Pictures from the Prodigal: The Pharisee's Pride

Pictures from the Prodigal: Pride of the Pharisees

There was a particular audience to whom Christ spoke as He gave the parable of the Prodigal Son. “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying” (Luke 15:1-3). There was a group of individuals who did not like the fact that Christ took time to tend to those who were “publicans and sinner.” Publicans were the tax collectors of the time and those who were Jewish were considered to be turncoats to the Jewish people. Sinners would be an obvious reference to those individuals whom the Pharisees perceived to be beneath them.  These Pharisees were self-righteous and needed to be taught a very valuable lesson.

Who were the Pharisees and the Scribes?

The word Pharisee came from a Hebrew word which meant, “to separate.” These individuals thought of themselves as being separate from the rest of the Jews due to their “knowledge and righteousness.” “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:10-12). One misconception this author always had was that the Pharisees were among some of the elite members of society but in reality most of the Pharisees were blue collar workers. This allowed them to be the most vocal and influential members of the Jewish society.  They viewed themselves as being more faithful to God than others and likely this led to their self-righteous condition. It is likely these individuals honestly wanted to be faithful to God. The Pharisees viewed the Old Testament as being inspired by God and worthy of following. With this knowledge, it seems these individuals really wanted to follow God. The problem is the Pharisees also had six hundred man-made laws which were passed down from generation to generation and viewed them to be as binding as the Old Law. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time…” (Matt. 5:21a).

The Pharisees were constantly violating the spirit of the Law through these traditions and philosophies. There are constant times in which Christ said, “You say this but I say unto you.” What He meant was, “This is what you have been teaching but this is what God has always wanted” (Matt. 5:31-32). There was another problem with their holding to so many man-made doctrines. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9). Jesus said that any type of worship that is done according to the commandments of men is “vain worship.” The word vain gives the idea of “to no use.” Christ said that worship done according to the commandments of men and not the commandments of God is useless worship.

It is to these people that Christ is addressing the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son (Luke 15:1-2). These individuals are also the ones who fit the picture of pride, which is portrayed in the Prodigal’s eldest brother.