The Pharisee Conflict

The other day I was faced with a conflict. I am involved in a group at my church that meets weekly. It is an incredible time and I always walk away feeling blessed and refreshed. This group is a commitment I have made, and have so far kept quite diligently. The other day, however, I was asked to help someone in need during the time of the group meeting. A family needed a sitter for their baby at the last minute and were desperate. I was faced with what I am going to dub "The Pharisee Conflict."

In situations that revolve around The Pharisee Conflict, a person has to choose between two good things. It is good to have community with other believers and to commit and grow as a group. It is also good to help people in need. With both being good, I reverted back to my old Nineties fad and asked myself, "What would Jesus do?"

If this question is taken seriously, it should bother a lot of religious people. Many Christians, if presented with an opportunity to help out a family on a Sunday would choose to go to church instead, because good Christians go to church. This is similar to the dilemma I was encountering. But Jesus turns this around completely. Check out the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus tells a story of how three men passed by a man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two of the men were religious leaders, the other was a Samaritan. For those that don't know, a Samaritan was a half-breed in the eyes of the Jews, someone who had disregarded the laws of the Torah and was considered pretty worthless. The religious leaders, the supposed "good guys" didn't stop to help, but the Samaritan did. 

Please know that it may not have been because the religious leaders were "bad" people. They had just come from Jerusalem, meaning they had just finished their work in the Temple and had probably been away from their families for a very long time. The Priest and Levite both would have know that they were not supposed to touch or even be near a dead body (Leviticus 21:1-4), and they may not have been able to tell whether the man was dead or alive. Had they helped the man left to die, and he turned out to actually be dead, they would have been considered unclean and required to go through the process of becoming clean again which would take at least seven days. This would mean more time away from their families, and had they any priestly duties to accomplish on the trip home from the Temple, they would not be allowed to complete them due to their uncleanness. Helping this man risked their reputation in the church and risked other potential duties to be completed, so they chose to stay clean.

We cringe when we read that they passed by, but how often do our own efforts of being the "good Christian" render us incapable of truly showing the love we profess? Jesus refused to take this route and was read the riot act by the Pharisees and teachers of the law often. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the church people were disgusted. So much so, that after this healing is when they begin to plot to kill Jesus (Mark 3:1-6). Please don't misunderstand me, the law is a good thing. Jesus himself said he didn't "come to abolish the Law or the Prophets... but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17). The law is a good thing. Should we obey the Sabbath? Yes. Should we go about the work God called us to? Yes. But should we become so intent upon following the rules that we miss a chance to show Jesus to someone else and serve along the way? No.

To hit the point home, look at what Jesus said to the Pharisees (again, these are some of the higher-ups in the church):

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:23-24).

Sometimes, we become so intent upon the rules that we forget about the relationship the rules are trying to preserve. 

I struggled with the decision, but I chose to help out the family that needed a sitter. The whole day I fretted about how I would look to the people at church. I should point out that no one in the group minded and they were fully behind me, but not all churches would respond this way. Ask yourself what Jesus would do. Do not choose to look the part of the devoted follower, take on the actual role. People may frown, religious leaders may become angry, but you will have built a relationship. You will have opened a door to share the word of God. You will have avoided the attitude of a Pharisee.

Go to church and be involved where you can, this is not an excuse to stand on the sidelines. God calls us to righteousness and he calls us to community with other believers. He gave us a law for a reason, and we are meant to live by it. Just try to remember that the law was given to help us live in relationship with God and with others, not to keep us from relationship with them. So build those relationships with both believers and nonbelievers, because it is "not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:12). Jesus ate with those that were sick-- he healed them, he loved them, he served them, whether the religious leaders liked it or not. Who are we to do anything but follow his example?