The Pharisaical Religion
August 12, 2021
Commentary
This was our Lord’s last public message which was directed especially to the Pharisees. It is said that there were about 6,000 Pharisees in that day and most of them were middle class businessmen. The name Pharisee came from a word that means “to separate” and the Pharisees separated themselves from the Gentiles whom they considered to be unclean.
Jesus points out three basic flaws in the Pharisaical religion:
1.They had a false concept of righteousness (v. 1-3). To the Pharisee righteousness was an outward conformity to the Law of God and they completely ignored the inward condition of the heart.
2.They had a false concept of ministry (v. 4). To them, ministry meant handing down laws to the people and adding to their burdens. Legalistic religion always seeks to make burdens heavier while Jesus came to lighten men’s burdens (Matt.11:28-30).
3.They had a false concept of greatness (vv. 5-12). To them, they were more concerned about the recognition of men than they were about the approval to God. They thought that position was a mark of greatness, so they sought the best seats in the synagogue. We should always be learning but some people today seek recognition by having a position or title through educational degrees. Doing is more important than knowing. True greatness is found in serving others, not in forcing others to serve us (John 3:30).
Application
Which of the three items listed above are my weakest area? After reading this passage I desire more than anything to never be a part of this Pharisaical religion.
Matthew 23:1– 12 (NET)
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ 8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Illustration: Williams Religion is a Social Penicillin
"Religion is a social penicillin, which is lethal against a wide array of behavioral patterns.” This statement is the result of a study of black inner-city youth by Harvard University’s Richard Freeman: Boys who regularly attend church are 50% less likely to commit crimes. They are 54% less likely to use drugs and 47% less likely to drop out of school. In other revealing areas of his extensive studies, he finds that churchgoing boys and girls are two-thirds less likely to engage in teen sex. Regular church attendance halves the chances a woman will have a child out of wedlock. (Religion Helps the Underclass Overcome Many Problems,” by Walter E. Williams, Human Events, January 17, 1997, p. 9).