Am I a Pharisee?
Hi, welcome to today's Little Lesson.
Thank you so much for joining me on this Little Lesson.
We're going to be looking at the Pharisees, and actually more so looking at ourselves
to see if we, perchance, might be like the Pharisees in any way, shape, or form.
Now, of course, in Jesus's day, the Pharisees were well-respected religious leaders who
were dedicated to the Law of Moses, knowing and keeping the Law of Moses, and keeping
much more than the Law of Moses, because they had all of their own manmade laws and traditions
that they piled on top of the Law of Moses.
Jesus had many critical things to say, as we all know, about the Pharisees, so today,
their name, or that title, "Pharisee," has negative connotations.
Of course, right off the bat, I'm going to say, "I'm not a Pharisee.
Man, I'm a follower of Christ."
But of course, the worst thing about being deceived is that you don't know that you're
deceived.
If you knew you were deceived, you wouldn't be deceived.
When we're certain that we're not like the Pharisees, that could be a warning sign that
we could be like the Pharisees and be deceived.
It worth our time to think about, and look at Scripture, and ask the Holy Spirit to help
us, okay?
We're going to look at an entire chapter over the next few Little Lessons, where Jesus criticized
the Pharisees, and we're going to look at our own lives, our own selves, in that process,
to see if there's any way that we resemble them, so that we can fix the problem, of course.
It's so easy to distance ourselves from the Pharisees, and say, "Well, I'm not like them,"
because the specific things that they did, we're for the most part not guilty of.
But I think sometimes we're like the man who heard his pastor give a sermon about the Good
Samaritan, and after the sermon, he said to his pastor, "That was a great sermon.
It really touched my heart, and let me tell you, if I'm ever find myself traveling on
the road to Jericho, and I discover somebody that's been robbed, and beaten up, and left
for half-dead, you can be sure that I'll do something about it."
He was so sure that he was unlike the Pharisees and the Scribes, the religious dudes who passed
by the poor man who was lying by the side of the road, because if he was ever on the
road specifically to Jericho, and he specifically ever came across a needy person there.
But somehow divorced his thoughts from thinking about how that application every single day
of his life as he sees people who are in need.
You see what I'm saying?
Okay.
It is very easy to fool ourselves in this regard, and I'm speaking to the speaker here,
as well.
All right, so this is a good exercise.
If you don't get anything out of this, I'll tell you what, I'm going to get something
out of it, all right.
Let's jump into Matthew chapter 23, starting in verse number one.
I'm reading from the New American Standard Bible, just because that's the one I've used
for so long.
"Then Jesus spoke to the crowds, and to his disciples, saying 'The Scribes and the Pharisees
have seated themselves in the Chair of Moses'."
Well, there is already a bit of a criticism there, isn't it?
The implication there is that not necessarily has God seated them there, but they have seated
themselves there.
There's the first way that we can begin to look at ourselves.
Have I put myself, inserted myself, into the position that I have?
Or can I truly say that it is God who has put me in the place of whatever spiritual
authority that I might have?
Something to think about, and something that's rather subtle, isn't it?
Because you can be sure that the Scribes and Pharisees were very subtle, and maybe even
to the point of uber-subtlety in getting themselves into the Seat of Moses, and saying that "We're
qualified, because of thus-and-so."
All right, so am I in the place that God has ordained for me?
Or have I inserted myself into a position where it gives me a chance to influence people
on behalf, allegedly, of God?
But that's just the beginning.
"'They have seated themselves in the Chair of Moses'," said Jesus.
"'Therefore, all that they tell you, do and observe'."
Now, my actual understanding is that in the synagogue, there actually was a place called
the Chair of Moses.
That is, when the Law was read, when the Books of Moses were read, there was a special chair
from which the synagogue leader, whether it be a Scribe, or a Pharisee, or someone else,
would sit and actually open the scroll of the appropriate book, and read from it.
Jesus is saying, "When they're reading to you from the Bible, there you go.
Do whatever they say."
They've inserted themselves there, but at least they're, at times, reading the Bible.
I'm laughing because it's funny, but I guess it's also because it's pathetic.
Anyone can read the Bible.
Unfortunately, what it has become, in the quote-unquote "teaching ministry," is the
teacher has to figure out some stuff that isn't so evident from just reading the Bible,
and he's got to make it informative.
Because I can't just get up and read the Bible.
Because you could do that.
I better bring in some Greek, or some Hebrew nuances, or I better show you something a
little, I don't want to use the word "twist," but that's what I'm talking about here.
Something you never saw before.
Or I'll bring in some historical context.
Well, this is all good, if it helps us to better understand so we better obey the Word
of God, but quite honestly, what I realized in my life is, I don't need more insight into
God's Word.
No, what I really need is more obedience to the insight I already possess.
The true minister, that's his or her goal, is not to impress the sheep, but to feed the
sheep, so that they'll be healthy and strong sheep, spiritually strong sheep, so that they
can be obedient to what the Word of God tells us all to do.
Okay?
Most sermons include a time where the pastor reads the Bible.
If Jesus were here today, he'd say, "Now, pay attention when the pastor is reading the
Bible.
You can be sure that's true.
Everything after, his elaboration, then you better be wary."
Because he has to justify his job, and he's got to present stuff that you didn't know.
That becomes increasingly more difficult, as the people sit in the pews month after
month, year after year.
It just becomes increasingly difficult to come up with stuff that nobody's ever heard
yet, so to keep people interested.
Because when it's all about just learning and adding more knowledge to what you have
already possess, well then, you've got yourself a problem.
But if we're focused on obedience, that's altogether different.
Well, okay.
I can see that we're out of time for today's Little Lesson.
Pick up right here on the next one.
Hope to see you then.
God bless you.