Introduction

Self-righteousness, a term often associated with an inflated sense of one's own righteousness or moral superiority, is a recurring theme in the Bible, particularly in the context of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a prominent religious group in Judea during the time of Jesus Christ. Known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders, they often exemplified self-righteous behavior, which Jesus frequently criticized.

Biblical Context

The Pharisees are frequently mentioned in the New Testament, where they are depicted as religious leaders who prided themselves on their meticulous observance of the law. However, their focus on external compliance often overshadowed the internal transformation that God desires. Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees highlight the dangers of self-righteousness and the importance of genuine humility and repentance.

Key Scriptures

1. Matthew 23:27-28 : "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

In this passage, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. They are likened to whitewashed tombs, which are outwardly attractive but inwardly corrupt. This metaphor underscores the superficial nature of their righteousness, which is based on external appearances rather than true inner holiness.

2. Luke 18:9-14 : "To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire." But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified.'"

This parable illustrates the contrast between self-righteousness and true repentance. The Pharisee's prayer is self-congratulatory, highlighting his perceived moral superiority. In contrast, the tax collector's humble plea for mercy is commended by Jesus, emphasizing that justification before God comes through humility and repentance, not self-righteousness.

3. Matthew 9:10-13 : "While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, 'Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"

Here, Jesus challenges the Pharisees' self-righteous attitude by associating with those they deemed unworthy. He emphasizes that His mission is to call sinners to repentance, highlighting the Pharisees' failure to understand the heart of God's law, which prioritizes mercy over ritualistic sacrifice.

Theological Implications

The Pharisees' self-righteousness serves as a cautionary example for believers. It underscores the danger of relying on external religious practices and moral comparisons to others as a basis for righteousness. True righteousness, according to Scripture, is a matter of the heart and is characterized by humility, repentance, and a genuine relationship with God. The Pharisees' focus on legalism and outward appearances blinded them to the transformative power of God's grace and the necessity of inner purity.

Conclusion

The Pharisees' example of self-righteousness is a powerful reminder of the importance of humility and the dangers of spiritual pride. Jesus' teachings challenge believers to examine their own hearts, to seek genuine righteousness through faith and repentance, and to extend mercy and grace to others, reflecting the heart of God.Luke 11:33-54
No man, when he has lighted a candle, puts it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
Nave's Topical Index

John 8:33-59
They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how say you, You shall be made free?
Nave's Topical Index

John 9:28-34
Then they reviled him, and said, You are his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
Nave's Topical Index

The First Per??an Discourses - to the Pharisees Concerning the Two ...
... morally the Words of Christ were unanswerable; and the Pharisees fell back ... the foulness
of heathenism and adorned with all the self-righteousness of Pharisaism ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xi the first peraean.htm

Reform
... The first god who is worshipped among us is one called self-righteousness. The
Pharisees were the high priests of this god; they burnt incense every morning ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/reform.htm

Interview of Christ with Nicodcmus.
... It was directed as well against the arrogant self-righteousness of the Pharisees
as against the contracted externalizing of the kingdom of God in Jewish ...
/.../section 119 interview of christ.htm

The Third Day in Pasion-Week - the Last Series of Parables: to the ...
... at the promised reward, and that in a tone of self-righteousness he should ... danger
of lapsing into feelings kindred to those with which the Pharisees viewed the ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v the third day.htm

Christ's Discourses in Per??a - Close of the Per??an Ministry
... characteristic of these Pharisees - only external show, with utter absence of all
real love; only self-assumption, pride, and self-righteousness, together with ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xx christs discourses in.htm

Li. Dining with a Pharisee, Jesus Denounces that Sect.
... It was a custom which ministered to pride and self-righteousness.] 39 The Lord ... laws
than those of conventional politeness], Now ye the Pharisees cleanse the ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/li dining with a pharisee.htm

The Dying Thief
... was that of entire indifference; and there were Jewish Rabbis, Pharisees, Priests,
and ... but it is self-complacency, clean, fatal self-righteousness and self ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the dying thief.htm

B. The Second Stages. Chs. 13:22 to 17:10
... His words described admirably the self-righteousness of the Pharisees, "I never
transgressed a commandment of thine;" they also show how little he appreciated ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/b the second stages chs.htm

The Call of Matthew
... But what a scandal in the eyes not only of Pharisees, but of all the ... to keep as far
from them as he could, and his strait-laced self-righteousness had never ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/the call of matthew.htm

Ill-Temper
... Apart from its reference to the Pharisees, the association of ... Jealousy, anger pride,
uncharity, cruelty, self-righteousness, sulkiness, touchiness, doggedness ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/ill-temper.htm

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