August 9, 2026

Today’s Pharisees

            One of the characteristics of Jesus that we glean from the Gospels is that he was open to being with, spending time with, people whom others might have either neglected or rejected.  This included people who were poor, lepers, sinners, tax collectors (since they had their own category separate from other sinners), those considered unclean, the mentally ill, religious outcasts and more.

            Of course, in a time when some of the Jewish religious leaders were highly occupied with issues of what was right behavior, what was appropriate, what was considered clean or unclean, it came about that there were conflicts with Jesus on numerous occasions.  Now, even though the Gospels often portray such conflicts as virulent, and while people today sometimes see the Pharisees and the Sadducees as the “bad guys,” what is true is that dialogue and debate about such issues were common in Judaism, and what the Gospels may portray as great conflicts, may indeed have been debates among the religious teachers, including Jesus, about how the commandments and the laws should best be interpreted.  They were seeking insight and truth in their debates with one another.

            This raises at least two issues for today.  The first is that those people who tend to characterize the Pharisees and the Sadducees as the “bad guys,” seeing them as the strict people who were so wrong when Jesus was so right, are actually themselves often the Pharisees of today, at least as they define that group of religious leaders.  These people of today see the Pharisees as being immovable, as being unbendable, even when presented with Jesus’ view of the law.  And yet, these same people today will quote scripture, will interpret passages that fit with their own views of what is right or appropriate, and will pass judgment on people, as though they are the final arbiters of deciding what is okay and what is to be condemned.

            These Pharisees of today often find a few passages in the Bible and quote them as evidence of the sinfulness of people who are homosexual, while neglecting to consider the contexts in which those writings speak, not to mention that Jesus never once condemns people who are homosexuals.  And when I say this, I do include all of the beautiful people who fall under the grouping of LBGTQ+.  Jesus brought the love and grace of God to us, and rejecting people because of a few ancient biblical quotes does nothing to capture and live out the spirit of Jesus among us.

            These same Pharisees of today find a similar number of passages in the Bible, and they usually focus on the writings of Paul, which limit or demean women, and offers those passages as evidence that women should not speak in church, should not offer themselves as leaders in churches, should not be ordained to preach and to teach.  Again, Jesus never limited women, but instead often turned to them for their wisdom.  In addition, even the writings of Paul must be understood in their contexts, and those contexts are most often far different from ones that we find ourselves in today.

            The second issue that is raised here is that the Pharisees of today do not recognize nor utilize the gift of debate that was common among the religious leaders of Jesus’ day.  No, they pronounce judgment, pound the same few tired texts into people’s minds, and say that everything is settled.  It would indeed be interesting if Jesus were to sit down and debate with them.  I wonder if they would reject him as being too open, too welcoming, too filled with grace?