What is a Pharisee?
Pharisees did not show up until Matthew 3:7, so what is a Pharisee? Until this point in Scripture, these guys were not around. Of course, we might label them as something else and find them in the Old Testament in various places. I would align this kind of person with the seers of old, maybe like the prophets who spoke on God’s behalf. I imagine this is the woman Saul sought to convene with Samuel (1 Samuel 28:11).
She was shocked in verse 12 when she learned who he was. The point is that the seers can also learn. They are the ones who believe they know how everything works, but they don’t. They have a different kind of perspective, like Zebulun in Genesis 49:13. He lives on the seashore and harbors the ships. This is the kind of person who has far reaches into the distance for sight. I can’t help but mentally translate pharisee to ‘far, I see.’ Zebulun is that kind of person but blocks communication from Sidon.
This means they do not regularly communicate with one side, but they do with the other. They know God is not supposed to show up on the Sabbath, so they cannot believe it is ok when someone does.
Jesus Corrected Them and Us
Jesus taught the seers a better truth. Something else we are taught is the self-righteous of the time must be brought low. Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount that our righteousness must surpass the Pharisees, or we will not make it to heaven. Another concept is that the least will be the greatest, and the greatest will be the least. Jesus is giving us the lay of the land, which He affirms by telling us not to pre-suppose our place at the wedding banquet feast. We should take the lowest seat and hope the host reseats us. That’s better than having someone else move ahead of us.
The lesson in life is humility. The Pharisees did not have humility but assumed a full understanding of the Scriptures. Jesus would tell them to go and learn what things mean. They did not fully understand how certain laws came together, but Jesus knew.
So, what is a pharisee?
Pharisees are a New Testament concept, as is the church. We see more Pharisees in the church today than we recognize. These are the people who claim to know how things work. They claim to understand who, how, and when God saves us. Unfortunately, Christian leaders do not follow the advice of Christ, which is humility and lack of judgment. How was Christ perfect? He did not judge. He did not judge for the good or the bad. He would not defend, and he would not condemn. That’s perfection. The Pharisees did not get that, nor do modern Christians.
