A lot of the time, we see the Pharisees in the Bible as something distant and removed from "us". We aren't Pharisees because those guys were effectively rulers. They acted like they knew it all. They felt they were righteous and that they were there to help the poor, sinful masses feel closer to God. Fortunately we aren't anything like that, right? ...right? ...hello?
One of the most frustrating things to see is someone wield the Bible as a bludgeon against the sins of others while totally ignoring the application of the Bible which may be self-convicting. You see this in politics all the time. Someone will state how sinful and detestable it is for a conservative figure to say "people shouldn't get any charity unless they're willing to put in some work" while forgetting the lessons of Solomon which talk about the virtue of applying oneself and staying busy. Likewise, someone else will point out how sinful and detestable it is for a liberal figure to advocate for social equality while forgetting the fundamental equality which Jesus treated all people, regardless of background or past mistakes. People love using the Bible, and their religion, to give their opinions moral weight while conveniently ignoring where their own beliefs convict their own actions.
This happens on a personal level as well. We look at the actions and behaviors of our brothers and sisters and like to righteously proclaim "If only they would live life more like me, they would be holy! See, I can even give you a Bible verse that says my life choices are divinely justified!" Sometimes I think Christians need to stop and realize they aren't as holy as they think.
In Matthew 23, we see Jesus launch into a brutal condemnation of the Pharisees. In this chapter, we see Jesus call out the blindness of the religious experts of the day in a few different ways...
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the temple, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.’ (Matt 23:16)
Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? (Matt 23:17)
Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? (Matt 23:19)
Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel! (Matt 23:24)
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside of it may also become clean. (Matt 23:26)
Each of these verses describe their own critique of the Pharisees' behavior (which I won't go into), but just stop and realize who Jesus is speaking to. He's speaking to the individual who says "I've gone to church all my life." He's speaking to the individual who says "I know I'm right because I can quote a couple of verses." He's speaking to the preacher, the deacon/deaconess, the elder who says they are justified by virtue of their title, heritage, time-in-service to God, or any other qualification. Bluntly, he's telling all of these people "you're not as holy as you think you are" and sometimes I think a lot of Christians today need to be told the same thing.
Maybe we are more like Pharisees than we think.
The objective of the Bible is not to give us a guide to critique other people; it's inspiration to bring into account our own lives and draw us closer to God. Yes, accountability is a part of it and we should seek to instruct and disciple. But, any focus on others should be carefully guarded against the temptation to elevate our own opinions or perspectives over those of our brothers and sisters. We are all in this together as equals in the eyes of our creator. We owe it to ourselves, and to one another, to approach the Gospel with an attitude of self-reflection so that others can be moved by the sanctification of our lives rather than the sharpness of our rhetoric.
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