Why Didn’t Jesus Approve of the Pharisees?

The Pharisees, a Jewish sect, were devoted to preaching the absolute obedience to the commandments. They memorized minute details and carried out carefully orchestrated religious rituals. It might seem, at first glance, that Jesus would approve of them. After all, He taught frequently the importance of obeying the commandments:

21 Not every one that saith‍ unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth‍ the will‍ of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5).

The Pharisees didn't pray in secret, as this boy is doing.And yet, in the verse following this last verse, Jesus warned:

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If the Pharisees were so obsessed with commandments, why did Jesus warn his followers to be more righteous than the Pharisees?

Jesus said the Pharisees were hypocrites. They taught strict obedience to the law, but they themselves only actually kept the laws that others could see them keeping. They wore the symbols of faith, prayed publicly, and made certain to take the most visible seats at religious events. They were proud of being seen as highly obedient, but there is more to being a true person of faith than just obeying.

True faith isn’t about showing off how righteous you are. While we are taught that we must not hide our light under a bushel, we’re not supposed to do good just to impress others. The light we’re showing the world has to be sincere. Living the gospel means to have true faith in Jesus Christ. When our faith is real and sincere, we do the right things for the right reasons. Our obedience is a natural outgrowth of our love for the Savior. That doesn’t mean we never have to struggle to overcome temptations, but our love for the Lord Jesus Christ makes it easier to put aside worldly pleasures for eternal joy.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf , Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, said:

“Recall with me how Jesus Christ instructed His Apostles, clearly and directly, at the beginning of His mortal ministry: “[Come,] follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). This was also the beginning of the ministry of the Twelve Apostles, and I suspect that they had a feeling of inadequacy. May I suggest that the Savior Himself teaches us here a lesson about core doctrine and priorities in life. Individually, we need to first “follow Him,” and as we do this, the Savior will bless us beyond our own capacity to become what He wants us to be.

To follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His character. As spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we do have the potential to incorporate Christlike attributes into our life and character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His teachings. To follow Him is to apply correct principles and then witness for ourselves the blessings that follow. This process is very complex and very simple at the same time. Ancient and modern prophets described it with three words: “Keep the commandments”—nothing more, nothing less” (Developing Christlike Attributes, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Liahona, October 2008).

The Pharisees were missing the essential part of the gospel—the heart. They were highly focused on ritualistic obedience to a long series of often meaningless behaviors, such as obsessive hand washing, and in the process, forgetting to think about things of the spirit. They spent little time developing their testimony, building a personal relationship with God, having personal prayers (although they often prayed loudly and in public), or getting to the core of the gospel.

The Pharisees practiced an un-Christlike version of religion. They devoted a great deal of energy to trying to trick Jesus into giving wrong answers or answers that would give them a reason to criticize them. They focused on trivia while ignoring the larger picture of atonement, love, and service that defined the life of the Savior. They failed, despite their claims of great religiousness, to even recognize the Son of God when they saw Him. They lacked the spiritual focus that would have testified to them of His true identity.

True Christianity isn’t trivia—it is accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, loving Him, learning to recognize truth, and then modeling our lives after His own. This is why the Savior did not respect the Pharisees. Their faith was a shallow imitation of true religion, done for show and not for love. In the end, their lack of faith led them to participate in the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, not to an eternity-changing testimony in Him. True religion must be meaningful, deep, and sincere. It must change a person’s life—for the better, for love, and not for show.

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