Ephesians 5: "Shameful even to speak"

[Bootstrap]

Let's take a look at Matthew 23, one piece at a time:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Lesson: Practice what you preach. What you do is an example to others.

Lesson: Lift people up. Help them. Do not weigh people down with heavy loads of guilt, sin, and obligation.

[Bootstrap]

Next part:

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

The Pharisees played to their own tribe. They learned to write posts that get lots of likes from their in-group. They want to be seen. They want to seem really religious.

Lesson: We should be wary of playing to our own in-group - even if that is a holy, religious in-group. We should primarily seek to do what is pleasing to God, putting love for God and love for neighbor in their right place, the first and second commandments.

In this case, loading others down with heavy burdens was a great way to get recognition as a Pharisee.

I think this is closely related to these later verses:

“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. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

“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. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

When we read the Bible, how much of our energy goes into asking what we ourselves should be doing, how we ourselves need to be more holy? How much of our energy goes into thinking about what is wrong with those other people?

How much energy are we putting into trying to look holy to others? How much energy are we putting into trying to be holy and set apart for God?

[Sudsy]

I would consider a Pharisee today to be a very keen religious person in their practise but is lacking the compassion of Jesus. Like the Pharisee in Jesus day that said how glad he was to not be like the Luke 18:9-14 story Jesus told.

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

Jesus said the Pharisee returned home not justified before God. And explained why -

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

When a religious person today, including some Christ followers, exalt themselves, take pride in how they practise their religion, and look down on sinners rather than have mercy and love for them, then they resemble the Pharisee that Jesus was talking about.

The tax collector recognized his own sinfulness and said -

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.

My guess is that most of us, I know I do, at times, see the sin in others but do not see the sin in ourselves. God sees it all.

[Bootstrap]

I would consider a Pharisee today to be a very keen religious person in their practise but is lacking the compassion of Jesus. Like the Pharisee in Jesus day that said how glad he was to not be like the Luke 18:9-14 story Jesus told.

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

Jesus said the Pharisee returned home not justified before God. And explained why -

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

When a religious person today, including some Christ followers, exalt themselves, take pride in how they practise their religion, and look down on sinners rather than have mercy and love for them, then they resemble the Pharisee that Jesus was talking about.

This is a really excellent example of how the Pharisees "tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." The Pharisee is praying out loud, and he wants everyone to know how much holier he is than that tax collector over there. He's playing to the crowd. And playing to God in just exactly the same way.

The tax collector recognized his own sinfulness and said -

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.

My guess is that most of us, I know I do, at times, see the sin in others but do not see the sin in ourselves. God sees it all.

Amen.

[RZehr]

Next part:

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

The Pharisees played to their own tribe. They learned to write posts that get lots of likes from their in-group. They want to be seen. They want to seem really religious.

Lesson: We should be wary of playing to our own in-group - even if that is a holy, religious in-group. We should primarily seek to do what is pleasing to God, putting love for God and love for neighbor in their right place, the first and second commandments.

In this case, loading others down with heavy burdens was a great way to get recognition as a Pharisee.

I think the one detail that gets evangelicals to call plain people Pharisees, may be the reference to phylacteries and tassels - our distinct, non-contemporary clothes.
But I think we are not at all known for loving honor, important seats, respectful greetings, and honorific titles - other things listed.

These evangelicals incorrectly interpret the origin and motive behind our clothes.

[Bootstrap]

I think the one detail that gets evangelicals to call plain people Pharisees, may be the reference to phylacteries and tassels - our distinct, non-contemporary clothes.
But I think we are not at all known for loving honor, important seats, respectful greetings, and honorific titles - other things listed.

These evangelicals incorrectly interpret the origin and motive behind our clothes.

I don't think wearing plain clothes makes people Pharisees.

I think it is possible that someone with a Pharisee's heart could wear plain clothes the same way the Pharisees did. After all, they were building on commands God actually gave in the Old Testament, taking it farther, and loving to be seen doing those things in the extreme.

If we take Matthew 23 seriously, I don't think it's the outside that makes someone a Pharisee.

[Grace]

Show me one place where I call someone a Pharisee and we can discuss it.

You have never seen Phariseeism on MN? Not even once? I'm surprised.

You may not have out and out called someone a Pharisee, but you insinuated it.

Just saying. Carry on.

[GaryK]

Since calling someone today a Pharisee is derogatory ...

If this really were such a concept core to Christianity, it would have merited a mention at least once. Instead, calling someone a “Pharisee” is usually a rhetorical device to come up with an excuse to disobey the New Testament.

I don't think that's what I'm doing - I didn't call anyone a Pharisee, I pointed to the things Jesus accuses the Pharisees of in Matthew 23. Here's something I notice: when I discuss these things that Jesus calls sin, some people take offense, and act like I am pointing fingers at specific people and calling them Pharisees. I am not.

It's no different from discussing other things that the Bible calls sin. Name calling and pointing fingers isn't helpful, but talking about what the Bible calls sinful behavior is very important. I think you can take every one of the points made in Matthew 23 and trace them through the rest of the New Testament. Same goes for some of the points Jesus makes in the Sermon on the Mount.

So perhaps instead of taking offense, we can discuss what Jesus is talking about here? I think we probably agree that the words of Jesus apply to Christians today.

Who has been taking offense? I haven't been.

[Bootstrap]

Who has been taking offense? I haven't been.

Okay, I may have been reading into what you were saying, inaccurately. I apologize if that's the case.

And maybe some people have been reading into what I have been saying, inaccurately. I am not trying to pin a label on any indvidual here on MN.

You may not have out and out called someone a Pharisee, but you insinuated it.

Oh, I clearly believe that this is an issue for many Christians today, including Christians on MN, and even including me myself. The way of Jesus is challenging. But it is, in fact, the way of Jesus, and it is distinctly different from the way of the Pharisees.

So let's let Scripture be our guide for what is good.

Did you notice that the Ephesians scripture in the original post raises the same concerns we see in Matthew 23, but from the opposite angle?

[GaryK]

Who has been taking offense? I haven't been.

Okay, I may have been reading into what you were saying, inaccurately. I apologize if that's the case.

And maybe some people have been reading into what I have been saying, inaccurately. I am not trying to pin a label on any indvidual here on MN.

You may not have out and out called someone a Pharisee, but you insinuated it.

Oh, I clearly believe that this is an issue for many Christians today, including Christians on MN, and even including me myself. The way of Jesus is challenging. But it is, in fact, the way of Jesus, and it is distinctly different from the way of the Pharisees.

So let's let Scripture be our guide for what is good.

Did you notice that the Ephesians scripture in the original post raises the same concerns we see in Matthew 23, but from the opposite angle?

Can you give us your definition of modern day Phariseeism?