THE 39 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHARISEES

1. They like religious events. (Matt. 3:7)

2. They are self righteous. (Malt. 6:20)

3. They love to observe pretentious religious practices. (Matt. 9:14; 23:14)

4. They attribute true works of God, to the devil. (Matt. 9:34; 12:24)

5. They love to tempt God’s servants (Matt. 12:38; 16:1; Mark 8:11; 10:2; (John 8:3)

6. They love tradition (Malt. 15:1-2; Mark 7:3-5)

7. They ore hypocrites (Matt. 16:6, 11, 12; Mark 8:15; Luke 11:43; 12:1)

8. They are worldly wise and perceptive. (Matt. 21:45)

9. They do what they can to stop people from being saved. (Matt. 23:13)

10. They question helping men of low estate and the baser sort. (Mark 2:16)

11. They reject God’s true authority and counsel. (Luke 7:30)

12. They emphasize externals while neglecting Internals. (Luke 11:42)

13. They love religious offices and recognition. (Luke 11:43)

14. They are dead. (Luke 11:43-44)

15. They aggressively pursue and provoke the servants of God. (Luke 11:53)

16. They ridicule converts with charges of incredulity and deception. (John 7:47)

17. They bring consensuses of the notables against dissenting views. (John 7:48)

18. They will go to any lengths to trip up God’s servants. (John 8:3-6)

19. They reject light and deny it or explain it away. (John 8:13)

20. They love to question and intimidate new converts. (John 9:13-27; 12:42)

21. They have no real spiritual perception. (Luke 11:20; John 3:1 - 4)

22. They employ stoolies and traitors. (John 11:46, 57; 18:3)

23. They are unable to mentally separate internals from externals. (Acts 15:5)

24. They are often doctrinally correct, hence dangerous. (Acts 23:8)

25. They ore often divided, (Acts 23:9)

26. They will lie on you. (Acts 26:59)

27. While not keen on soul-winning, they love to proselyte. (Matt. 23:25)

28. They are covetous and seek to have preeminence at the expense and derision of others. (Luke 16:14)

29. They seek to close the mouths of God’s servants by command or by force. (Luke 19:39; John 7:32)

30. They love to question legitimacy, authority, and methods of others. (Matt. 9:11; 12:2; 19:3; Mark 2:24; Luke 5:30-33; 6:2; 15:2; John 1:24-25; John 9:29-33)

31. They are adept at sophistry and seek to entangle God’s servants in their words. (Matt. 22:15; Mark 12:13)

32. They love to flock, denominate, and gang up on God’s servants. (Matt. 22:34 - 41; 26:59; Mark 7:1 -2; Mark. 14:55; 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 11:41; Acts 4:15; 5:21 -27; 6:15; 22:30; 23:1-20)

33. They are masters of cleaning up the exterior, while having dirty interiors (Matt. 23:27; Luke 11:39)

34. They heap praise on their denominational fathers, who had no
resemblance to them (Matt. 23:29)

35. They will team up with the world and servants. (John 11:47; 12:19) evil government to destroy God’s servants (Matt. 27:62; Mark 3:6

36. They are ever vigilant to examining God’s servants to find things with which to charge them. (Luke 5:17; 6:7; 14:1)

37. They are on arrogant, reviling, unteachable, self righteous, and spiritually blind bunch. (John 9:28-34)

38. They love to bring up a convert’s or dissenter’s (from their program) past to intimidate them, employing threats and reprisal on them. (John 9:34-35)

39. They ore often frustrated and undecided what to do about God’s real servants. (John 11:47; 12:19)

– by Herb Evans