01.11. CHARACTERISTIC 8

CHARACTERISTIC 8 Pharisees are suspicious and assume the worst about other people

“The Pharisees said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” (Matthew 12:24). When Jesus cast out a demon, the crowds said, “This must be the Son of David (the promised Messiah)” (Matthew 12:23). But the Pharisees were disturbed by the fact that Jesus did something they themselves could not do. And so they assumed the worst.

Even when someone does something good that blesses others, Pharisees will attribute an evil motive for that deed. If, however their own children had done the same thing, they would have boasted about it and attributed the best of motives – because Pharisees are partial towards their own family members, but very critical of others. Pharisees are very suspicious of others and cannot believe that anyone would do anything with a selfless motive – because they themselves are so selfish. If you are a Pharisee, you will find yourself attributing wrong motives for the good that others do and being critical of those whom others appreciate.