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Firm Foundations

Creation to Christ

Lesson 40 - The Way of the Scribes and Pharisees is Not God's Way

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REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Why were many of the people following Jesus? Because Jesus had given them food.

2. What were the Jews remembering when they ate the feast of the Passover? They were remembering the time when their forefathers were in Egypt and the angel of death passed over their firstborn because God saw the blood which they had placed on the doorposts of their houses.

3. How many loaves and how many fish did Jesus have when He started to feed the five thousand people? Five loaves and two fish.

4. Why was Jesus able to do such great miracles? Because Jesus is God.

5. Why didn’t Jesus let the people make Him their king? Because He knew the hearts of the people. They didn’t want Jesus because He Him to be their king so He would give them material things and deliver them from the Romans who controlled their country.

6. How was Jesus like the manna which God gave to the Israelites in the wilderness?

a. The manna was given from Heaven by God. Jesus was sent from Heaven to be the Deliverer.

b. The Israelites would have died if God had not given them the manna. If God had not sent Jesus to be our Deliverer, we would all go to everlasting punishment.

c. All those who ate the manna were saved from physical death. All those who trust only in Jesus are saved from everlasting death, separation from God in the everlasting fire.

Have you ever bought a used car—you know, one of those that looks nice and clean? You may have discovered (too late) that the only part of that car that was in good condition was the paint job! Had you known what was really inside, you never would have bought it.

We can’t always look inside things, but God sees everything.

- Note:

A typical Pharisee wore on his forehead a little leather box containing Scripture verses. He had another box attached to his arm by a leather thong. God had given the Israelites instructions to bind His laws on their hands and to put His laws between their eyes; they had taken God literally and were wanting everyone to see their observance of His Law. When the typical Pharisee gave money to the poor, he made sure that everyone was aware that he was going to give, so they could watch him deposit his gift in the treasury. He liked to pray in public so everyone could see his piety and devotion.

The things he was doing—observing the Law, giving, praying— were not in themselves offensive to the Lord. It was the attitude of his heart that was wrong. He was not doing these things because he believed and trusted in God to save him from his sins. Instead, he thought he was good enough to please God, and he wanted people to see just how good he was.

The Pharisees disapproved of Jesus’ disciples because they did not do many things which the Pharisees said were necessary for a person to be accepted by God.

- The scribes and Pharisees had added many rules to God’s words.

- They taught that a person must follow these rules in order to be accepted by God.

- These Jewish leaders were very proud that they followed these rules (though they often broke the rules themselves).

- Note:

The Pharisees had added literally hundreds of laws to the original laws given to Moses by God. No one was able to keep all these laws; but the Pharisees lorded it over the people and condemned them whenever they broke a law, even though the Pharisees were committing the same offenses themselves. They had no compassion on sinners; they only made burdens heavier and more unbearable by adding to the load of guilt and condemnation.

They were hypocrites.

- They prided themselves on doing all the outward things, such as washing their hands, pots, and tables before they ate. - But they did not realize or care that God saw all the evil in their hearts.

- Consider:

There are people like this today, who make quite a show of their religion, criticizing those who aren’t like them; yet in their own hearts, they themselves are still under Satan’s rule.

Jesus quoted what the prophet Isaiah had spoken about the Jews.

- They said many good things about God with their lips.

- But in their hearts, they did not love God nor believe and obey His Word.

God did not accept the worship of the Jews who did not mean it with their hearts.

- God rejected them.

- They did not come to God agreeing with Him that they were sinners and trusting in His promises regarding the Deliverer.

- Consider:

There are still those who teach their own ideas instead of God’s Word. Many religions today teach rules that are not found in the Bible. People are taught that if they follow these rules and do the things these religions teach, they will be accepted by God.

- God says that such teaching is useless.

- Those people say they are following and worshiping God, but they are not.

- Those who trust in keeping rules will not be accepted by God. It is very wrong to add to or take away anything from God’s Word.

The scribes and Pharisees also put great emphasis on not eating certain food. They thought that this, too, would help them to be accepted by God.

Jesus made it very clear that it isn’t what we eat that makes us unacceptable to God, but the sinful things that God sees in our hearts.

- Consider:

How can what a person eats or refuses to eat change what is in his heart? What we eat or don’t eat will never change our sinful hearts, and it will never make us acceptable to God.

God sees all of these wicked things in our hearts.

- They are the things which make us unacceptable to God.

- Even if we do not actually do these things, God says that many evil things, which He hates, are still in our hearts; and therefore, He cannot accept us.

- Consider:

Take a close look at this list in Mark 7:21-23. If we are honest with ourselves, we will probably find something on the list that describes some of the things that go on in our hearts. Maybe we’ve not stolen anything, but have we ever had pride in our hearts and forgotten to give God the credit for what He actually gave us the strength to accomplish?

A verse to consider is Deuteronomy 8:18, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth,…” We need to keep in mind James 2:10 which says that if we’ve broken just one of God’s commandments, we’re guilty of breaking them all.

Jesus was telling a parable. A parable is a story about things in this world, but it teaches us something about God and our relationship with Him. The Pharisee went up to the temple to talk to God.

- He was a proud man, and he was trusting in his own goodness and the things which he did.

- He thought that he was good enough for God to accept him because of what he did.

- Consider:

This Pharisee was like Cain. Cain came to God in his own way, trusting in the things which he himself had grown from the ground.

Just as God rejected Cain, God also rejected this Pharisee.

- Consider:

Is the Pharisee’s position before God any different from the person today who relies on his own good works to save him? No. Both are separated from God by their sins. Satan knows that men and women today are still able to be controlled through their pride, like this Pharisee was. The Pharisee believed that in himself he had sufficient goodness to please God.

How many people today are relying on their good works to save them? If you were to ask a number of people why God should accept them into His Heaven, many would probably tell you that they are hoping to be accepted because of the good things they’ve done.

They have lived a good life.

They have belonged to a church.

They were baptized.

They have worked hard in a benevolent organization.

They have given to charity.

They have been a good provider for their family

They have done many good works to provide for the less fortunate.

Or, they might tell you that God should accept them because of what they don’t do.

They don’t drink.

They don’t smoke.

They don’t lie or steal.

After all, they’re better than the man who does these things, aren’t they? Or are they? God says all have sinned. All are separated from Him, and there is nothing anyone can do by his own efforts to reunite himself with God.

God says in Isaiah 64:6 that “…But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;…

- Recall:

Do you remember someone else we read about who was a tax collector (also called a publican)? Yes, it was Levi, called Matthew. Do you remember what the people thought of tax collectors? They hated them because most tax collectors took extra money from the people and kept it—they were actually stealing from the people.

This tax collector did not try to hide his sinfulness from God.

- He saw himself as God saw him.

- He agreed with God about his own sinfulness.

- He knew that, if God did not send a Savior, he would spend all eternity being punished by God for his sins. But this man trusted in the Lord as his Savior.

- God had mercy on him.

- He forgave him and accepted him.

- Consider:

He was like Abel who agreed with God and trusted only in God to be his Deliverer.

The Pharisee would not admit that he was a guilty and helpless sinner who needed God’s mercy, so his sins were not forgiven by God. God rejected him just as He had rejected unbelieving, rebellious Cain.

The tax collector (publican) was different.

- He believed God’s Word and admitted that he was a helpless sinner who could only be saved from God’s judgment by the mercy of God.

- This tax collector deserved to be separated from God forever.

- But because of God’s love, mercy, and grace, He accepted the tax collector just as He had accepted Abel who trusted in God’s Word.

Even though a man may not be well liked, and even though he has not done anything that men would call good, God still will accept that man if he comes to Him by faith, trusting in Jesus Christ as his Saviour. God will accept that man on the basis of his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior.

- That is the only way God will accept anyone.

- He will reject anyone who comes to Him any other way.

There is simply nothing we can do to save ourselves.

QUESTIONS:

1. Why were the Pharisees angry with Jesus’ disciples?

2. What did the prophet Isaiah say about people like the Pharisees?

3. Is it right for anyone to add his own ideas and rules to the Bible?

4. Does what we eat or wear make us acceptable or unacceptable to God?

5. Man judges by what we do outwardly, but where does God look?

6. What are the sinful things which God sees in every person’s heart?

7. Why did God accept the tax collector and refuse the Pharisee?

Suggested Daily Bible Readings:

Day 196: Luke, Chapters 11 and 12

Day 197: Luke, Chapters 13 and 14

Day 198: Luke, Chapters 15 and 16

Day 199: Luke, Chapters 17 and 18

Day 200: Luke, Chapters 19 and 20