Modern Day Pharisees

[Bootstrap]

As you will note, I didn't accuse you of making specific accusations. I said "insinuations about modern day Phariseeism". And no, I think what you call "people taking offense" would simply be people rejecting your insinuation of Phariseeism. There's a difference.

As far as I can tell, I am not insinuating anything about any specific person or group at all. As far as I can tell, you have put basically no effort into responding to the summaries of Scripture that I wrote for you.

But once again, you aren't responding to those summaries. And you do seem to be insinuating a lot about me, which turns it into a quarrel instead of a study of what Scripture teaches. Perhaps you could put some effort into responding to the summaries, since I put a fair amount of effort into preparing them to respond to you?

I have asked you a bunch of questions that you are not responding to. Most of them are about how you understand Scripture, ways to apply it, etc.

I'm not pulling you in any direction you didn't set yourself.

I disagree. I'm being quite clear about the direction I am trying to go in. I think my posts have been consistent with that. Hint: focus on the Scripture. If you want to focus on application, talk about how you would apply it. If you disagree with my summaries, explain why you disagree.

[GaryK]

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

"Listen to people speak, and you can tell how much they care about the people they are talking about..."

Yes, that's pretty central to what I am saying.

And that's a reason that I am not denouncing specific people or making specific accusations. I am not talking about specific people or groups much at all. I am focusing on what Jesus said good looks like and what he said about the Pharisees. And over and over again, you ask me to make specific accusations, which is precisely what I am avoiding.

Do you agree with my summaries? Are there parts that you disagree with? I put a bunch of time into creating these summaries precisely because you were asking what I mean by modern Phariseeism. I wanted to stick very closely to the text of the Bible, focusing on precisely what Jesus said about the Pharisees.

Do you agree or disagree with my summaries?

Are any of these concerns not an issue with modern Christians today? Which ones and why? Or are you claiming that they are not a problem in your particular branch of Christianity? What exactly are you trying to say? Please don't make me read tea leaves, if you are insinuating something, please say it outright. If you are not, please say that.

I'm simply saying, by using your own words, that I think the insinuations you make against unnamed individuals and groups on MN say more about you than the unnamed people and groups on MN you are targeting with the many insinuations of Phariseeism I highlighted in your posts. I really think Jesus would specifically call out whatever is wrong with what someone writes on MN rather than insinuating the very negative accusation of Phariseeism.

[Bootstrap]

I'm simply saying, by using your own words, that I think the insinuations you make against unnamed individuals and groups on MN say more about you than the unnamed people and groups on MN you are targeting with the many insinuations of Phariseeism I highlighted in your posts.

So ... you choose to read things into my posts and hold me accountable for that, even though I am not making accusations about specific people or groups.

And you insist that should be the topic of discussion. What Jesus said is the topic that gets lost in the process. Could you please stop doing that?

[Bootstrap]

Here are the summaries that seem to be getting lost.

Here's one good way to understand what Jesus had to say about Pharisees: Print out Matthew 23. Make a list of the major things he is criticizing them for in that chapter.

Here are some of the criticisms Jesus made against the Pharisees, along with corresponding scripture references. I think every one of these is a danger to Christians today.

• Hypocrisy: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for their hypocritical behavior and outward show of righteousness while lacking genuine faith and obedience.
  Matthew 23:3, 5-7 - "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... Everything they do is done for people to see... 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."
• Neglecting the weightier matters of the law: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for focusing on minor details of the law while neglecting the more important aspects of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
  Matthew 23:23 - "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."
• Love of praise and recognition: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for seeking praise and recognition from people rather than seeking the approval of God.
  Matthew 23:5-7 - "Everything they do is done for people to see... 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."
• Legalism and burdensome regulations: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for burdening people with numerous rules and regulations that went beyond the intent of the law.
  Matthew 23:4 - "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."
• Neglecting the heart and inner transformation: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for focusing on external appearances and rituals while neglecting the inward transformation of the heart.
  Matthew 23:25-26 - "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."
• Outward righteousness but inward wickedness: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for appearing righteous on the outside but having hearts filled with hypocrisy and wickedness.
  Matthew 23:27-28 - "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."
• Persecuting prophets and righteous people: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for their history of persecuting and killing prophets and righteous individuals sent by God.
  Matthew 23:29-31 - "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets."
• Relying on their lineage rather than genuine repentance: John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees who came to him for baptism, warning them not to rely solely on their lineage as descendants of Abraham. He emphasized the need for genuine repentance and a transformed heart.
  Matthew 3:9 - "And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."

[Bootstrap]

Continuing ...

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

Notice that none of these things would get you praise from Gentiles, and I suspect most of these would get them praise only from other people like them.

They like the praise of their own tribe, which has its own standards that often miss the main thrust of what God was calling them to. And these standards became the central issue for them, not the things that God had actually called them to.

That doesn't mean that distinctive dress is wrong, but it does have its dangers, just like any other visible form of righteousness that we can display to others. If our religious practices shield us from compassion to others or the ministry of reconciliation, we're on shaky ground.

[Bootstrap]

Continuing ...

They like the praise of their own tribe, which has its own standards that often miss the main thrust of what God was calling them to. And these standards became the central issue for them, not the things that God had actually called them to.

That doesn't mean that distinctive dress is wrong, but it does have its dangers, just like any other visible form of righteousness that we can display to others. If our religious practices shield us from compassion to others or the ministry of reconciliation, we're on shaky ground.

Notice that Jesus did not condemn the wearing of borders and phylacteries. Only the pride of making them larger than normal. Further, the phylacteries and borders were actually kind of commanded by God to wear.

Today, we have people who seem to take this to mean that any religious clothing is irrefutable evidence of a Pharisee heart, and they find it much more preferable for Christians to follow the custom of the heathen, and paint their faces, bare their skin, and wear silver and gold. And thank God that they are “free”, and not those poor dumb plain people over there.

Right. Here are some more examples of things that God calls Christians to do, but Jesus still criticizes people who do them "in order to be seen by men".

• Giving to the needy: Jesus criticized those who would sound a trumpet before giving to the poor, seeking public recognition for their acts of charity.
  Matthew 6:2 - "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."
• Praying: Jesus highlighted the hypocrisy of those who pray loudly in public places to be noticed by others, rather than engaging in sincere, private prayer.
  Matthew 6:5 - "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."
• Fasting: Jesus rebuked those who would disfigure their faces and appear somber while fasting, to make it evident to others that they were fasting.
  Matthew 6:16 - "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."

[Bootstrap]

Continuing ...

Here are the corresponding teachings from Jesus on what believers should do instead of seeking to be seen by others:

• Giving to the needy: Instead of seeking recognition and applause from people, Jesus encourages giving in secret, without drawing attention to oneself.
  Matthew 6:3-4 - "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
• Praying: Instead of praying to be seen and praised by others, Jesus advises praying in private, with a sincere and humble heart, knowing that God sees and hears in secret.
  Matthew 6:6 - "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
• Fasting: Instead of making a public spectacle of fasting for the sake of others' approval, Jesus encourages believers to fast privately, maintaining an appearance of normalcy, with the focus on seeking God's approval rather than human recognition.
  Matthew 6:17-18 - "But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

In each case, Jesus teaches that the focus should be on cultivating a genuine relationship with God, seeking His approval and reward, rather than seeking the praise and approval of people. The emphasis is on humility, sincerity, and an intimate connection with God in our acts of giving, prayer, and fasting.

[Bootstrap]

Continuing ....

Question: Does it SEEM like to anyone else that the enemy of our souls may be using people to label Christians as Pharisees so that they will be silenced?

The early Christians certainly faced that. Here's what Jesus advised:

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

But I think the bigger danger to Christians is not the sins of others. Or even the persecution of others. It's our self-righteousness, which is a daily temptation for just about every Christian. And the sins we need to be most scared of are not the sins of others. Spiritual smugness is a much greater danger.

Pharisees externalized sin, pointing to others, condemning them as sinners. Jesus calls us to draw near to him so his light can expose our sin and our failure to love sinners with compassion, just as he did. I think these two impulses are incompatible. You can follow Jesus or you can follow the Pharisees, but you can't really do both without a divided heart.

[Bootstrap]

Continuing ...

This just proves the point though, we can say something is sin, quote verses and then have someone else argue it doesn’t mean that and quote verses. I’m sure there is a website out there arguing that homosexuals should be allowed to marry as God didn’t intend them to be unhappy. After all they say, He made us this way.
Same argument used for divorce and remarriage basically and the same argument used for transgenderism.
The broad church on the broad road with social changes.
So which one is the pharisee?

The Pharisee is the one who is doing the things that Jesus accuses the Pharisees of doing. Those are sins too. Even though the Pharisees argued that it was their righteousness, the things that set them apart. There is a broad church on a broad road that is trying to say the teachings of the Bible are irrelevant. There is also a broad church on a broad road that is acting like the Pharisees were right and Jesus was wrong. We need to avoid both ditches.

We do need to be holy. And Christ-like. As we relate to sin in others, we should follow the example of Jesus Christ.

I think it would be helpful if people would engage more directly with the many scriptures that have been cited in this thread. It's a central issue in the teachings and example of Jesus. And perhaps this is not the best thread to focus on justifying ourselves?

[Bootstrap]

Continuing ...

There is also a broad church on a broad road that is acting like the Pharisees were right and Jesus was wrong. We need to avoid both ditches.

Please expand on this. What do you see this church doing?

You could pick any of the scriptures in the list I have given so far and find some Christians behaving like the Pharisees. Let me pick another example I haven't mentioned - love of money.

Consider Luke 16:14, where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their love of money: "The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him." Here, the phrase "lovers of money" emphasizes the Pharisees' strong attachment to wealth and their preoccupation with material gain.

I think that's related to Luke 20:46-47, Jesus warns his disciples and the crowd about the Pharisees, saying, While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely."

Surely you have seen Christian leaders who act like that?

Pick some of the lists I quoted earlier. Do you think any of these are no longer relevant to Christians today? Or that any of these are rare in the modern church? Do you think those sins have now ceased? Or that they are no longer sinful?