SERIES: The Real Pharisees Archives - Page 3 of 3

The Real Pharisees is a 17-part study discussing why the Pharisees were wrong and how we can avoid being like them. This material is also available in paperback.

Contents:

Andy Sochor May 1, 2017

The Real Pharisees (Part 4): The Pharisees Were Close-Minded

“Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation’” (John 11:45-48).

There are several examples in the New Testament of the Pharisees having minds that were closed to the truth. They already decided what they wanted to believe and refused to consider anything that might challenge their preconceived notions. Their response to the raising of Lazarus from the dead may be the clearest of these examples.
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Andy Sochor April 24, 2017

The Real Pharisees (Part 3): The Pharisees Desired to See Signs from Heaven

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.” Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah’” (Matthew 16:1-4).

The Pharisees – along with the Sadducees – came to Jesus and requested to see “a sign from heaven.” They did not ask this out of sincerity; rather, they were “testing Jesus” (Matthew 16:1). They did this on many occasions – challenging Him in order to find something that they could use against Him.
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Andy Sochor April 17, 2017

The Real Pharisees (Part 2): The Pharisees Tried to Do the Minimum in Serving God

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

Jesus said that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees if we wish to enter the kingdom. How could this be if the Pharisees were so careful and meticulous in trying to follow the Law?

The problem with the Pharisees was that they looked to the Law to learn what they thought was the minimum they needed to do to serve God. Yet God’s law is more than a mere checklist containing the absolute minimum that we have to do to please Him. Instead, the law contains explicit commands, implicit instructions, and principles that we are to follow.
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Filed Under: SERIES: The Real Pharisees Tagged With: obedience, Pharisees

Andy Sochor April 10, 2017

The Real Pharisees (Part 1): The Pharisees Disobeyed God’s Law

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24).

This passage is often misunderstood and misapplied. The common idea is that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for focusing too much on details when they should have focused on other matters instead. Those who allege this will argue that we must follow the “weightier provisions” and that the smaller details are, therefore, unimportant.
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Filed Under: SERIES: The Real Pharisees Tagged With: obedience, Pharisees

Andy Sochor April 3, 2017

The Real Pharisees: Introduction

When Jesus warned of the “leaven of the Pharisees” (Matthew 16:6), He was referring to their influence. There were several reasons why He warned about this. We will address these in our study. Jesus pointed out the Pharisees’ errors in their teachings and the sins in their own lives.

Some today are eager to warn of the “leaven of the Pharisees.” Yet too many do not understand just how the Pharisees were wrong. As a result, the label is often used improperly against those who teach and practice the truth.

So in this series, we are going to examine who the real Pharisees are today. We will do this by considering the sins and errors of the Pharisees in the first century that we are to avoid.
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