Pharisees

The pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended. They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts.  Jeremy Taylor

I was thinking about the Pharisees this weekend.  Several years ago someone close to me called me a Pharisee.  At the time I was devastated because I understood that being called a Pharisee was not a good thing.  The way I understood them from the Bible was that they were bitter, arrogant and probably one of their worst traits was that they preached but didn’t practice what they preached.   The Pharisees were the biggest opponents of Jesus and they were described in the Bible as hypocrites. 

This bothered me so much at the time that I started doing a thorough examination of myself.  I asked myself all kinds of questions.  Was I a hypocrite?  Was I living my life by a narrow, legalistic view?  What qualities did I exhibit that would cause someone to say that I was a Pharisee?  Since the Pharisees were well known for standing on the street corners and telling everyone how good they were, I thought maybe this was what this person saw in me.  It did cause me to do a critical self-examination of myself which was a good thing.  God intends everything for our good, even when we don’t see it at the time.

One of the best known Pharisees was Saul.  His view of Christianity was that he wanted everyone involved in it destroyed.  He was the one who had Stephen stoned to death. This wasn’t a great thing to put on your resume.  The thing I find interesting is that Jesus spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus.  He saw some redeeming quality in Saul.  Saul who later became known as Paul, became one of the great writers of the Bible.  He was beaten, imprisoned and persecuted for teaching the gospel; he literally became the exact opposite of what he professed to be in the beginning. 

So if God would use someone who killed many in his pursuit to destroy Christianity, why couldn’t He use me too?  I think God used the most unlikely people in the Bible because when they did turn around and get on the right path it was hard to question their motives because the difference in their life before and after was so extreme. 

I have since learned that just because someone calls me something, it doesn’t mean it is true.  If I live in truth and obey God’s Word, what others say about me doesn’t really matter.  God is the ultimate judge of where my heart is and that is all that matters in this life.       

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise You for bringing people into my life who taught me to look at myself honestly.  Each time it happens I become a better person and it molds and shapes me into what You want me to be.  It doesn’t change the fact that I am a sinner and will fail over and over again, but I praise You for bringing me closer to You through the actions of others.            

Scripture: Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.  Acts 9:1-9