Typing for Two: February 2 (Shevat 8) ~ Matthew 16

BEWARE OF THE DOCTRINES OF THE PHARISEES ...

S - Scripture: Matthew 16:1-28

... beware ... of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees ...

O - Observations:

The Pharisees in Jesus' day were those who were outwardly moral, they were revered for their zealousness and dedication. They were held up as models to immitate. The Sadducees were "liberal". They were popular among the high-class minority. Two parties, the conservatives and the liberals.

Jesus warns us here to be discerning (prosechō = to guard oneself, to beware, to watch, to discern). Of what were the disciples to discern or watch for? The Pharisees and Sadducees doctrines (didachē = that which is taught, instruction, to deliver didactic discourses, to impart instruction, to explain or expound a thing). Today we might define doctrine as a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative.

What I see here is that Jesus had his teaching or instruction (Torah, the WORD) and the Pharisees and Sadducees had their teaching and instruction. In yesterday's scripture, in the first half of Matthew 15:9, Jesus said that the Pharisees were worshiping God in vain. Now look at the second half of Matthew 15:9. We know that they were worshiping in vain because of their DOCTRINE. They were "teaching [as] doctrines [the] precepts of men" (Matthew 15:9b). Their doctrine was not the doctrine of Holy Scripture. Their doctrine was man-made tradition (Matthew 15:6). They did not abide in the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9). They did not make their judgments based on Scripture; instead, they made them based on their own (and their fathers') vain imaginations.

How are we to know what their doctrine was? The fruit is what his mouth speaks, and his mouth speaks what is in his heart. We know what the doctrine of the Pharisees was by what doctrine they confessed with their mouths. And the doctrine they confessed with their mouths was the doctrine they believed in their hearts.

Luke 18:9 gives us the very heart of Pharisaism: "And He also spoke this parable to some of those relying on themselves, that they are righteous, and despising the rest." They trusted in themselves - they had confidence in themselves - that they were righteous. They were ignorant of THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. They judged others to be unrighteous because the others were not keeping the law, yet they were judging themselves to be righteous because of their own law-keeping. They thought that their own law-keeping satisfied God's demand for righteousness. They did not realize that they too were unregenerate because they too did not have a righteousness that satisfied God's demand.

The Pharisees self-righteously, hypocritically despised all others who did not meet the same standard of law-keeping that they met. They would not even eat with the tax collectors and other sinners, because they were so self-righteously aloof.

But Jesus showed that only those who were sinners in need of a healer, who do not have a righteousness in themselves that answers God's demands or recommends them to God, who do not deserve to be in fellowship with God, are the ones He came to call to repentance.

In Luke 18 in the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector note that the tax collector is put in stark contrast with the Pharisee. Instead of thanking God for enabling him to meet the condition for acceptance before God, the tax collector knew that he could not meet the condition or be enabled to meet the condition and begged for mercy. True humility!

The Pharisee thought that his own deeds, which he thanked God for, made the difference. The tax collector was one who humbled himself. He had no boast in himself. He knew that there was nothing he could do or be enabled to do that would make the difference between salvation and damnation.

The above was excerpted from "What is a Pharisee?" from http://www.outsidethecamp.org/pharisee.htm

A - Application for me today:

How often have I thanked God for my ability to keep His commandments, been a Pharisee of sorts. This tells me that just because I give God credit for my so called "accomplishments", it doesn't necessarily bring Him glory and it certainly doesn't do anything for my own regeneration and salvation. I want to be like the tax collector simply begging for mercy!!! I want the heart of the tax collector that knew NOTHING he did would bring salvation.

P - Prayer in response:

I want your healing Father. I want your salvation. Give me the heart of the tax collector. Take away all my Pharisitical doctrines and let me cling only to your teaching and instruction. Have mercy on me LORD and forgive me for all my self-righteousness which is a stench in your nostrils. Forgive me.

I am at your mercy ...

In keeping with our theme this month, fall in love with the One who gives mercy to our souls.