly
they appeared
pure, clean and faultless, but Jesus saw right through them.
Today's
Pharisees appear the same, but again, Jesus is not fooled. Too
often
excessive outward righteousness hides spiritual bankruptcy
within.
In our modern age, especially in America, when we hear the
term,
"whitewashed tombs
', we really have very little idea of its
depth or
meaning. To understand just what Jesus was referring to
when he called the Pharisees that name, we must understand
it's context in first century Palestine. During that
time period, most observant Jews would make every effort
to journey to Jerusalem during certain feast or festival days.
All of these days are explained in detail in Leviticus
chapter 23. One of the biggest days to observe in Jerusalem was
the Passover. Unless you were fortunate enough to live there already, to be a part of this
high and holy day's festivities you had to travel from
your home to Jerusalem. Some came from great distances,
even other countries. Even Jesus and his family during his
childhood would make this pilgrimage yearly. On one
occasion when Jesus was twelve, we are told he stayed
behind in the temple, and his parents
had to turn around and go back to get him as he amazed
the religious leaders!
As thousands of worshipers would ascend to Jerusalem, lodging
became a
serious problem. Most Jerusalem residents, who were all
excited as well,
would open their doors and take in friendly strangers to
stay for days or even weeks.. However, due to the large number
of worshipers arriving, there still would not be enough room for
everyone. Many people found shelter in one of the abundant
caves in the area. Having spent ten days in Jerusalem
myself, I vividly recall even today the many natural caves
around the landscape. But the problem was that in some of these
caves, the local residents had turned them into tombs to bury
their dead. That was a very big problem because according to
Jewish law, no Jew could participate in any feast day if
he/she was defiled by coming in contact with a dead person! So how were these weary,
but sincere travelers to know which caves were tombs, and which
were empty shelters? The solution was found by the local
residents when they came up with a great idea. In
anticipation of feast day worshipers, all of the caves that
were actually tombs were whitewashed with bleach on the
outside. So worshipers knew to stay away from
them upon looking for shelter.
So when Jesus called the Pharisees this name, the people who
heard it
knew very well what He meant!
The Prodigal Sons
Luke 15:11-32
Having grown up in the church, and having been a Christ
follower for
many years, I have heard many sermons and teachings on the
prodigal son, I
have even given a few myself. However, the focus was either on
the prodigal
son who ended up with the pigs, or it was on the loving father
who took him
back. Both characters in this story deserve study and have much
to teach us,
but there's also a third character here that is usually never
spoke of
much except in passing when going through the text. That third
person is the
other, elder son. I also confess to glancing over him before,
and it was not
until recently I took another look! I will even go as far to say
that this
elder son may have been the focal point made by Jesus all along.
Please stop now and take a moment to retread the story found in
Luke
15: 11-32 and ask the Lord to open your eyes to see everything
that is there,
then continue here.
Did you notice the elder son? The father in this story
certainly
represents our father God who also loves us, and takes us back
into his home. The prodigal son represents something we can all
identify with, just plain sin
and unrighteousness. But the elder son, what does he speak to us
about? I
believe he was just as guilty of sin as the prodigal, but of
another, much
more subtle kind of sin called self-righteousness. His story
ends, as far as
we know, with him continuing in it, without repentance or
forgiveness. The
prodigal son, guilty of unrighteousness, realized his sin,
repented, and came back to his father and found forgiveness. If
we are to more
correctly name this story, it could well be called, "The
Prodigal Sons" as
there were two sons in sin, one received forgiveness, one
didn't, one sinned
in unrighteousness, and the other in self-righteousness. The
elder son
probably went on living as if he never did anything wrong and
didn't need to
repent, unlike his sinful wayward brother. Such is the extremely
subtle and
destructive nature of the sin of self-righteousness. We
Christians usually
do well in avoiding unrighteousness and all it's obvious
pitfalls, and when
we do, we usually walk proudly and look down upon anyone who
hasn't yet
attained to the high level of holiness that we clearly display.
I've been
there many times, and I would bet, if you're honest, so have
you. But
self-righteousness is not as easily detected, in fact, I believe
that it is
impossible to discover apart from the light of God's grace.
Since God revealed this truth to my life, I have been praying
almost
daily, asking God to forgive me of my sins- all unrighteousness,
and also
forgive me and then to keep me from all self-righteousness. We
should not
become over analytical, fearful or stressed out over this hidden
dangerous sin, but rather simply be aware of it, and all the
more rely, embrace and trust God's amazing grace to help us walk
in love, and He will.
Finally, let me reflect on one last dangerous trap that abounds
in the
church today:
The Plague of Perpetual Babbel
If this study was an audio teaching, it would
have been more
condensed and more brief and to the point. That is something
that I have
been practicing much more recently, as opposed to long, drawn
out, wordy,
lectures of which I have been guilty of indulging in, not too
long ago. But
since this is words on paper, or rather on your computer in
cyber space, I
realize that I can develop my thoughts however long, and you
have the option
of reading it all at once, or in piece meal, or not at all if
you choose!
So now, allow me to get this out of my system, as I address
long-
winded preachers, those who ramble on like a babbling brook, and
those who are
so full of words that they answer before people are through with
a question,
and those who constantly interrupt..........SHUT UP!!!!!!
Take
that as a
direct word from God to you! There, I feel much better now.
How many times have preachers, teachers, and lay people
read James 1:19
and only focused on the sin of anger? It reads; "Therefore my
beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to
wrath"
(NKJ) Why is it every time I have heard that verse quoted, even
from my own lips, it was always in reference to wrath and anger
only? But notice it says also that we should be swift to hear,
and slow to speak! Want more?
"Let your words be few" Ecc 5:1-3 (NKJ)
"A fool multiplies words" Ecc 10:14 (NKJ)
"In the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity"
Ecc 5:7 (NKJ)
"watch your words and hold your tongue, you'll save yourself a
lot of trouble" Prov 21:23 (NKJ)
Consider these verses in "The Message" translation:
"Silence is praise to you-Zion dwelling God" Ps 65:1
"People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of
faith"
1Tim 6
"The more talk, the less truth, the wise measure their words"
Prov 10:19
"The one who knows much says little, an understanding person
remains calm"
Prov 17:27
"Observe the people who always talk before they think, even
simpletons are
better off than they are" Prov 29:20
There are many more scriptures like these as well that
command us to
take seriously the real danger of perpetual babble. Why is it
that this
subject matter is usually glazed over? Could it be that it hits
too close to home for most of us preachers, teachers, and
ministry people?
Consider Jesus' own words on how both to, and not to pray in
Matthew
6:5-8. One of His commands is not to use vain repetitions for
"they think
they'll be heard for their many words". Then Jesus proceeds to
teach us how
we ought to pray by giving us an example, a prayer consisting of
52 words
that took me 17 seconds to recite going at a normal speed and
speaking tone..
Consider the first sermon of the church found in Acts chapter
two where
3,000 people responded to God and that early church began to
turn the world
upside down. That sermon by Peter, as far as we are told in
scripture, was
brief and to the point, and it took me less than two minutes to
speak...the
old adage, "less is more and more is less" is more biblical that
we might
have thought.
Finally consider Job. We all know his three friends gave
him bad advice and more discomfort than comfort, and even his
wife did the same. They
were all guilty of sin of speaking things that were not right,
and God was not
pleased with them. But was Job completely innocent in the story?
Most
books and sermons on Job would indicate so, but I am not so
sure. After taking
a closer look at the book of Job, I believe that Job was also
guilty of the
same sin of perpetual Babel, he talked too much! Although, to
his credit,
his words were more in line with what is true about God and His
ways,
however, all the same, Job realizes this problem himself and
confesses it to God.
When God shows up after all of Jobs troubles, He begins to
question Job
about many things, and the first words out of Job's mouth were
this: "Behold
I am vile, what shall I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth.
Once I
have spoken, but I will not answer, yes twice, but I will
proceed no further"
Job 40:4,5 Job then later repents for this sin in Job 42:6. I am
convinced
more than ever of this truth; the less we say and do...the more
God can say and do. Please don't make the mistake, as I once
did, that long prayers
and long sermons equal the power and anointing of God. Or on the
other hand, that if we have short, condensed prayers and
teachings, that they equal a shallow, superficial, half-hearted
spirituality. Both views put God in a box! God is so much
bigger than we can imagine, and if we let Him, he can move
freely and powerfully even through the most unlikely person or
service, and
frequently does just to shake up our rigid-put- God in a box
mentality. I seem to remember He even once used, and spoke very
clearly through a jackass (not
me...another)!
Recommended Reading
Recently there have been several key books that the Lord
has led me to,
and have helped greatly in my recovery, as I continue as a
recovering Pharisee, I look to them often and retread them.
There are many, but here is my list of the top ten that I
wholeheartedly recommend to you.
10. Speechless by Steven Curtis Chapman/Scotty Smith
9. If Not For the Grace of God by Joyce Meyer
8. Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges
7. Fearless Faith by John Fischer
6. What's so Amazing about Grace? by Philip Yancey
5. Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
4. The Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll
3. Extreme Righteousness by Tom Hovestall
2. Twelve Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me) by John
Fischer
1. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
One more that I'll add that tops them all is The Message
translation of
the Bible by Eugene Peterson. By all means, go out and get a
copy, it's
refreshing and glowing with grace!
Prayer
I'll conclude with a sincere prayer to God. If after reading it,
you feel like it could be your prayer too, read it aloud and
believe that God will hear and answer it through his awesome
grace!
Lord of reality, make me real, not plastic, synthetic,
phony or hypocritical. Help me not to keep a prayer list, but to
pray, to not strive to find your will but to obey what I already
know. Help me to stop arguing theories of theology, without
simply trusting and believing your word. Please keep me from
ever again attempting to explain the difference between Eros,
Phileo and Agape love, if I don't live and breathe your love in
my life everyday.
Lord, I don't want to sing and worship as if I mean it, I
want to mean it! Keep me from telling others how to do something
spiritually if I'm not doing it myself. Help me to admit that
I'm often wrong, and that I don't always have to have an answer,
or to always discern someone's problems without seeing my own
first.
Keep me from being insensitive, but to hurt when other
people hurt, and not to say," I know how you feel", but rather,
"God knows, and I'll try if you'll be patient with me".
Help me to be quiet and shut up when I've talked too much,
which is usually most of the time.
Lord please help me to know and understand that when I take
pride and satisfaction in any victories I have in avoiding
unrighteousness, that I am guilty of a sin just as bad, if not
worse, called self-righteousness.
Lord please give me a mind set like Paul who
said," I am
chief among sinners". If there ever comes a time when I begin to
think that there is someone else who is a worse sinner than me,
or that I am better or more advanced in holiness or purity, then
please again remind me of how little I know and understand, and
of how little I have allowed you to deal with my utterly corrupt
heart.
I promise to try to ask for your mercy and grace everyday,
because I need it badly everyday, no matter how good or bad each
day becomes.
From this time onward, please send me reminders in a
variety of ways that I am loved and accepted by you, so it
becomes my new identity and everyday awareness.
Thank you Lord, your child, and forever ragamuffin and
recovering Pharisee.
John Boda Ok...if you've read through this grace
note, Thanks! Now, here is a small act of grace on my
part for you: Click here for a free song about this
subject from me-JB
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