When we read the Gospels, it becomes very clear that the Lord opposed the ways of the Pharisees, while the Pharisees were against Him. Yet, given that the Pharisees were a religious group, one might expect them to easily understand the Lord’s message. But sadly, those who were supposed to grasp the message of the Messiah completely missed it.
The Pharisees were one of the three main Jewish sects, alongside the Sadducees and Essenes. Their movement seems to have emerged as a reaction against the inclination of some Jews toward Greek customs. They eventually came to dominate Jewish religious life, advocating doctrines of predestination, belief in the immortality of the soul, and eternal rewards and judgment. The early Pharisees were distinguished by their righteousness and courage, as they originally sought to uphold the spiritual revival initiated under Ezra. However, over time, they strayed into many misguided practices. Yohanan the Baptist even referred to them as a “brood of vipers,” although there were sincere men among them, such as Nicodemus, Paulos, and Gamaliel.
Thus, the Pharisees were a group of people presenting themselves as defenders of Elohim’s word but who, in reality, fought against the Lord’s work. Even though the Pharisees of that time seem to have disappeared, the spirit that droved them is unfortunately still very much alive today. This is what we refer to as “the Pharisees today,” meaning Christians today who live like the Pharisees. The Pharisees held a worldview and understanding of the Creator that directly contradicted the Lord’s teachings, yet they were convinced their perspective was superior to His.
So, are you a Pharisee today? It can sometimes be difficult to recognize or admit. Here is a list, drawn from the Bible, of some characteristics that can help us examine ourselves.
1. Pharisees love to please people.
« They do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the fringes of their garments. » Mattithyah (Matthew) 23:5
Today’s Pharisees build their ministries or shape their lives around the opinions of others.. They are willing to make all kinds of compromises to be accepted by people. Their actions or sermons aim to please, with the goal of gaining the most “likes.” As someone once said, “If the Lord Yeshua had preached the same message as them, He would not have been crucified.”
Pharisees seek the glory of men more than that of the Lord. They prefer human approval over that of the Creator. A Pharisee may slander others to look good or even lie simply to appear as a virtuous person. They are more concerned with what others will think of them than with what the Father truly thinks. Their behaviour is guided by public opinion rather than by the Lord’s will.
Pharisees do not seek to know the Lord’s will but are primarily worried about the opinions of men, elders, or the crowd. They are ready to disobey the Lord, for fear of being judged or for the fear of someone else’s reaction.
« For now, is it the favor of men that I seek, or that of Elohim? Or do I seek to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of the Messiah. » Galatians 1:10
2. Pharisees focus on appearances.
« Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside may also be clean. » Mattithyah (Matthew) 23:25–26
Pharisees are preoccupied with appearances and the image they project to others, but they neglect the true state of their hearts. They are individuals who display exemplary behaviour outwardly, even as their hearts are focused solely on impressing people. Pharisees can smile at you while harboring hatred. They may call you a brother or sister but do not hesitate to slander you behind the scenes. They are obsessed with the image they present to others rather than focusing on their relationship with the Lord.
Today’s Pharisees live their lives based on the number of “likes” or “views” they receive online. They believe that being popular equates to being pleasing to the Lord. They measure the impact of their ministries not by transformed lives but by the number of “likes.” These Pharisees accept parts of the Gospel, such as the Lord’s protection or the anointing to cast out demons, but reject living out other parts of the Gospel, such as brokenness, simplicity, or the sanctification of the heart.
3. Pharisees do not recognize the Lord’s work.
« But the Pharisees, upon hearing this, said, ‘This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.’ » Mattithyah (Matthew) 12:24
The Pharisees knew that the Lord was working by the Spirit of Elohim, but because of their worldly concerns, they were willing to oppose the work of the Lord. Their attachment to customs and traditions prevented them from fully grasping the work of the Father. Because they loved the glory of men more than that of Elohim, they rejected the works of Elohim to protect their personal interests. The Pharisees were not concerned with the work of Elohim; they had established systems to exploit the weaker members of the society. The Gospel of the Lord directly opposed their ambitions. That is why they rejected the work of Elohim, even though deep down, they knew it was Elohim at work.
4. Pharisees fail to recognize their contemporaries.
« Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus, you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. » Mattithyah (Matthew) 23:27–31
Pharisees struggle to acknowledge the worth of those close to them or their contemporaries. This might stem from a fear that others will draw attention away from them or for personal reasons. They imagine themselves to be the only ones worthy of recognition. They prefer honoring the dead or those who are distant, but if those same individuals were alive and near them, they wouldn’t give them the same recognition. Yet, it is evident that if we consider ourselves good, other valuable individuals also exist in our generation. Yéhoshoua testified about Yohanan the Baptist, just as Yohanan testified about Him. They didn’t wait for one or the other to die to do so, but spoke highly of each other while they lived in the same country and at the same time.
This is not necessarily about validating the spirituality of others, nor about carnal collaborations where “mafia-like” pastors come together to congratulate one another to attract the crowd. It is about having a humble heart, capable of recognizing that the Lord can work through others and that He has chosen different vessels, whether near or far from us, to accomplish His work in this time.
5. Pharisees judge others harshly but spare themselves.
« And the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now Moses commanded us in the law to stone such women. What do You say?’ » Yohanan (John) 8:3–11
Pharisees minimize their own faults while amplifying those of others. They are capable of treating others harshly, but when it comes to themselves, they find excuses. For them, others’ faults are seen as personal failures, while their own are merely trials sent by the Lord. They are even capable of finding verses to attempt to justify their sins, yet they judge others with extreme severity. This isn’t about tolerating sin in others, but we shouldn’t call out their sins while doing the same ourselves.
« And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. » Mattithyah (Matthew) 7:3-5
Therefore, one must first remove the beam from their own eye before addressing the speck in another’s. Let us remember, the beam is much heavier than the speck.
6. Pharisees uphold traditions over the Lord’s word.
« But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, you hold to the tradition of men; such as the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other similar things you do. » Markos (Mark) 7:7-8
Pharisees no longer ask whether what they do is biblical. As long as it aligns with society, they do it. They prefer to follow “principles,” even if those principles contradict the Word of the Lord. Pharisees display a zeal for human traditions that they do not have for obeying the Lord. The word of an elder or a spiritual father moves them to act quickly, but the Word of the Lord does not carry the same weight in their eyes.
Pharisees are willing to practice family traditions, such as dowries and other customs, even if these have no biblical foundation. They will always find an argument to justify their disobedience to the Lord. They continue to practice things without even asking whether they are written in the Bible. They persist in paying tithes, even though no verse in the New Covenant requires it, simply because these are practices they have learned and heard from their “fathers in the faith,” thus forgetting the commandment of the Lord.
7. Pharisees love honours.
« Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. » Loukas (Luke) 11:43
Pharisees love flattering words, honorary titles, and places of honour. They enjoy being seen and recognized in public. While the Pharisees of old loved the first seats, those of our time may prefer the last seats, depending on where the greatest honour is found.
This is why all those Christians who organize concerts with VIP sections, categorizing people based on what they can contribute, placing the wealthy at the front and relegating the poor to the back, are also modern-day Pharisees. They hold competitions among Christians to showcase who sings best. This, too, is a form of self-glorification, which is a hallmark of Pharisees.
Pharisees do everything to be seen, applauded, and accepted by others. Their actions are driven by a constant quest for validation. If what they say or do is not acknowledged or accepted, they will not be satisfied. If you want to befriend a Pharisee, you must always tell them what they want to hear. The day you say something they dislike, you will become a bad person in their eyes.
« And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but Elohim knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination before Elohim.' » Loukas (Luke) 15:16
8. Pharisees always seek faults in others.
« So they said to him, ‘How were your eyes opened?’ He answered and said, ‘A man called Yehoshoua made clay and anointed my eyes, and said to me, « Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. » So I went and washed, and I received my sight.’ Then they said to him, ‘Where is He?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath when Yéhoshoua made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.' » Yohanan (John) 9:10-15
Pharisees will always look for something negative. They may encourage you, but there will always be a « but » at the end. Pharisees speak little when everything is going well, but the moment something goes wrong, they will always find something to criticize. They do not simply bless the Lord for His goodness; they are always searching for what is lacking. Pharisees focus on what hasn’t been done, forgetting what has been accomplished. They simply lack gratitude, as they struggle to appreciate others.
9. Pharisees will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
If, while reading this article, you find yourself seeing others rather than yourself in each point or certain aspects, it may be a sign that roots of Pharisaism are hidden within you. It is important to note that if someone tells us the truth, it does not make them a Pharisee. Similarly, refusing to be corrupted or avoiding bad company to preserve one’s integrity does not make someone a Pharisee. Being a Pharisee is, above all, a condition of the heart that influences our behavior and way of life—a mindset that causes us to miss the work of the Lord and fail to recognize His visitation.
« But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. »
Mattithyah (Matthew) 23:13
Pharisees will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven because being a Pharisee means remaining in sin, unbelief, and opposition to the work of the Lord, sometimes even without realizing it. It is time to uproot these tendencies within ourselves, to strip off a carnal life, and to prepare ourselves for the meeting with the Bridegroom.
This article is not intended to provide us with tools to identify the Pharisees around us but rather to help us recognize and cast out the Pharisee that may be hiding within us. In reality, we all act a bit like Pharisees at times because Pharisaism is a manifestation of the flesh. If we sometimes act according to the flesh, it means we also display certain traits of Pharisaism. Being a Pharisee is walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit. Yehoshua wants to purify our hearts from all these impurities: this carnal way of seeing, this quest for recognition and personal glory. He wants to uproot all these evil desires within us and give us a pure heart.
Pharisaism robs us of experiencing the glory of the Lord! If Paulos, who was once a Pharisee, could be transformed, then we too can enter into this new life. Let us live fully under the Lord’s influence, learn to know His heart, seek to please Him, and strip ourselves of the flesh. In doing so, the Holy Spirit will be able to reign fully as Master over us.
« And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man. But I obtained mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. » 1 Timotheos ( Timothy) 1:12-13
To be delivered from the mindset and lifestyle of the Pharisees, we need a true encounter with Yehoshoua Mashiah. No one can, by their own strength, free themselves from a carnal life, pride, the pursuit of human approval, and the desire to please others. But Yeshua can deliver us.
Without uprooting the roots of Pharisaism, we will miss heaven. The time has come for total repentance.
« But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. »
Mattithyah (Matthew) 3:7-8
Shalom and grace!
Y. Gerol