In Jesus’* day, the Pharisees were a group of Jews who specialized in knowing every bit of the Jewish Scriptures, i.e. what we know as the Old Testament. They could quote it chapter and verse. Well, except there were no chapters and verses back then, but you get the idea. Not only did they know it as it was written, but they’d made it their business to be the reigning authority on how to interpret it as well. In fact, they managed to take the Ten Commandments and turn them into over 300 rules and regulations (kind of like what the IRS has done with the tax code over the years). You could always tell when you came across one. They wore stylish robes and had the best reserved seating in the synagogues and at the local banquet hall. These guys were really proud of themselves. They welcomed the paparazzi.
Everything for the Pharisees was just rosy until they met Jesus. When they exercised their mad Scripture skills in front of Him, He wasn’t impressed. He didn’t applaud and marvel at how cool they looked or how many righteous rules they’d implemented. Who did this guy think He was, anyway, God or something?? And if you look at the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), you get the definite impression that Jesus was thinking the same thing: who did these guys think they were, God or something?? In fact, Jesus’* harshest words in His entire earthly ministry was NOT for the folks who were cheating on their taxes or their spouses, or even for the ones who were working the local “red light district”. Nope, His harshest words were for the Pharisees. What? Why, you ask? Let me tell you. It’s because they were supposed to be representing God but they’d gotten it all wrong. They cared more about their rules than the people they were supposed to be helping get closer to God. Their rules had become their god.
For example, they cared more about their rules than whether or not a poor crippled lady or a guy with a messed up hand got healed. They cared more about whether or not someone washed their hands before eating than they cared about whether a person was hungry. They cared more about everyone conforming to their rules than whether or not that person even knew who God was. And they certainly didn’t need this Jesus person messing with their system. But He called them out. Told them they’d missed the point. Said that not only had they not entered the Kingdom but they were keeping other people from entering too. Imagine their shock, since they figured they had the religious market cornered. They became hostile. They planned and plotted until they had trumped up enough charges to get Him killed. Joke was on them, though. Jesus really was God and so death couldn’t hold Him.
The problem is, they’re still around. No, really, I talked to one just last week. Oh, they don’t call themselves Pharisees, but if you examine what they’re all about, you’ll definitely see the Pharisee in them. They’ve made their rules their god, and they still don’t much like it when anyone suggests that maybe people can meet, serve, and worship Jesus outside of the confines of their righteous rules and sanctified schedules and sacred spaces.
Truth is, introducing people to a lot of rules doesn’t have the same effect as introducing them to Jesus. And telling them that they can only meet Jesus between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon or at 6 p.m. on Sundays or at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays is just straight out lying to them. I mean, religious folks sanctifying a certain schedule and a certain space has already done a lot of damage. Ask any pastor how many of his or her congregation confines their Christianity to those certain days and hours and then live the rest of the week without giving a thought to Jesus. We wonder why there’s a disconnect in so many lives between Sunday morning and the rest of the week and maybe, just maybe, it’s our own fault. We’ve taken God and put Him in a building, a schedule, a program, or even worse, we’ve made Him the business of the “professionals” (ouch!). If it weren’t so, we’d be seeing the power of God manifested everywhere through His church (the PEOPLE, not the building).
Look, all I know is it wasn’t a rule or schedule that changed my life (and it was an exceedingly messy life). It was Jesus. Just Him. I met Him around a kitchen table with a Christian woman who took the time to introduce me to Him. Didn’t happen on a Sunday or a Wednesday and wasn’t programmed by a professional. Have I been blessed on Sundays and Wednesdays and by programs or professionals? Sure I have. But none of that would have mattered had the primary introduction not been made.
Jesus is King everywhere and is present at every time. Nothing – and I do mean nothing – matters more to me than introducing people to Jesus and helping them learn how to grow close to Him. And quite frankly, I don’t care what day of the week it is or what time of the day or where I happen to be when an opportunity to love people and to share Him arises. He is the main thing. Jesus can and will be found when we seek Him – even in the marketplace or the fitness club or the next door neighbor’s house and on any day of the week. Nothing the modern-day Pharisees can say or do will change that truth. And that is Good News!
“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:20, NIV
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