Religious Leaders
Why do the Pharisees and scribes get such a bad press in the bible?
The Pharisees were the leading religious group at the time, meaning ‘separate ones’. They were experts in the Old Testament Law, the Torah.
The scribes or lawyers were experts in words, translators, interpreters of the Torah. They interpreted and re-interpreted the Torah in minute detail, similar to our law and case-law.
The Pharisees and scribes saw themselves as guardians of the Torah. They saw themselves as following on from the 70 elders that Moses appointed.
There is much to them that would be familiar in people today, doing things that could be described as good. They invited Jesus to a meal, gave money as a tithe, attended church and revered the prophets as great historical people. They believed in God, led separate lives devoted to God, saw the importance of scripture especially God’s law and believed in there being a Messiah and the resurrection. Surely these should be the type of people with whom Jesus would want to be associated?
So why is Jesus so tough on them?
Jesus says six woes about them. Woes were said at a funeral. It was as if they were dead. Woes bemoaned a wasted life. The pharisees and scribes were as useless to Jesus as if they were dead. Why?
Cleanliness - The instructions in the Law separate the clean from the unclean, but only on the outside. They were keen to keep the Law and therefore demonstrating external cleanliness. However, they were unclean internally.
Jesus wants wholeness. The Law is a signpost to the Kingdom of God, it shows the need for separation from sin. It is Jesus who cleanses. The Pharisees just separated people into those who follow their interpretation of the Law and those who do not. Jesus offers cleansing to those who hear and receive him.
Giving - The Pharisees only tithe out of a legal responsibility. Jesus wants giving to be a heart response. Jesus wants a response that provides justice and be aware of God’s love. Giving can go way beyond legal redress.
Giving is a response to the love of God and what He gives to us.
Status - The Pharisees saw that status, their standing in society, as very important. They wanted to be seen.
Jesus championed service.
External over Internal - The Pharisees were all about external appearances and took no note of what people were actually like.
They were like concealed tombs, showy like a grand building, and whitewashed on the outside but concealing the dead inside.
Hypocrisy - The religious were trying to be seen to be living a holy life. This can be summed up as hypocrisy. It means ‘acting a part’, an outward show and not living in reality.
The requirements of the Law became burdens on people. They put restrictions on how to live. If not, there is guilt and exclusion. The religious do not give any help. They also pretend and do not even do them themselves. Jesus brings freedom from all these burdens, from the Law.
‘Building the tombs of the prophets’ suggests that they revered them. However, Jesus condemns them for not hearing what the prophets said. Also that they were like their ancestors who persecuted and killed the prophets. Jesus is a prophet and they do not hear him.
Knowledge - The scribes felt that knowledge was important and therefore kept the key to opening up the door to themselves. Instead of sharing knowledge they wanted to have control and keep it to themselves.
What they did not know is that you need the Holy Spirit to interpret scripture, to have revelation.
The Pharisees and scribes acted against Jesus and his message. People following their lead would be led astray. There are many who live like Pharisees and scribes today.
Jesus is inclusive unlike the exclusive nature of the religious. He makes everyone clean. It is about about what he has done, and not anything we do. Life is not about keeping laws but living by the Holy Spirit. It is about reality, internally and not externally driven, responding from the heart.
Background
Luke chapter 11 verses 37 to 54 - Now when he (Jesus) had spoken, a Pharisee asked him to have lunch with him; and he went in, and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that he had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it." One of the lawyers said to him in reply, "Teacher, when you say this, you insult us too." But he said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.' Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering. When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question him closely on many subjects, plotting against him to catch him in something he might say.
The Pharisees and scribes saw themselves as guardians of the Torah. They saw themselves as following on from the 70 elders that Moses appointed (Numbers chapter 11 verse 16).
There is much to them that would be familiar in people today, doing things that could be described as good. They invited Jesus to a meal, gave money as a tithe (Luke chapter 11 verse 42), attended church (verse 43) and revered the prophets as great historical people (verse 47).
Cleanliness - The instructions in the Law separate the clean from the unclean, but only on the outside. They were keen to keep the Law and therefore demonstrating external cleanliness. However, they were unclean internally (verse 39).
Jesus wants wholeness (Ephesians chapter 5 verses 25 to 27; 1 John chapter 1 verses 5 to 9). The Law is a signpost to the Kingdom of God, it shows the need for separation from sin. It is Jesus who cleanses. The Pharisees just separated people into those who follow their interpretation of the Law and those who do not. Jesus offers cleansing to those who hear and receive him.
Giving - The Pharisees only tithe out of a legal responsibility (verse 42). Jesus wants giving to be a heart response. Jesus wants a response that provides justice and be aware of God’s love. Giving can go way beyond legal redress (Hosea chapter 6 verse 6; 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 7).
Status - The Pharisees saw that status, their standing in society, as very important (verse 43). They wanted to be seen.
Jesus championed service (Luke chapter 9 verse 23).
External over Internal - The Pharisees were all about external appearances and took no note of what people were actually like.
They were like concealed tombs (verse 44), showy like a grand building, and whitewashed on the outside but concealing the dead inside (Matthew chapter 23 verses 27,28).
Hypocrisy - The religious were trying to be seen to be living a holy life. This can be summed up as hypocrisy (Matthew chapter 23 verses 27,28). It means ‘acting a part’, an outward show and not living in reality.
The requirements of the Law became burdens on people. They put restrictions on how to live. If not, there is guilt and exclusion. The religious do not give any help. They also pretend and do not even do them themselves. Jesus brings freedom from all these burdens, from the Law (Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 to 30; Galatians chapter 5 verse 1).
‘Building the tombs of the prophets’ (verses 47 to 51) suggests that they revered them. However, Jesus condemns them for not hearing what the prophets said. Also that they were like their ancestors who persecuted and killed the prophets. Jesus is a prophet and they do not hear him (John chapter 1).
Knowledge - The scribes felt that knowledge was important and therefore kept the key to opening up the door to themselves. Instead of sharing knowledge they wanted to have control and keep it to themselves.
What they did not know is that you need the Holy Spirit to interpret scripture, to have revelation (1 Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1 to 5, 10, 12 to 16).