Pharisees Are Suspicious and Assume the Worst About Other People
The Pharisees' suspicious nature is rooted in their selfishness and inability to believe in selfless motives, causing them to attribute evil motives to good deeds.
Zac Poonen addresses the critical nature of the Pharisees, who, despite witnessing Jesus' miraculous acts, chose to attribute them to evil motives rather than recognizing His divine authority. He highlights the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who are quick to judge others while being partial to their own family members. This sermon emphasizes the danger of suspicion and the tendency to assume the worst about others, which stems from a selfish heart. Poonen calls for self-examination to avoid falling into the same critical mindset that the Pharisees exhibited.
Text
"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.
Sermon Outline
- The Pharisees' Suspicious Nature
- The Root Cause of Pharisees' Suspicious Nature
- Selfishness
- Inability to believe in selfless motives
Key Quotes
“Pharisees are very suspicious of others and cannot believe that anyone would do anything with a selfless motive - because they themselves are so selfish.” — Zac Poonen
“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.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- Be aware of your own tendency to attribute evil motives to good deeds and to be critical of others.
- Recognize that selfishness is the root cause of a critical spirit and work to overcome it.
- Strive to believe in the possibility of selfless motives and to appreciate the good deeds of others.