The Pharisees

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 (Matthew 5:20).

The word "pharisee" means either "separate" or "interpret" in Hebrew. The group of men known as the Pharisees came about around one hundred years before the birth of Christ. The historian Josephus said they functioned as advisors on matters of law. They set themselves apart to carefully interpret and observe Jewish law and became theological policemen for the people. They mainly focused on keeping the dietary laws, ritual purity, and the holiness of the Sabbath. They took responsibility for passing on the oral traditions that came from Moses. 

Although some of the Pharisees were faithful and sincere, many of them enforced the letter of the law so strictly that they had little sympathy or care for people. They'd become legalists and entirely missed the intent of the law. This is what Jesus tried to point out. However, the Pharisees were responsible for setting the standards of Judaism in the first century, and they kept score. To them, Jesus and His disciples just didn't measure up.

Some churches still have Pharisee-like members. These are the people that judge others and ostracize those who don't meet their standards. They usually have a self-righteous attitude just like many of the Pharisees did during Jesus' day. But Jesus teaches that we shouldn't judge others and the condition of our hearts is more important than our performance. That's why righteousness wasn't something that could just be added up on a scorecard. It was a matter of the heart first.

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