In contemporary Christianity, the word
« Pharisee » has quite become a synonym for hypocrite.
Many christian assemblies (fortunately not all of them) do teach that
Yeshua slates Pharisees for « bending under the heavy weight
of the Torah ».
In the mind of many average citizens,
Yeshua's harsh words against the Pharisees have been interpreted as a
slate of Jewish people in general.
Yeshua encountered my path and I can
ensure you all that there is nobody more Jewish than Yeshua our
Messiah. He is indeed the best teacher of Torah. Yeshua has nothing
but love for the Torah, as the rabbi He actually is and even when He
corrects some of His folks, it is an expression of unconditional
love.
Examining the Bible in its Hebrew
context
I do believe, as a follower of Yeshua,
that it is much more important than people think (even if they do not wish
to follow Him the Hebrew way), to replace His words into the very
Hebrew context of the 1st Century. Truth is not meant to
please us at all times, but I am advocating truth.
There is a truth I will point out in
any case, even if it might get much rejection : neither the Old
nor the New Testament are Western documents. If you fail to look at
them in their authentic context, you will also completely miss the
point. Relying on translated documents opens the door to huge
misinterpretation and cultural nonsense.
Wait a minute : who are the
Pharisees ?
The word « Pharisee » comes
from the Hebrew parush, separate. The Pharisees of the 1st
Century existed along with many other Jewish sects, such as the
Essenes, the Ebionites ,Sadduceans, the Zealots...I will not get into
detail because the differences between the different groups of
beliefs are sometimes quite complex. We know from the New Testament
that the Pharisees believed in the Resurrection, while the Sadduceans
did not.
What Yeshua is actually saying in
Matthew 23
Yeshua's words
have so often- willingly or unwillingly- been taken out of context.
Sadly, they were also misused many times to justify antisemitism.
These are the
words Yeshua told the crowds and His disciples regarding the
Pharisees :
« The
scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe
whatever they tell you, but do not the works they do. »
Strangely
verse 2 seems to have been overlooked. Yeshua recognizes the
Pharisees as legitimate and
is
asking people to do and observe whatever they tell us.
However, He clearly shows us that He disapprove of their behavior,
because they are speaking and not doing.
What does Yeshua
exactly reproach them ? They are preaching the precepts of
Torah, but do not apply them, and thus, are canceling the Torah.
« For they
preach, but do not practice. »
But they are
even adding to their fault, by the way their way of acting-which
could be some kind of « acting » as well ; their
behavior is based on the appearance and not grounded in the
observance of Hashem's commandments.
« They
tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's
shoulders, but themselves are not willing to move tem with their
finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make
their phylacteries broad and their fringes long and they love the
places of honor at feats and the best seats in the synagogues and
greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. »
The
Pharisees are also depicted as « brood of vipers »,
« hypocrites », « whitewashed graves » by
Yeshua. Because our Lord was challenging about the vanity of their
actions, many christian scholars have wrongly interpreted it as a
total condemnation of the Pharisees, and by extention, of Jewish
people who had become « God killers », despised and
rebuked by God Himself. Because of the 3rd Century split
between followers of Yeshua and Jewish people, and the deliberate
will of the pagan emperor Constantine to make official Christianity
match with pagan traditions, misunderstanding between both
communities started to grow.
A
lot of people in our contemporary times are still convinced that
Yeshua hates His own people.
Some
arrogant church leaders have created a « replacement theology »
in order to prove that Israel has been definitely rebuked by our Lord
and excluded from Salvation.
A
throughout reading of the Scriptures and a true closeness with Yeshua
will prove you the opposite.
Speaking
about modern churches (of very different denominations), I have been
observing behaviors that are much worse than everything that is
reproached the 1st Century Pharisees (gossips, adutery,
misuse of monetary fonds...)
One
needs to face the ultimate truth. Hate me if you want for stating it,
but I'll state it anyway : Yeshua our Messiah did not come to
start Christianity. Yeshua is plain Jewish. He never came to cancel
the Torah in any way, but to help people perfect their practices of
the everlasting Law.
Yeshua
never hated the Pharisees in His words, but showed them tough love
for them to envision their faults and to be able to correct their
ways.
Remember:
He told you to do and observe what the Pharisees told you. Listen to
their teachings, for they are right, but do not imitate their corrupt
ways.
Copyright©
by Isabelle Esling
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