Musing – Were the Pharisees Good Guys or Bad Guys?

 Hebraic Musing – Were the Pharisees Good Guys or Bad Guys?

Many Bible readers do not fully understand the Pharisees because they don’t know the teachings of the Torah well enough to understand the accusations of the Pharisees.  On many occasions Jesus had to correct them based on the Torah which He observed.  And Jesus never violated the Torah.  Might this also apply to us?

We have almost identical verses in Matthew, Mark and Luke for most of these accusations:

·      Matthew 9:11, Mark 2:16, Luke 5:50 – Eating with tax collectors and social outcasts.  In their eyes Yeshua is lowering himself by having anything to do with these men who are working for the Romans and being a traitor to Israel. Matthew himself had been a tax collector.

·      Matthew 9:14, Mark 2:18 – Failing to fast.  There is only one Biblical fast, which is found in Leviticus23, on the 15th day of the 7th month is Yom Kippur the day of fasting and repentance.

·      Matthew 12:2, Mark 2:24, John 6:2  – Gleaning fields as walking by.  In Deuteronomy 23:24-25, “When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you shall eat to the satisfaction of your desire, but do not put any in a receptacle of yours. When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you shall pluck the heads with your hand, but do not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.”   BTW, in China, there are walking paths right along the fields, just like Yeshua described in the parable of the seeds with some falling on the path, and also being able to glean/snack as they walked along.

·      Matthew 15:1-2, Mark 7:3 – Hand washing before eating.  Only the priests were instructed to repeatedly wash their hands, not only for cleanliness in the midst of sacrifices, but to be clean when the entered the Mishkan or Heykal, where the presence of YHVH dwelt.

The Pharisees paid a great deal of attention to outward ordinances and actions that would make them appear righteous, but they were not as concerned with being righteous in their hearts.  For this Jesus referred to them as hypocrites. 

In Christian context, a modern day “Pharisee” is someone who follows the impulse to be seen as righteous by obeying certain laws, while ignoring more important matters of the heart.

Points to Ponder

How often are we overly concerned about our outward appearance(s)?

Is the Lord looking at our appearances, or at our hearts?

Have we made Extra-Biblical rules for ourselves?

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                             December 26, 2023

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”    

Note – Excerpted from Johanna Shager Hocker’s “Were the Pharisees good guys or bad guys?” Dec. 11, 2023
            And there are two more pages of additional examples of hypocrisies available on request.