Jesus and the Pharisees

Pharisees were religious leaders in Jesus’ day. They studied God’s law and knew it really well. They also dressed in fancy robes to make themselves stand out among the people. They thought they were really cool. Jesus had a problem with this. He didn’t like the attitude of the Pharisees or how they treated people. They were supposed to be the experts on God’s ways but they sure didn’t act the way God wanted them to act. So, Jesus called them out every chance he got. He reminded everyone, including the Pharisees, that just knowing God’s law wasn’t enough. The point of the law was to show the people how to live to honor God. One of the main points of the law was to love people the way God has loved us. The Pharisees weren’t loving at all and so they were terrible representatives of God’s love. Jesus taught that what’s in the heart is more important than what’s in the brain. So, just knowing what the Bible says isn’t enough. It’s living it out that matters and we need a relationship with Jesus to do that. So kids, let’s not be like the Pharisees who acted like know it alls. Let’s be like Jesus who lived out what the Bible said by loving and serving others.