Legalism or Love?

The Pharisees were a unique group of people among the Jews.  They were dedicated to preserving the Law and became very legalistic in their observance of it.  To the Pharisees the Law was the Word of God and it was their greatest possession. When Israel was permitted to return to Jerusalem during their captivity to the Babylonians, the Law was reestablished by Ezra and Nehemiah.  From this point in their history, the study of the Law became the greatest of all professions.  The Scribes were the first group of people who dedicated themselves to study the Law and interpret how it should be applied.  They broke the Law into thousands of rules and regulations to make sure they did not violate the Law.

For example the command to not work on the Sabbath had to be defined. 39 laws were written to define what could not be done on the Sabbath.  Only an exact number of steps on could take on the Sabbath.  They also limited the weight of something they could carry to be equal to 2 dried figs so as to not be guilty of working. Even thinking about work was forbidden. By the time they finished interpreting the Laws they had amassed more than 50 volumes to hold the mass of regulations.

The Pharisees became of sect of the Jews after the Syrians tried to conquer them in 155 B.C.  They wanted to eradicate the Jewish beliefs and replace them with their Greek religion and customs.  The word Pharisee means “separated ones”.  They dedicate their whole lives to be careful and meticulous to observe every rule and regulation that the Scribes had worked out.  They were legalists but they were also very dedicated to their beliefs.

William Barclay in his Daily Bible Study series noted that there were 7 kinds of Pharisees the Jews themselves gave classification.

The Talmud distinguishes seven different kinds of Pharisee.

(1) There was the Shoulder Pharisee. He was meticulous in his observance of the law; but he wore his good deeds upon his shoulder. He was out for a reputation for purity and goodness. True, he obeyed the law, but he did so in order to be noticed.

(2) There was the Wait-a-little Pharisee. He was the Pharisee who could always produce an entirely valid excuse for putting off a good deed. He professed the creed of the strictest Pharisees, but he could always find an excuse for allowing practice to lag behind. He spoke, but he did not do.

(3) There was the Bruised or Bleeding Pharisee. The Talmud speaks of the plague of self-afflicting Pharisees. These Pharisees received their name for this reason. Women had a very low status in Palestine. No really strict orthodox teacher would be seen talking to a woman in public, even if that woman was his own wife or sister. These Pharisees went even further; they would not even allow themselves to look at a woman on the street. In order to avoid doing so, they would shut their eyes, and so bump into walls and buildings and obstructions. They thus bruised and wounded themselves, and their wounds and bruises gained them a special reputation for exceeding piety.

(4) There was the Pharisee who was variously described as the Pestle and Mortar Pharisee, or the Hump-backed Pharisee, or the Tumbling Pharisee. Such men walked in such ostentatious humility that they were bent like a pestle in a mortar or like a hunchback. They were so humble that they would not even lift their feet from the ground and so tripped over every obstruction they met. Their humility was a self-advertising ostentation.

(5) There was the Ever-reckoning or Compounding Pharisee. This kind of Pharisee was forever reckoning up his good deeds; he was forever striking a balance sheet between himself and God, and he believed that every good deed he did put God a little further in his debt. To him, religion was always to be reckoned in terms of a profit and loss account.

(6) There was the Timid or Fearing Pharisee. He was always in dread of divine punishment. He was, therefore, always cleansing the outside of the cup and the platter, so that he might seem to be good. He saw religion in terms of judgment and life in terms of a terror-stricken evasion of this judgment.

(7) Finally, there was the God-fearing Pharisee; he was the Pharisee who really and truly loved God and who found his delight in obedience to the law of God, however difficult it might be.

(Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (Third Ed., pp. 330–331). Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press.)

Jesus reprimanded them severely for their beliefs and actions that placed people in bondage to keeping all the rules they created to make sure the laws were not violated. Their righteousness was based on their obedience to keeping all the laws they created. 

Matthew 23:1–4

  Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. Therefore do and observe everything they tell you; but do not act as they act; for they speak, but they do not do. They bind burdens that are heavy and hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves refuse to lift a finger to remove them.’

Jesus instructed the people to keep the principles that come from the Law which are very simple. The Law given by Moses focused on two things: Reverence for God and respect for others.

 Out of our reverence for God we

Place no other gods before Him (Ex. 20.2)

Make no graven images and  worship them (Ex. 20.4)

Use God’s name in vain (Ex. 20:7)

Keep the Sabbath Day holy (Ex. 20:8)

Out of respect for others we:

Honor our Father and Mother  (Ex. 20.12)

Do not murder (Ex. 20:13)

Do not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14)

Do not steal (Ex. 20:15)

Do not bear false witness (Ex. 20:16)

Do not covet anything that belongs to someone else (Ex. 20:17

Our love for God results in our reverence toward him.  Our love for others is demonstrated by the respect we give them.

Augustine said, “Love God and do whatever you want.”  This is not a license to do anything want to do but holds us to the principle of what does it mean to love God.  We demonstrate our love to God also through the way we treat others.  The apostle John, the apostle of love, wrote in 1 John 4:20-21:

“Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

The Pharisees were guilty of placing rules and regulations above relationships in which love was demonstrated. 

Jesus used the example of the story of the Good Samaritan to demonstrate to the Jewish lawyer who knew the Law what it meant to be considered a good neighbor (Luke 10:29-38)  The two people who passed by the injured man were a Priest and a Levite.  Both knew the Law and interpreted it legalistically.  They knew they would be unclean if they touched someone who was dead and they were unwilling to break the law to render aid to the injured man. 

The Samaritan was praised by Jesus for his actions to help the injured man.  The Samaritan saw the need and made it a priority to help, not an option to consider or worse something to avoid.  He made himself available perhaps because he may have been in a similar situation in the past or that he put himself in the situation of the injured person and he would have wanted someone to help him. The Samaritan went beyond what may have been the expectation of others by taking him to a place to rest and being willing to pay for any expenses. His heart was in the right place and it was a reflection of God’s heart for humanity.

Jesus in his ministry touched people he should never have touched if he was to be legalistic about the Law.  He touched a leper, allowed a woman with a bleeding issue to touch him and did not declare himself unclean, and touched a dead girl by taking her hand to raise her from the bed.  Jesus was a healer, he cared for the needs of people and had no issue with breaking the letter of the law to fulfill the spirit of the law. He also broke the law when he allowed his disciples to eat corn on the Sabbath which was a violation because they were preparing food.

The legalism of the Pharisees kept them from experiencing God’s heart for people in need. Their hearts were hardened.  They became more concerned about being seen as a pious person than being a practical person who cared for others.  They loved being recognized and honored for their dedication to keeping the Law.  Jesus exposed them as hypocrites and people who were all about putting on a show. He called them out and labeled them with terms that were not pleasant but truthful.

Mt. 23.16 Blind guides

Mt. 23.17 Blind fools

Mt. 23.27 like white washed tombs, full of hypocrisy and lawlessness

Mt. 23.33 snakes and den of vipers

Jesus extended mercy to all kinds of people who had all kinds of problems but he had little tolerance for the Scribes and Pharisees because of their hypocrisy and misrepresentation of God.  They were zealous but totally mistaken on how to be righteous before God.

Paul before his conversion was a Pharisee. 

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (Php 3:4–6).

He was so zealous for God that he persecuted the early believers in Christ.  After his conversion experience he was set aside by God for several years.  During this time I believe God reprogrammed his theology so that he could reach out to the Gentiles and correctly understand that the Law was completely fulfilled in Jesus. It was no longer the basis of righteousness as the Pharisees believed. Christ set Paul free from the Law and he declared this among the people. The letter to the Galatians was written to set the church straight regarding the observance of the Law.  Paul was a champion for freedom from the Law and was inclusive of the Gentiles who believed in Christ but did not follow the laws.

As followers of Christ we are still held accountable to the moral laws God has given us but we no longer need to fulfill all the ceremonial laws practiced by the Jews.

We must guard our hearts from becoming like the Scribes and Pharisees.  Some believers fall into the trap of living by a set of rules that may be self- imposed or imposed by abusive spiritual leaders.  The true test of anything regarding our conduct and practice as believers is whether it fulfills the law of love toward God, loving ourselves or to our neighbor.  If we understand what Godly love is and allow it to govern our lives we will not fall into the bondage of legalism. In our relationships with others we must always guard ourselves from becoming legalistic and we lose our love for others.  Josh McDowell has stated in one of his books, “Rules without relationships lead to rebellion.” We can become very judgmental of others and critical of them if we do not have a good relationship with them.  When we take the time to understand and develop healthy relationships we will find that we will be less critical and more loving toward them.  It does not mean that we do not hold people accountable for their actions but the way we interact with them is marked by love and an attitude of helping them rather than condemning them.

God desires that we be free from controlling people and controlling ideas that make us captives. Spiritually mature believers should readily recognize Pharisaical leaders and refuse to allow them to impose control upon them. 

We also need to look at ourselves in light of what the Pharisees were like.

1.       Am I hypocritical? Do I say things that are not in line with my conduct?  Do I have different standards for myself than I have for others?

2.      Am I a controlling person?  Do I place restriction on others so I can control them?

3.      Am I concerned that I present a good image to others and cover up my weaknesses or sins? Am I truly vulnerable to reveal myself as I really am?

4.      Am I a “black and white” thinker?  No gray areas in my understanding and judgment of people or ideas?

5.      Do I seek attention and recognition for my good deeds or my personal holiness?

6.      Do I do things out of obligation or fear of what may happen and not true love for God or others.

7.      Do I see myself as indispensable and irreplaceable?  God needs me.

8.      Do I get angry or offended when I am confronted by someone?

We will never attract people to the Lord with a Pharisaical attitude. Choose to love others instead of condemning and judging them as the Pharisees.