Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees!

(See Matthew 23)

Who were the Scribes and Pharisees?

The Scribes were knowledgeable individuals responsible for copying, interpreting, and teaching the law. (This is evident from the example of Ezra, who was both a scribe and a priest).

The phrase “scribes of the Pharisees” refers to the scribes who belong to the party of the Pharisees.

"When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”

(Mark 2:16 NASB1995)

While not all Pharisees were scribes, those who were knowledgeable in the law and typically questioned Jesus about legal matters to try to ensnare him with his own words were scribes.

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. ³⁵ And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand,Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’

(Mark 12:34-36 NASB1995)

The Pharisees were a Jewish sect. The word Pharisee comes from the Hebrew root pârâsh, meaning "to separate or make distinct." The Pharisees were dedicated to Judaism, adhering to the law and the traditions of the elders that had been handed down through generations.

The Sadducees

The Sadducees were a Jewish religious sect made up of wealthy aristocrats.

"But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy."

(Acts 5:17 NASB1995) - observe the Sadducees' association with the high priest

The Sadducees did not consider oral traditions to be binding; they regarded only the written law as obligatory. Furthermore, they did not believe in the resurrection, angels, or spirits.

(Matthew 22:23, Mark 12:18, Acts 23:8)

The Sanhedrin

This was the Jewish Council, believed to consist of the High Priest, a deputy, and additional members, mainly made up of Pharisees (scribes) and Sadducees (chief priests, elders).

(Acts 23:6-7 NASB1995)

Were the Scribes and Pharisees Evil?

Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees, believed in Jesus and sought him out.

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;"

(John 3:1 NASB 1995)

Paul, a Pharisee, persecuted Christians, believing he was doing so in service to God.

"circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;"

(Philippians 3:5 NASB1995)

Gamaliel, a Pharisee and expert in the law, reasoned and spoke with an open mind about the Christian movement when Peter and several other apostles appeared before the Jewish council.

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

(Acts 5:34-39 NASB1995)

While Jesus generally referred to the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites, the scriptures highlight different categories among the Pharisees. For instance, Paul was motivated by zeal and passion for God, although his zeal was misguided. Pharisees like Paul believed they were serving God by opposing Jesus and his followers. Such individuals were either misled by false teachings or influenced by deceptive spirits. In contrast, the hypocritical Pharisees fought to maintain their social status and reputation, willfully ignoring the truth. There were also open-minded Pharisees like Gamaliel, who thoughtfully considered the "new movement." Importantly, some Pharisees, like Nicodemus, came to believe in Jesus.

The Pharisaic spirit in the church today

These categories of Pharisees mentioned above can be seen as four Pharisaic spirits that continue to operate in our time. They can be found within the church. As a body joined to the Lord Jesus (the head), the church bears the responsibility of teaching all the nations of the earth the laws of God, similar to how the Pharisees, who occupied the seat of Moses, were tasked with teaching the Jews the laws of God.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,"

(Matthew 28:19 NASB1995)

Similar to how Jesus was sent to deliver the truth of the kingdom to the Israelites, God sends special messengers to convey His truth to the church. When God aims to correct errors within the Body and usher people to greater spiritual heights and depths of the Kingdom, He sends these messengers. Sadly, much like the Pharisees did, church leaders often resist these individuals without taking the time to seek guidance from God. The greatest resistance that any messenger of God sent to the church will encounter typically comes from church leaders.

Like Nicodemus, theer are some church leaders and believers who acknowledge and accept the truth. Conversely, there are those who, driven by sincere passion and lack of knowledge, oppose the truth, much like Paul. Like Gamaliel, some individuals cautiously observe from the sidelines, neither accepting nor opposing the truth, waiting for evidence before embracing it. Lastly, there are those who recognize the truth but continue to oppose it.

Jesus acknowledged the authority of the Pharisees

Jesus taught that the Scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses. It is believed that there was an actual stone or sometimes wooden seat where the leader of the congregation in Jewish synagogues would sit to read and teach the Torah (God's instructions). The Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 51b) mentions that the Torah reader and interpreter would stand on this wooden or stone seat (bema) in the great synagogue of Alexandria. Additionally, archaeological evidence confirms the existence of a stone in synagogues on which congregation leaders would sit to teach. For example, stone chairs have been unearthed in ancient synagogues in the Galilee region, and archaeologists also found a basalt stone chair in a Chorazin synagogue dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Beyond the physical stone seats in the synagogues of those times, Jesus was alluding to the authority to enforce God's laws among his people.

saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;

(Matthew 23:2 NASB1995)

Regarding God's laws, Moses:

• served as the channel through which the laws were given

• was an interpreter of the laws

• enforced the laws

• possessed the authority to permit and set norms with the approval of the LORD (exercising apostolic authority to determine how matters should be handled in specific cases or jurisdictions)

He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

(Matthew 19:8 NASB1995)

The Pharisees held the spiritual authority to operate in this manner. Although the Pharisaic movement may have been initiated by individuals who sincerely loved God and aimed to establish His laws, over time, excesses crept in, leading to a decline or loss of spiritual authenticity and zeal for God's laws. As a result, a generation of Pharisees emerged, largely characterized by a form of godliness while denying the influence of the Spirit of God -  people who were self-centered, focusing on self-preservation and self-exaltation. This observation can also apply to some churches and movements today. While we may read the Bible and criticize the Pharisees, many churches and believers have strayed from the truth. They maintain a form of godliness without power (the influence of the Holy Spirit), with some resisting the truth to protect their long-standing image built on errors. What we read in the scriptures is not far-fetched; these issues persist in our time - the negative Pharisaic spirit still lingers.

There were two major errors of the Pharisees, namely;

Exalting erroneous man-made traditions above the laws of God:

Many Christians believe that Jesus broke the God-given laws upheld by the Pharisees, but a closer examination of the scriptures reveals a different story. Jesus actually challenged the erroneous, man-made norms and traditions that the Pharisaic lineage had developed over time.

Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³ And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” ⁶ he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

(Matthew 15:1-6 NASB1995)

As those who occupied the seat of Moses, they possessed the authority to establish norms and traditions in accordance with the Torah to guide the people. However, over time, many of the traditions established by the Pharisaic movement were flawed. The Pharisees during Jesus' era elevated these man-made traditions and taught them as doctrine.

‘But in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

(Matthew 15:9 NASB1995)

Some opted to remain deliberately ignorant even after Jesus had revealed the truth to them. They preferred to continue in error and keep God's people in error rather than accept the truth and risk losing their established reputation among the people. Many church leaders today behave in a similar manner.

Hypocrisy:

The Pharisees imposed the laws on the people while failing to follow them themselves. Someone who does not live according to God's laws is not fit to enforce them among others. Additionally, apart from the Torah, they ignored the man-made traditions they insisted others follow. This behavior is mirrored in many churches and pastors today, who preach one thing to their congregations while doing the opposite. Even after learning the truth, most Pharisees clung to false traditions and worked to ensure that the people rejected the truth as well. They neither accepted the truth (entered the kingdom) nor allowed their followers to do so.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

(Matthew 23:13 NASB1995)

Many church leaders today act similarly, opposing those whom God has sent to convey the truth to the body of Christ, much like the Pharisees opposed Jesus.