Pharisees

Pharisees

Christ was always scathing when he dealt with Pharisees

Though they had the equal of theology degrees.

They spent their time in study of what their bible said

And you can bet they always prayed before they went to bed.

Of course their understanding was based on nothing less

Than the word of Moses, so they didn’t have to guess.

All the rules for pleasing God were written down by him,

Even if the half of them were really rather grim.

They had been taught adherence was the way to get along

So when our saviour disagreed they knew He must be wrong!

They could quote the Torah to back their point of view

And were forever spouting forth to show how much they knew!

They took entrenched positions and knew that they were right

There were no other points of view. It was black or white.

They persecuted others with whom they disagreed

In their very pious view, just as god decreed!

No wonder that our Saviour attacked them when he could

Hoping that his message might be understood.

I wonder how He might have felt if he had, had to see

The way his church, though built on love, dealt with heresy?

Was this not another case of the pious and the proud

Making sure their point of view was the only one allowed?

Would our Lord just stand and watch a persecution wave

Engulfing quite a number of the ones he came to save?

At least within our modern world there are no inquisitions

But still the pious and the proud will take entrenched positions.

They will not see that anyone should take another view

And to hound them for their misbelief is what they’d like to do!

If Christ were here to witness his attitude might be

That he’d just encountered another Pharisee!