The Pharisees were a prominent religious group within Judaism during the Second Temple period, known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the oral traditions that they believed were equally authoritative. They held significant influence over the religious life of the Jewish people and were often seen as the guardians of Jewish law and tradition. However, their interactions with Jesus Christ, as recorded in the New Testament, reveal a complex relationship marked by tension and conflict.

Christ's Critique of Pharisaic Hypocrisy

Jesus Christ's ministry frequently involved direct confrontation with the Pharisees, particularly regarding their interpretation and practice of the law. He criticized them for their hypocrisy, emphasizing that their outward displays of piety masked an inner spiritual corruption. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus delivers a series of woes against the Pharisees, highlighting their duplicity and self-righteousness.

In Matthew 23:13, Jesus declares, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter." This accusation underscores the Pharisees' role in obstructing genuine spiritual understanding and access to God's kingdom.

Further, in Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus continues His rebuke: "Woe to you, scribes 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, so that the outside may become clean as well. 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."

The Pharisees' Legalism and Tradition

The Pharisees were known for their meticulous observance of the law, often adding layers of tradition that went beyond the written Torah. Jesus challenged this legalism, pointing out that their focus on external compliance neglected the weightier matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. In Matthew 23:23, He states, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin, but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

The Pharisees' Influence and Opposition to Christ

The Pharisees' influence extended into various aspects of Jewish life, including the synagogues and the Sanhedrin, the ruling council. Their opposition to Jesus was rooted in His challenge to their authority and His radical reinterpretation of the law. They frequently sought to trap Him with questions and accusations, as seen in Matthew 22:15, "Then the Pharisees went out and plotted to trap Jesus in His words."

Despite their opposition, Jesus' teachings exposed the limitations of Pharisaic doctrine and called for a return to the heart of God's commandments. His emphasis on inner purity, genuine faith, and love for God and neighbor stood in stark contrast to the Pharisees' focus on ritual and tradition.

Conclusion

The Pharisees, as depicted in the New Testament, serve as a cautionary example of how religious devotion can become entangled with hypocrisy and legalism. Jesus' denunciation of their doctrines as hypocritical underscores the importance of aligning outward religious practice with inward spiritual truth. His interactions with the Pharisees highlight the transformative power of His message and the call to authentic discipleship.Matthew 16:6,11,12
Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 12:1
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, so that they stepped one on another, he began to say to his disciples first of all, Beware you of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Controversy
... The Pharisees were rigid adherents to tradition. ... But Christ declared that they made
void the law of God by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 66 controversy.htm

Examples from the Old Testament, Balaam, Moses, and Hezekiah, to ...
... respect of Him against whom the Pharisees were sinning ... hour inspired him with; having
previously declared to the ... The novel doctrines of the new Christ are such ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxviii examples from the old.htm

The Sacrifice of Christ.
... The Pharisees were declared by the Saviour to be guilty of the blood of ... But how were
the Pharisees guilty? ... Similarly we are guilty of the death of Christ. ...
/.../robertson/sermons preached at brighton/vii the sacrifice of christ.htm

The Cavils of the Pharisees Concerning Purification, and the ...
... which circumstances rendered impossible, were declared null. ... the principle laid down
by Christ concerning that ... afterwards reported, that the Pharisees had been ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxi the cavils of.htm

Index of Subjects.
... Jews, [359]258; more than the Pharisees, [360]395 ... 838]141; provoked the severity
of Christ, [839]427 ... Incarnation, the, declared by the three first Evangelists ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/index of subjects.htm

Obedience to God the Way to Faith in Christ.
... merely that this same doctrine is declared to us ... than the covetous and irreligious
Pharisees, who added to ... still more authoritative words of Christ Himself, "He ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon xiv obedience to god.htm

The Heresies of the Apostolic Age.
... for the Spirit of God has declared His abhorrence ... their differences of creed, the
Pharisees and Sadducees ... of Cephas, and another I am of Christ"all assembled ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iii the heresies of.htm

Article xxvii (xiii): of Monastic Vows.
... and say, too, that this their decree has been expressly declared in the ... Neither does
the voice of Christ move them, who chides the Pharisees, Matt.23, 13 f ...
/.../the apology of the augsburg confession/part 35 article xxvii xiii .htm

Some Gospel Truths Opened, According to the Scriptures; Or, the ...
... Short weights and deceit were declared an abomination to the ... 8:9) which saith, That
the Pharisees, [which had ... 38,43)] when they had heard Christ speaking thus ...
/.../the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/some gospel truths opened according.htm

Messiah Despised, and Rejected of Men
... be the MESSIAH , whom the prophets had declared was to ... But the Scribes and Pharisees
were the public, authorized ... The Gospel of Christ has often been, and is to ...
/.../newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xvii messiah despised and.htm

What are the differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Jesus rebuke the scribes and Pharisees so harshly in Matthew 23:13 36? | GotQuestions.org

Who were the Pharisees? | GotQuestions.org

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