modern day pharisees

As a quick disclaimer, those who read regularly will probably know this already, but I pull no punches in this post. Read at your own risk, and possible discomfort.

Philosopher, poet, and critic, George Santayana, once wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." It is a saying that has become cliche, often repeated (or misstated) and often glazed over. Sadly, today we could re-work that saying to perhaps be stated as, those who obsess on the past are blinded to the parallels that can be drawn with the present. By thoroughly understanding something in its true historical context, we can often inadvertently place it solely in the past and avoid confronting similar circumstances in our own lives. Let's think about this for a moment.

Have Christians come full circle? Are many of us now the modern incarnation of the Pharisees? What about Zealots? Or Herodians and Sadducees?

Don't be too hasty in forming your answer, think about it, a casual dismissal of the idea could be just as telling. Let's look at the Pharisees first: highly righteous, adhered to strict laws of purity, abhorred sinners and would not associate with sinners except to publicly show their benevolence, and they believed that God would send the Messiah only once everyone stopped sinning. How different is that from people today? Of any group out there, who are most often labeled as having "holier than thou" attitudes? Why exactly is it that some people feel that people seeking faith have to check their sins and worldly ways at the door of the church, often before even being baptized?

You want to know how I could possibly think Zealots relate to today? How popular is that Left Behind book series, and what are they about? Oh, yeah something about Jesus coming back to resurrect the faithful, judge and persecute the unfaithful, establish an earthly kingdom, and lead a final battle to defeat evil. Sound like the Zealots to you, with their hope for a violent overthrowing of their enemies and establishment of a righteous political entity?

Herodians and Sadducees should be fairly obvious by now, right? Let's see, Herodians and Sadducees were both collaborators with the Roman occupiers, essentially playing nice with the powers that be in order to gain influence to maintain their status quo. The Sadducees went even a few steps further and were even more elitist and righteous than the Pharisees, as they rejected many of the newer teachings of the day (resurrection, afterlife, spirits, etc). To me, that smacks of the stereotypical fundamental/conservative/right-wing Christian political lobbyist groups that are in the news more and more frequently.

I told you I wasn't going to pull any punches here, and it's not because I think I am somehow better than anyone else. I'd be the first in line to pronounce that I am not perfect, I don't have all the answers, and I struggle with sin and Jesus' way of life. However, I find it troubling to think that we have come so far, only to find ourselves right back where we started. I often wonder if Jesus were to come back again today, would he try to come to the various Christian groups first, only to find our reaction to him reminiscent of how the Jews responded two thousand years ago? Makes you wonder...