Those Pharisees May Fool the World With Their Good Works but NEVER God

Take a look at the picture above.  It's a classic parable scenario where a wolf disguises itself as a sheep, to infiltrate the flock and DEVOUR it.  The sheep are there fooled by the obvious disguise.  Now moving on, there are some people who we think are good and kind, they are model citizens, model students, board topnotchers, open philantropists but there is a lot of dirty secrets behind them. 

In the days of Jesus there are the hypocrites that had during that time, before far a greater threat to Israel's welfare than the Roman occupation which they really were.  While Jesus didn't encourage a rebellion against the Roman government (but He will certainly topple the revived Roman Empire after the end of the Tribulation period) he really spoke a lot more about the Pharisees' ill doings than that of Herod's.  I even have the theory that they may have even permitted Herod II's live-in relationship with his sister-in-law Herodias or influenced the beheading of John the Baptist. the Pharisees appeared to be very good people to the public- giving alms in public (to which they announced with a trumpet), they lived far more decent lives than the outcasts like the prostitutes and the publicans (they were traitors to Israel because they worked for Caesar).  Humanly speaking, it did not make much sense for Jesus to give such scathing condemnation to these "pious" individuals.  However truth needs be told that the Pharisees were really very no better than the publicans and harlots because of their sinfulness.  

Such men were hypocrites at best. What was their motive for doing good works? Was it to please God?  In a way they think they can please God with their righteousness.  They were quick to condemn the repentant sinners of their day like Zaccheus or Mary Magdalene as if they were not sinners.  In short, they were self-righteous.  In Matthew 23:4-9 says, "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and they them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries (pieces of cloth with verses of Scripture, emphasis mine) and enlarge the boarders of their garments.  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues.  And greetings in the market and to be called of men, Rabbi, rabbi.  But be ye not called Rabbi for one is your Master, even Christ and all ye are brethren.  And call no man your father upon the earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven."  The Pharisees may have fooled a lot of people but they could not fool Jesus Christ who is God incarnate!  Jesus publicly even told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:10-14 of just how snobs the Pharisees were- doing their good works to fool people than for God's glory.  Quite different from Christians doing good works only because of God's grace!

Here's a rather strange picture or caricature that should talk a lot of sense.  Today's modern day top Pharisees are the Vatican's council of the Pope and his priestly minions.  What is so strange is that Pope Benedict XVI said "Don't be a Pharisee" when the Pope is not the successor of Peter's glorious ministry as a pastor with a wife as the Bible says they should be but to the rotten chair of Caiaphas which was in a sense, transferred to the Vatican Hill.  As said, these wicked men may fool the world but they cannot fool God.  How often has it been since the truth has now come out and made Benedict XVI want to resign as soon as this month ends?  And also, there have been a good amount of scandals of other types of Pharisees like the Ang Dating Daan where its cult leader is a homosexual, the ugly scandals of the Iglesia ni Manalo, Mormon sex scandals, etc. that are also revealed aside from the Vatican's crimes exposed after centuries of hiding.