The Pharisaic spirit still exists, and it's the chief reason why so many non-Christians want nothing to do with Jesus
Frank Viola ~ Eight signs of a modern day Pharisee
I remember how people used to cringe when I mentioned to them that I was indeed a Christian. For the life of me, I couldn't see how people would discount such a profession from someone. Of course, it wasn't until I began to encounter the modern day Pharisees that I began to see just why people viewed me with skepticism. Was I indeed a Christian? How is it that I practiced my faith? Did I look upon others as just sinners and not with the love which Jesus Himself displayed? Let me explain my point here, and how I came to see that I have become guilty by association with other so called Christians. The author Frank Viola recently penned an article titled "Eight signs of a modern day Pharisee." What caught my attention from this article was the fact that what Viola was describing was exactly the way which the church taught me to defend my faith. I was once that guy! Thankfully, I have come to know that my life does not center around a belief in a man-made religion, but in Christ Jesus. This is why so many people have looked at me with disgust whenever I mentioned that I was a Christian. They saw through the smoke screen which the church throws up. They saw the actions of a judgmental religion. I hate to admit it, but they were right in seeing me in that way. For that is how I was presenting myself back then. When I think back on those days now, I wonder how it is that I would have seen myself. Thankfully, I have been recently reminded of how it is that others saw me through the interaction of a gym friend of mine. My friend, and yes, he remains a friend despite our differences, seems to be the epitome of the modern-day Pharisee spoken of by Viola. The judgement of others. The holding accountable to the false ideology of sin separating us from God. Professing that those who remain in that sin will face the punishment of hell. I don't blame him per se, as this is what the mainstream church continues to teach the followers of religion. Yet this is the question we need to be asking ourselves, did Jesus ever advocate for the following of a religion? Or, as I believe, did He focus on the person and not the religious system?
One of the verses I looked at this week was the command of Jesus and His own desire for us. Not for adherence to a religion, but for mercy upon those around us {Matthews Account 9:13}. I was also reminded of the angry words spoken by Jesus directed at the Pharisees of His day {Matthews Account 23:13-33}. Not only did Jesus express His disagreement with the religious leaders of His day, He openly and publicly condemned them! Not a good way to make friends for sure. But Jesus wasn't looking to make friends in this instance. What He WAS looking for was shining the light of truth upon the practices of the Pharisees. How they would burden others with their traditions yet failed to hold themselves to such standards. If this sounds a bit like the modern day church you might be right. As I said, it has been the actions of a certain friend which have made me realize that not only was I wrong in my own judgement of others back in the day, but that my friend is also in error. Jesus was correct in His proclaiming of mercy over sacrifice. For this is the desire of the Father for us. It is mercy which God has shown to us even in our former state of sin {Paul to the Ephesians 2:4-5}. It is because of His mercy that Christ Jesus gave Himself willingly for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}. Make no mistake about it, we are the ones who needed to die, not Jesus. Yet, in His mercy for us, God chose He Who had never known sin as that sacrifice. God did not condemn us to hell for our sin. He loved us enough to dispatch His only Son that we would be reconciled again to Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}. In Jesus we have love, not Condemnation.
"Now go, learn what this is: Mercy am I wanting, and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the just but sinners."
Matthews Account 9" 13, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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