When and Why I Act Like a Pharisee
So, I was totally convicted today when I read about the Pharisees (and some scribes) ask Jesus why his disciples did not do things the way they did.
Here’s the passage that pierced my soul:
Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” Mark 7:2-5
What convicted me in this passage was this- why don’t people do things the way I do them?
I Act Like a Pharisee When….
I think a woman is not dressed modestly enough.
I think a married woman is not respecting her husband enough or training her children well enough.
I think a long-time Christian should have a better understanding of the Word of God.
I think a Believer should be more committed, more faithful, and more obedient to the Lord.
I Act Like a Pharisee Because….
I am a chief sinner like Paul.
I am vile like Job.
I need more of Jesus in my heart.
Christ needs to be on the Throne of my life, rather than me putting myself on the Throne.
Although I don’t mean to act like a Pharisee, because that is not my heart, the unfortunate thing is, I do. My desire is to draw people towards the Lord not away from Him, and finding fault in their walk will definitely be a turn-off!
While I know that my Savior is very forgiving towards my sin, it still saddens my spirit to know that I have caused others pain, or perhaps I have even stumbled them in their walk with Christ.
I know that Christ is not finished with me yet and He’ll continue to refine me, but in the meantime I hope this part of my flesh will continue to die!
Do you struggle with this as well, friend? If so, let me lift both of us up in prayer. I know I certainly need His help and strengthen!
Lord Jesus, please change our hearts so it reflects more of your love and grace. Help us to not find fault in others the way the Pharisees did. Continue to cleanse us and change us so we are a sweet smelling aroma for You. In your name I pray, Amen.
Live a poured out life for Christ,
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You really hit the nail on the head with this one! I, too, act like a Pharisee… Thank God for His love regardless! Excellent post! It’s became a prayer of mine lately.
Ah, yes, thank Gad for His love regardless!
Blessings friend,
~jolene
The longer I live, raising these sons, the more humble I become, the more I realize the Father wants all His children to come home – just as passionately does He want those who don’t follow all the rules! He wants me to love them just as much as He does! Beautifully delivered message!
I like what you said, ‘those who don’t follow all the rules’!
Amen Jolene!! I wrote a post not long ago about hypocrisy among Christians and I was amazed at the amount of people who truly believe that Christians are not hypocritical! Craziness! Thanks for your transparency and revealing the battle we will face until we see Jesus face to face!! Lovs!
Ann
http://www.delight-thyself.com
Hi Ann,
I believe I’ll battle with being a hypocrite until the day I die. (Just being real about my sinful life!)
Oh, Jolene…I understand your conviction before the Lord regarding Phariseeism, but discernment has a place in our faith life, too. There ARE times when we are to see that someone is not dressed modestly, or that she is not respecting her husband. And sometimes we are put in exactly the precise place to speak into those situations. The heart, of course, the heart that tells us that because we see these faults we are better than someone else, now that is another matter…
Visiting from Women Living Well.
Yes, Mrs P, discernment does have a place but that’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. If we allow Him to guide us and give Him access to our hearts, then we can disciple a woman rather than come across as judging her. I believe that is the core difference. It’s easy for those two lines to be blurred, (in my journey of following Christ, unfortunately, I have done it numerous times!)
Very well written post, this keeps me from forgetting where I came from and where I am going to and WHO is in charge!!!
Yes, friend, we need the reminder of Who’s in charge!
Hi Jolene – so true. I am guilty too. Its hard not to be like that because half the time we don’t believe we are doing anything wrong. It might even be the truth, but it is not for us to judge. Great reminder
God bless
Tracy
You are right Tracy, it’s not our place to judge. Hard to do though!
Oh, that plank in our eye that obstructs our view!
Thanks for the poke to the heart this morning.
I think MrsP brings up an important point about discernment, but I am sometimes conflicted about that. Where is my heart is in the matter? Am I just judging, glad that I am so amazingly better? Or do I offer an invitation to another possibility? Still being a “toddler” Christian, I am not sure where “judgement” ends and my invitation begins.
Thanks for sharing at NOBH!
Great statement Kim, “not sure where ‘judgement’ ends and my invitation begins’.
From my own experience, it is a CONSTANT heart check; which I find I fail miserably! In fact, I can’t believe I am even writing on this subject!
There is a big difference between discipleship and judgmentalship (not sure if that’s a word but I think it fits in this situation!) ha ha
I have learned to ask myself if the woman has a DESIRE to be discipled, if so then I can encourage her to grow. If she doesn’t desire that growth (at least from me giving it to her), then I need to move on.
Legalism is something I definitely struggle with to. We must realize that we should build other women up and not tear them down. One area I feel especially convicted about this in is the area of being open-to-life. What advice would you give to a young, newly married couple trying to decide whether to trust God with the number of children they will have?
*too, not to
If God is prompting them to to trust Him with the number of children to have, then my encouragement would be for them to listen to God and not man.
Great post and so very true in my life too. We don’t always act like Pharisees but sometimes the trait shows up out of the blue (at least with me) and we don’t realize it until we look back and see that how we acted was just as bad as what we had just accused someone else of doing. Thanks,
I’d like to invite you to link up at my page 🙂
I was just reflecting on Romans 12:1. I want to be more intentional in serving the Lord. I want my sacrifices to be received by the Lord and not rejected because of a poor attitude. It is a selfish act to compare ourselves with and to judge others. I am praying that the Lord will take away my selfishness and I can see others the way He sees them. His Grace covers me no matter how short I fall. The least I can do is extend that grace to the ones who I come in contact with.
I act this way all too often, justifying it that I was ‘raised that way’