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Jesus and the Pharisees in the New Testament

The Pharisees were a Jewish religious party whose name derives from the Hebrew perushim, meaning "separated" [1, 4]. They likely descended from the Assideans, a pious group that resisted the Hellenizing policies of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century BC [4]. By the first century, they had become the most popular and influential religious faction among the Jews, distinguished from the Sadducees and Essenes by their strict adherence to both written Torah and oral tradition [4, 5]. The Pharisees were "the strictest observers of the Mosaic ritual" [6], zealous for the law and especially for the traditions of the elders [6].

The Nature of the Conflict

Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees form one of the central narrative threads of the Gospels. The conflict was not incidental but structural: Christ's teaching "did equally overthrow the errors and heresies of the Sadducees, who denied the existence of spirits and a future state; and the pride, tyranny, and hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who were the great imposers of the traditions of the elders" [14]. Though Pharisees and Sadducees were "at variance among themselves," they became "unanimous in their opposition to Christ" [14].

The Gospels record repeated confrontations. Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus [2], and they "went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words" [3]. These encounters often centered on matters of ritual purity, Sabbath observance, and the authority of tradition. In Mark 7, Pharisees questioned why Jesus' disciples failed to observe ceremonial hand-washing, prompting Jesus to attack their elevation of human tradition over divine commandment [8]. The Pharisees had developed elaborate systems of interpretation—for instance, creating "degrees of commitment for oaths" that distinguished between oaths mentioning God directly and those that did not [7]. Jesus exposed this casuistry in Matthew 23, showing that all oaths involve God because he relates to all things [7].

Characteristics and Practices

The sources describe the Pharisees as outwardly moral, self-righteous, and "rigid in fasting" [6]. They fasted twice weekly and tithed meticulously [6]. They were "ambitious of precedence," fond of public recognition, and sought "distinguished titles" [6]. Their scrupulosity extended to minute details of ritual observance while, Jesus charged, they neglected weightier matters of justice and mercy. Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy repeatedly [9], noting how they would rescue an animal on the Sabbath while objecting to healing a human being [9].

Yet the Pharisees were not uniformly hostile. Luke depicts Jesus dining "in the home of a leader of the Pharisees" [13], suggesting some degree of social engagement. The Gospel accounts show Pharisees as serious religious interlocutors, even when their questions were designed to trap Jesus [15]. Their opposition stemmed partly from genuine theological conviction about how to preserve Jewish identity and faithfulness to Torah in a time of Roman occupation.

The Messianic Confrontation

The deeper issue was messianic. The Pharisees "saw Christ in the flesh; they saw the miracles he did; they saw the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead raised; yet they did not give note to these things" as proofs of his messianic identity [11]. When Jesus cast out demons, he declared that "the Kingdom of God itself" had arrived in their midst [10]. The Pharisees were "being confronted with and were rejecting the Kingdom of God" [10]. Jesus' miracles demonstrated the present power of that kingdom, even as its ultimate consummation awaited his return [10].

The Pharisees' rejection was not merely intellectual disagreement but a failure to recognize the fulfillment of the law and prophets standing before them. Jesus insisted that he came not to abolish but to fulfill the scriptures they revered [12], yet their interpretive framework—shaped by tradition and focused on external observance—prevented them from seeing how the law pointed to him.

Sources

  1. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Pharisees — set apart”
  2. Matthew “Matthew 15:1 (ASV) — Then there come to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying,”
  3. Matthew “Matthew 22:15 (BSB) — Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.”
  4. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Pharisees — Separatists (Heb. persahin, from parash, "to separate"). They were probably the successors of the Assideans (i.e., the "pious"), a party that originated in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in revolt against his heathenizing policy. The first mention of them is in a description by Josephus of the three sects or schools into which the Jews were divided (B.C. 145). The other two sects were the Essenes and the Sadducees. In the time of our Lord they were the popular party (John 7:48). They were extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the l”
  5. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Pharisees — a religious party or school among the Jews at the time of Christ, so called from perishin, the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word perushim, "separated." The chief sects among the Jews were the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes, who may be described respectively as the Formalists, the Freethinkers and the Puritans. A knowledge of the opinions and practices of the Pharisees at the time of Christ is of great importance for entering deeply into the genius of the Christian religion. A cursory perusal of the Gospels is sufficient to show that Christ's teachi”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Pharisees, The — A sect of the Jews -- Ac 15:5. The strictest observers of the Mosaic ritual -- Ac 26:5. By descent, especially esteemed -- Ac 23:6. Character of Zealous of the law. -- Ac 15:5; Php 3:5. Zealous of tradition. -- Mr 7:3,5-8; Ga 1:14. Outwardly moral. -- Lu 18:11; Php 3:5,6. Rigid in fasting. -- Lu 5:33; 18:12. Active in proselytising. -- Mt 23:15. Self-righteous. -- Lu 16:15; 18:9. Avaricious. -- Mt 23:14; Lu 16:14. Ambitious of precedence. -- Mt 23:6. Fond of public salutations. -- Mt 23:7. Fond of distinguished titles. -- Mt 23:7-10. Particular in pa”
  7. Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 5:33: 5:33-37 Jesus here summarizes the Old Testament teaching on oaths (Lev 19:12; Num 30:2-4; Deut 23:21-23; Ps 50:14; Zech 8:17). The Pharisees had degrees of commitment for oaths—for example, ones that did not mention God were not as binding. Jesus shows that because God is related to all things (heaven, earth, Jerusalem, my head; see also Matt 23:16-22), breaking any oath breaks God’s command (see Exod 20:7). The point is that one must be altogether truthful. Jesus’ righteousness elevates the disciple’s everyday yes and no to the level of binding oath. Oaths becom”
  8. Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 7:1: 7:1-23 This account has no direct connection with what precedes it. It assumes only a context such as “Once in the ministry of Jesus.” After setting the scene (7:1-4), Mark introduces the Pharisees’ question (7:5), followed by Jesus’ response (7:6-23). The first part of Jesus’ response (7:6-13) centers around two Old Testament passages and a twofold attack on the Pharisees’ traditions (7:6-8, 9-13). In the second part (7:14-23), Jesus teaches about what does and does not truly defile. 7:1 Readers already know that the Pharisees and teachers of religious law were host”
  9. Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 14:5: 14:5 Jesus pointed out the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. See also study note on 13:15-16.”
  10. Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 12:28: 12:28 The Pharisees were being confronted with and were rejecting the Kingdom of God itself (see Luke 17:20-21; 1 Jn 3:8). Jesus’ miracles brought the power of the Kingdom into the present reality; its ultimate consummation awaits Christ’s second coming.”
  11. Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 42:19: Seeing many things, but thou observest not,.... The Scribes and Pharisees, saw Christ in the flesh; they saw the miracles he did; they saw the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead raised; yet they did not give note to these things, and keep them in their minds, and regard them as clear proofs of his being the Messiah: opening the ears, but he heareth not; they heard John Baptist preach, the forerunner of Christ, and the testimony he bore of him; they heard Christ himself and his apostles; they sometimes opened t”
  12. Matthew (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:17: Those to whom Christ preached, and for whose use he gave these instructions to his disciples, were such as in their religion had an eye, 1. To the scriptures of the Old Testament as their rule, and therein Christ here shows them they were in the right: 2. To the scribes and the Pharisees as their example, and therein Christ here shows them they were in the wrong; for, I. The rule which Christ came to establish exactly agreed with the scriptures of the Old Testament, here called the law and the prophets. The prophets were commentators upon the law, and both togeth”
  13. Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 14:1: 14:1 in the home of a leader of the Pharisees: In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is frequently seen dining.”
  14. Matthew (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Matthew 16:1: We have here Christ's discourse with the Pharisees and Sadducees, men at variance among themselves, as appears Act 23:7, Act 23:8, and yet unanimous in their opposition to Christ; because his doctrine did equally overthrow the errors and heresies of the Sadducees, who denied the existence of spirits and a future state; and the pride, tyranny, and hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who were the great imposters of the traditions of the elders. Christ and Christianity meet with opposition on all hands. Observe, I. Their demand, and the design of it. 1. The demand was of a ”
  15. Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 10:3: 10:3 Jesus answered the Pharisees’ trick question with a counter-question (cp. Matt 22:20).”
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