It always amazes me how the group of people that Jesus was the hardest on was the Pharisees, not the sinners, not the sick, not the excluded people from society, not even the foreigners. The group of men that claimed to be the holiest of all, were the ones who hated and crucified Jesus Christ. Now you may be wondering, if the Pharisees were so horrible why even talk about them now? Well unfortunately, there is still so much Pharisee-like behavior and qualities present in Christians nowadays. That’s why today I am sharing 18 eye-opening bible verses about Pharisees.
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18 Eye Opening Bible Verses About Pharisees
Who Were The Pharisees?
Members of a religious and strict jewish sect that advocated for keeping the law of Moses and following traditions established by their “fathers”, but did more damage than good.
They claimed to be self-righteous and were notorious for showing an external holiness, but internally were more broken than the people they themselves judged.
Jesus referred to them as:
- Hypocrites
- Blind guides
- Whitewashed tombs
- Brood of vipers
What Do Pharisees Do?
1) Bind heavy burdens on others that they themselves can not carry.
Matthew 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. (NKJV)
2) Focus on the external (appearance) rather than the internal (the heart).
Matthew 23:25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. (NKJV)
3) Do things just to be seen by men.
Matthew 23:5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. (NKJV)
4) Don’t actually live what they preach to others.
Matthew 23:2-3 The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. (NKJV)
5) Crave attention, recognition, and titles.
Matthew 23:6-7 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ (NKJV)
Luke 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. (NKJV)
6) Influence others and turn them into Pharisees as well, but worst.
Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (NKJV)
7) Become an obstacle for others who want to follow God and not religion.
Matthew 23:13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. (NKJV)
8) Follow what is convenient to them, but neglect what matters the most: justice, mercy, and faith.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. (NKJV)
9) Appear to be something they are not.
Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.(NKJV)
10) Try to hide their greed and wickedness underneath a mask.
Luke 11:39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. (NKJV)
11) Set their own man-made rules and condemn those who don’t follow them.
Matthew 23:16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. (NKJV)
12) Believe they are better and holier than everyone else.
Luke 18:10-12 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ (NKJV)
13) Attempt to cover their sinful lifestyle by doing religious works.
Luke 20:46-47 “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” (NKJV)
14) Concerned on cleansing the outside of others, when their inside is filthy.
Matthew 23:26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. (NKJV)
15) Flee from the truth.
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (NKJV)
16) Destroy what matters in order to continue their sinful lifestyle.
Matthew 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. (NKJV)
17) Indulge in hypocrisy.
Luke 12:1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (NKJV)
18) Claim to be self-righteous but practice sin.
leaven = sin
Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (NKJV)
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Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed reading these 18 eye-opening bible verses about pharisees. Let me know in the comments below which bible verses about pharisees impacted you the most.
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Sending you blessings & love,
Gabby Abigail
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