The dogmatic interpretation of the scriptures by Pharisees was often met with sermons from our Lord.
Notice some of the things Jesus said:
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Mark 7: 6 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
"This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
Matt 23:5 "But all their works they do to be seen by men."
Matt 23:25-26 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
He even accused them of being whitewashed tombs, disguising their inner corruption:
Matt 23:27-29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matt 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."
The more we read and the deeper I look into the Pharisees I also find some good traits.... they were careful students of the Jewish law. They were very strict about the way to live on the Sabbath and all the written and unwritten laws and traditions. They protected the law, punished those that did not.
YET in all their love...some of it false but some of it true they forgot the main thing LOVE...
They were His most bitter and implacable opponents of our Lord...I am thinking today may God help me love what God loves and hate what He hates... I do not want to be a Pharisee...I do not want to protect what God loves and at the same time destroy what He loves...
Don't know if I am making sense...oh..well....
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