Stop Being a Pharisee?

 What is false teaching?

In the world today, we have witnessed a strange year. Not only to start this one with the presidential election but many internet prophecies and strange teaching from fringe preachers. It has been a burden on my heart, but I didn't feel the need to dedicate the time to write a blog post about it. Then, unironically, after witnessing many false prophecies about the election, and reading through my Bible (particularly Matthew 23) I thought it fitting to write a post. I hope that this will edify and equip you in recognizing false teachers. Particularly, viewing one of the seven woes in Matthew 23 (specifically verses 1-7). Here is the text we will look at:

Matthew 23:2-4

The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

In this blog post, I'm not planning on doing a continual series regarding the Pharisees or false teaching. Still, I want to use this text as a talking point regarding the nature of false teachers. In particular, I believe that Jesus has laid the groundwork to discern how a false teacher and a faithful teacher differ. This post aims not to name names but to point out that many preachers are preaching legalism. I'll explain what I mean.

It is safe to say that the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees was not… well… the most benevolent in nature. Jesus spent the last part of Matthew correcting the Sadducees' false teachings and false accusations by the Pharisees. Now he moves on to this discourse where he basically shreds the Pharisees' character and nature. Interestingly, Jesus does not condemn the place where they preach from, the Law of Moses. The Pharisees certainly knew their doctrine and could, most likely, recite Genesis to Malachai from memory. This is why Jesus said, "they sit on Moses' seat." Keep in mind that Jesus does not discredit their knowledge of Moses. Next, we will see the basis for Christ's rebuke.

The Pharisees took the law of God, specifically the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy), and have turned the law into heavy burdens. Here is the kicker, which I believe to be the greatest condemnation of false teachers: the Pharisees were more concerned for their power and posterity. 

Jesus condemns this by illustrating the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees. They "preach, but do not practice." (23:3b). To bring this to modern terms, these Pharisees had the mindset of "do as I say, not as I do." Why is this significant? What the Pharisees did was produce a system where nobody could achieve the righteousness they preached. To use the words of Christ, "they tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and ley them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move their finger." (23:4). 

This illustrates two things: One, they either don't believe what they teach or believed they were above what they taught. The Pharisees produced this religious rift that separated the sheep from their shepherd (Not an accidental parallel). These Pharisees were supposed to bring people to the synagogue and teach the salvation of God (I think of the Levites and the leaders in the book of Nehemiah). These Pharisees had a knack for teaching how to be righteous through militant observation of sacrifices and the tribalistic separation between good people and bad people.

The text carries on: they were not interested in serving the people. It would seem that the Pharisees did what they did because they wanted to serve themselves (23:7). Their motivation was to take the place of honor and the seat of perfection. They viewed themselves as the "cream of the crop." They knew that the people viewed them as the religious elite. 

Here is my point: if your pastor/preacher teaches you how to be a good person, rather than teaching you about the only good person (Jesus), they are a false teacher. Legalism isn't only people walking around with truth lacking grace. Legalism isn't knowing your Bible and condemning people with its rules. Legalism isn't even a zealous attitude for justice and repentance. Legalism is the teaching of bible-based "principles" that don't lift burdens but heap burdens.

If a preacher ever tells you that you are suffering because you "lack faith," they are setting requirements that only Christ can meet. They teach the Bible to boost their own ego, and they abuse the flock they have been given. Here is a fun fact: no amount of spiritual rituals or positive "energy" will bring about a transformed heart. The only hope for new life and transformation and becoming right before God is by faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

When we call out false teachers or evaluate them and are called a Pharisee, this can only be true if we misunderstand the gospel and the person of Jesus Christ. We recognize that it is only Jesus Christ that lived a truly perfect life on our behalf. Our hope isn't that we "have enough faith" or do enough good things, but that we are saved and redeemed by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. It is by this good news that we can truly, and eternally, experience real change.