Week 18, Day 3: Acting Like Pharisees
Today’s Reading: Matthew 25:1-26:75
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
It is a popular criticism in the Lord’s church today to call someone a “Pharisee”. I have noticed that this is often in response to a person demanding strict adherence to scripture and sound principles of Bible authority. It is also a common accusation among many who insist that we must decide between lawful practice and emotional fulfillment (such as loving the brethren). Such an application completely misses the point of the condemnation that Jesus gives against the Pharisees. For example, in Matthew 23:23-24 (see verses 13-36 for the broader context) Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their attitude of tithing every little thing, but then leaving greater things undone. He did not tell them not to tithe the mint, anise and cummin. Rather, He told them to continue in that, as it was what the law demanded, and then make sure to not leave the other things undone! Jesus’ instructions to the Pharisees was to make sure and follow every detail of the Law, just as they had been taught.
There are certainly occasions that we act like Pharisees today, but not in the way that many speculate today. Very often we continue in practices that are required of us, but then we let less obvious things (and yet perhaps more important or “weightier) slip by us undone. I wonder what Jesus would say to us today? Perhaps it would be something like: “You continue to worship on the first day of the week, and you partake of My supper, but you are not showing love toward your brethren. “ Or maybe He would say, “You continue to sing without instruments just as I intended, but you are not teaching the lost.” We could continue with several examples, all of which could characterize our failure in continuing with first century Christianity. The solution is not to stop doing the things that we do right, but rather to keep doing those and add to them the rest of what we are lacking!
It seems that many have come to believe that adherence to the strict Law revealed for us through Christ and His inspired writers is relatively insignificant. We don’t really have to follow the specifics of work and worship revealed in the New Testament, as long as we have what we determine to be the right attitude. This seems to be much more like the Pharisees condemned by Jesus than what is often condemned as being “Pharisaic” today! We need to do what we have been doing (if it is substantiated by principles of Bible authority) and add to it those things that God has instructed us to be doing, but that we may not be faithfully participating in. We certainly should never misuse Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees as an excuse to stop doing what is commanded!
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