Are We Pharisees?نموونە

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. (Proverbs 29:25 NIV)

When we eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, certain things become clear to us. People are deadly. They can kill us and/or replace us in a moment. People are powerful; and they can put us in positions of power. People can provide us with immense wealth and pleasure! They are like the winds and the wisest social sailors can rule the masses.

The Pharisees knew this, as did Herod. It was Herod’s fear of man that beheaded John the Baptist, and the Pharisees’ social navigation skills, taught by their fear of man, which enabled them to conspire in secret to put Jesus to death, manipulate the crowds, override Pilate, and crucify Jesus.

Let’s take note: eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, evidently, can ally political and religious leaders together against God… and with Satan. As Psalm 2 puts it:

Why are the nations so angry?

Why do they waste their time with futile plans?

2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the LORD

and against his anointed one.

3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,

“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

The apostles in the early church, having been beaten and threatened by the Pharisees, quoted this passage and then prayed:

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:27-30)

The apostles knew it’s impossible to be a true worshiper while fearing people more than we fear God. They had learned to trust Him, beyond their comprehension. They knew, through and through, God is for us, and radically allied themselves to God and His interests. They saw dangers, to be sure, yet the most dangerous prospect on their horizon was distance from God. They sought union with God, knowing it required their total surrender to Him. They knew God is the most fearsome, powerful, and wonderful. They knew God is bigger and smarter. They preferred to die rather than walk with Jesus less.

None of this makes any sense to us when we eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, though. We may offer lip service, but our lives will testify otherwise.

If we’re honest, many times, most of us are much more afraid of and impressed with people than we are of God. So, let’s discuss some ways we fear man.

A prominent way we often mask our autonomy and our fear of man is tradition. Yielded to God, traditions can be powerful social constructs, which help us connect to God and each other. When it meant obeying His father, Jesus didn’t hesitate to break the traditions of the time, though.

Similarly, another way we do this is by our fearful adherence to social norms. Jesus wasn’t afraid to obey His Father, even when it shattered these, too. In fact, He obeyed even when it drew ire from religious leaders and businessmen.

Our offense at the violation of our traditions, social norms, and our reticence to offend others can be phenomenal indicators of our autonomy and, specifically, our fear of man. (Our fear of man is, of course, a blatant indicator of our idolatry. As people, we can often try to replace God with ourselves.)

When it leads us away from what the Holy Spirit is leading us to do, social relevance becomes spiritually irrelevant. And what good is tradition, if the Spirit of God is leading us differently? What good is refraining from offending men if we’re offending God? The fear of men and women may make us expert social navigators and politicians, filled with beautiful traditions and niceties, and line our pockets handsomely… but what good is it if it leads us to oppose God?

We can forget persecution is a hallmark of obedience to God, and that the Kingdom of Man (the kingdom of self-rule) has an inherent conflict of interest with the Kingdom of God (the kingdom of God’s rule).

Joy Dawson taught the cure for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord--to have greater respect for God than we do for man. The Apostles asked for bravery to fear God more than men. Maybe we should do the same? Our favorite characters in the Old and New Testaments deemed God’s thoughts and desires more important than those of men and women, even the most powerful. They obeyed God, even when it was in defiance of peers, social constructs, leaders, and even nations.

So, let’s ask ourselves: what/who is holding us back from obeying God? What/who is most important? Our rules? Our traditions? Our peers? Are we afraid of social backlash? … Are we Pharisees?