The Pharisee Within
Matthew 23:27,28
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
What does it mean to be a Pharisee? The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were a religious sect of Judaism. In fact, the word Pharisee means “set apart.” They were known for their strict adherence to God's law. They would even go above and beyond what God asked. If you had a Pharisee for a neighbor, they’d be one of the best neighbors you ever had.
Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs. Tombs aren’t a pleasant place. Today, we place flowers on tombstones to gussy them up a little. Back then, they would paint the outside of the tomb, carved into rock, to mark it as a tomb. If you came in contact with the tomb, you’d become unclean. People, depending on their ability, would do more than just paint the outsides white. They’d pretty them up. Make them look good. But that didn’t change the grim reality of what lay inside. Bones. Decay. Death.
Finally, the Pharisees aren’t condemned for their works, many of which looked good on the outside. They were condemned for their hearts. To be a Pharisee is to carry a heart full of smug self-righteous superiority. Think of the Pharisee’s prayer in Luke 18: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” It’s not good enough just to be good. I am better.
Can a Christian have a little Pharisee inside him or her? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. By nature, we compare our morality to others. Though we have been forgiven and given a new self in Christ, the old self rises daily from its watery grave and still wants to compare itself to others, whether to unbelievers or to other Christians, especially to those it finds morally inferior. That way it comes out on top.
The little Pharisee in us plays the game of “I would never …” “I would never let my children watch that.” “I would never be so irresponsible.” “I would never post pictures like that on Facebook.” “I would never get offended by an old children’s book.” The little Pharisee within lacks empathy and sympathy. He lacks compassion. She lacks mercy.
And worst of all, just as Jesus says, the little Pharisee within is a hypocrite. As she plays the game of “I would never,” she downplays her own sins. He adds rules to the game just as you might’ve seen above. The rules in the Pharisee’s game are a mix between God's law and the Pharisee’s pseudo-law.
What hope then, O Christian, is there for you? After he pronounces the seven woes on the Pharisees, Jesus says this: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” With these seven woes, Jesus preaches against the Pharisees, he desires to put their Pharisaism to death. He wants to wash not just the outside of the tomb but the inside as well. He desires to show them compassion and mercy.
He has shown you compassion and mercy. He has not treated you as your sins deserve. The little Pharisee within knows he can’t get rid of his sin; he can only try to hide it. She can only try to distract by pointing to others’ sins. But Christ has removed your sin. He has taken on your condemnation. He has made you righteous before God. You have no need of comparing yourself to others. When God sees you, he sees Christ. There is no surpassing what he already sees. Put the Pharisee to death once more. Repent of smug self-righteous superiority. Receive forgiveness under Christ’s healing wings.
Where there is sin, confront it! Not in an outward show: “God, I thank you that I am not like that sinner!” Instead, as Jesus instructs in Matthew 18, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you,” with the ultimate goal of bringing the sinner to repentance that they may receive Christ’s forgiveness. Where there is only a pseudo-law, there is no sin. Remind the little Pharisee within of that the next time he or she wants to play “I would never.” Instead, “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).