Pharisaic Formalism
Matthew 15:1
Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,


The fatal mistake of many is that they think of nothing but the profession — the mere externalities of religion — the name, the form, the visible rite, or, at most, the aesthetic emotion. Thus, with all their religiousness, they have no religion, no spiritual vitality, no renewal of nature, and no union with Christ. It is recorded of a certain Spartan in olden times, that he tried hard to make a corpse stand; but utterly failing to do so, in spite of every effort, he said, "I see it wants something within." So it is with these — they want life, and grace, and unction. Censorious men: — Censorious men commonly take up magnifying glasses to look at other persons' imperfections, and diminishing glasses to look at their own enormities.

(Seeker.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

WEB: Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,




Pharisaic Evasions
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