The Heart Of The Matter Series

We know that the Pharisees possessed an external, superficial, and hypocritical righteousness. However, most Jews who saw a Scribe or Pharisee on the streets, inside a synagogue, or within the Temple complex thought that they were the pinnacle of righteousness. These men went to great lengths to appear pious to others. Concerning this, Jesus said:

“They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others”. (Matthew 23:5-7)

“Phylacteries” were small cube-shaped leather cases that contained Scripture passages written on parchment. These phylacteries were worn on the left arm and the forehead as a literal way to obey the admonition recorded in Deuteronomy 11:18. There the LORD said: “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. “Fringes” is a reference to tassels with a blue cord that were attached to the four corners of a man’s garment. The purpose of these fringes was to remind the people to be holy and to obey God’s commands. The Pharisees would make the phylacteries larger and their fringes longer in an effort to appear exceedingly pious to others.

The Pharisees also craved “places of honor at feasts” and “the best seats in the synagogue”. Whether it be at a banquet or a worship service in a local synagogue, in ancient Israel seating was commonly assigned to guests based on their position or status in the community. The Pharisees did not just want to enjoy the best seats and places of honor, they felt that they deserved them because of their piety. The Pharisees also enjoyed receiving “greetings in the marketplaces” and “being called rabbi by others”. The term Rabbi literally meant “my lord,” but it was also commonly used for renowned teachers of the law, most frequently heads of rabbinical schools. Jesus’ detailed description of their actions makes it clear that the Pharisees most certainly stood out in a crowd and that was their intention. They prided themselves on public piety.

Later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns against acting in the same manner as the “hypocrites” who metaphorically sound a trumpet when they do a good deed. Such people do this, not to honor and please God but to receive praise from their fellow man. Notice the words of the Savior in (Matthew 6:1-3):

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Again I say, it is easy for us to analyze and criticize the actions of the Scribes and Pharisees, but there are many times when we are guilty of acts that are very similar and in some cases exactly the same as theirs. Many people, (even genuine Christians) have a tendency to do the right things for the wrong reasons. Rather than having an authentic desire to honor and please the Lord, they want to be seen and praised by man.