Yeshua and the Pharisees: Fantasy vs.

Reality
Posted on April 20, 2007 by Derek Leman
Pharisee is a bad word in the minds of many Jesus-followers. When people want to characterize
someone as religiously backwards, hypocritical, or legalistic, they never use the word Sadducee or
Essene. It is always Pharisee or Pharisaic. When speaking of compromisers, Ive never once heard
someone use the term Herodian. The Pharisees get a unique bad rap in Christendom.
Its true that Yeshua (and John the Baptizer) said some harsh things about Pharisees: brood of
vipers, whitewashed tombs, straining gnats and swallowing camels, etc. But do they deserve the bad
reputation they have received? Would Yeshua agree with modern attitudes toward the Pharisees as a
whole? Conversely, was Yeshua more like a Sadducee, Herodian, Essene, or Pharisee? Would he be
more likely to worship with the Pharisees or the Sadducees?
There is a sort of caricature or fantasy version of the Pharisees. It makes for nice sermons. I once
saw a play aimed at children in which the Pharisees were ridiculed for following 613 laws! (Clue
here: the 613 laws are from the Bible, not laws made up by the Pharisees). I once watched an
animated Bible story in which the Pharisees were portrayed with long noses staring down
condescendingly on everyone. Looked like Hitler produced this animated series as WWII
propaganda.
The fantasy version of the Pharisees goes something like this: They were the ultimate
hypocrites. They relied on the flesh outward rules and boundaries instead of the spirit.
Because they relied on the flesh, the Pharisees were complete shams. They engaged in rampant lust
without any hope of holiness. After all, who could avoid lust without being spiritual? They were
bitter and hateful because the burden of the Torah was heavy on them. Yeshua came to oppose the
Pharisees by showing a spiritual way in contrast to their fleshly way of being righteous.
The reality looks more like this: The Pharisees were far less corrupt than: (1) many churches
today, (2) many TV ministries today, (3) and the Sadducees and Herodians. The Pharisees were
far closer in doctrine to Yeshua and Paul than other Jewish groups (both Yeshua and Paul took the
side of the Pharisees against the Sadducees in the New Testament). Paul considered himself a
Pharisee long after coming to faith in Yeshua he never quit being a Pharisee. The Pharisees were
the closest Jewish movement to Yeshua. In fact, Yeshua was very much like the Pharisees in many
ways.
How can this be? Why does Yeshua reserve his harshest and most frequent criticism for the
Pharisees? It is reasonable to assume that Yeshua criticized them the most because they had the
most promise as a movement. When looking for a key person to spread the Yeshua-faith, God chose
a prominent Pharisee, not a Sadducee or Herodian or Essene. Sometimes those closest to the truth
need the most correction. I might use as an example the frequent evangelical Christian literature
criticizing evangelicalism!
Let me quickly go over a few surprising points made in the New Testament about Pharisees:
Yeshua said that the Pharisees interpretations and applications of the Law were binding on
his disciples! You may think I am crazy. Where is that in the New Testament? Read Matthew 23:2-

3. Yes, Yeshua said they sit in Moses seat. He said his disciples should do as the Pharisees say,
being careful to observe their traditions about how to keep the Law. Yet he criticized the Pharisees
for not following their own teachings. Isnt that human nature, teaching the truth but failing to live
up to it?
Paul remained a Pharisee his whole life and this was perhaps the reason he was received in
synagogue all over the empire. But wait . . . wasnt Paul a former Pharisee? In Acts 23:6 and
Philippians 3:5, Paul speaks of himself as a Pharisee . . . in the present tense.
Yeshua affirmed the teaching of the Pharisees but criticized tendencies within Pharisaism to
be slack in observing the Law. Wait! You mean Yeshua felt the Pharisees were too loose? Yes. So
did the Essenes, who were far stricter. They called the Pharisees the makers of smooth things,
because they felt the Pharisees smoothed out the Law and made it too easy. Most of Yeshuas
criticism is not of the official policy of Pharisaism, but of abuse of the Law by individuals.
Take Matthew 23, for example. Yeshua affirms the teaching of the Pharisees as God-ordained. Then
he pounces on the movement for abuses. Some love to brag and show off their piety. Isnt this still a
problem in religion today? Some travel to spread their movement and fail to teach the truth. Isnt
that a common happening today in Christianity? These abuses were not systemic, but particular to
parts of the movement.
What was going on? Why was this abuse a problem? The fact is, the Pharisees were part of a
relatively new movement. Jewish tradition was fluid at the time. The traditions about how to keep
the Law were still highly debatable. Some individuals were abusing tradition and failing to keep the
Law. Some made traditions that skirted around the Law. Yeshua was not angry with the Pharisees
for being too righteous, but he railed against fake righteousness and law-breaking.
So, the next time you consider using the adjective Pharisaic as an insult, think about Yeshua. Think
about Paul. And please, lets get rid of the over-simplistic caricature. The Pharisees are the Jewish
movement closest to God in Yeshuas time. Yes, many of them missed Messiah. Many chose to
remain in the older tradition and not accept the new teachings of Yeshua and the disciples. But dont
be vain. Are you so sure that you are any better?