As I read about the Pharisees, I discovered quite a bit of new and informative information that I didn't know before. So, while reading these articles, I learned many new things about the Pharisees. For example, the word Pharisee means “pure” or “separate,” and the term known as the Pharisees was used to refer to a group of Jewish men who distanced themselves from ungodly or unrighteous men. In doing so, they established their own set of rules and commandments to reestablish their connection to holiness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Pharisees believed in another law besides the established laws of Moses, called the Oral Law. They believed that they were called to be teachers of the “oral law” that they had invented because only the Pharisees believed that the law should be taught orally. The Pharisees had many rules and many different things that they believed. To begin with, a few of them said that God controls all things, but the decisions individuals make also affect their lives. Additionally, they believed that the spiritual realm including angels and demons was real. They also believed that there was an afterlife, with appropriate rewards and punishments depending on each individual. And they also believed in the idea that there would be a resurrection of the dead. Although these rules establish differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they set them aside to help and bring about the death of Christ. The Pharisees are often seen as adversaries of God and in the Bible they come across as very hypocritical people. An example of this can be found when Jesus said in Matthew 23:3, “What they preach, they do not practice.” This meant that even though they thought they continued to please God because they followed and kept certain laws, that was not enough for God. As He says in Matthew, they failed to keep the most important part of the laws which was to be faithful, to have mercy and to have justice for others and not just for themselves. Upon entering this brotherhood, they did so by taking an oath before 3 men who would witness where they would spend the rest of their lives observing and practicing every detail of their laws. In conclusion, the Pharisees were Jesus' greatest advocates and considered religious conservatives. They rejected his claims that he was the Messiah, they accused Jesus of doing things he never did, including being accused of practicing demonic things, and they plotted to kill him. They did all of this because of the values ​​that the Pharisees believed to be right. The greatest criticisms of Jesus in the Bible were aimed at the Pharisees, and even after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension, the Pharisees still found a way to mistreat his disciples. Now that I have fully understood and learned the way and life of the Pharisees, I can use this to better connect the story of Luke 7:36-50 and how the Pharisees would react to this story of one of their own, Simon , and why he did what he did in this story. This story is unusual because it can be difficult to understand if you just look at it and don't know the story of the Pharisees and Jesus. Simon the Pharisee could not understand why Jesus, a holy man and one above all, would have a sinful woman touch him the way she did. Simon was very skeptical, and this shows at the beginning of the story. Even if he tried to believein Jesus, he could not open his mind to this, as many of us struggle to do. The sinful woman knew Jesus and knew his forgiveness and healing of others, she also knew that Simon would not be happy to see a sinner in his house because of the laws he obeyed. The woman was captivated by Jesus and wanted to show him her love by crying, wiping, cleaning, and kissing his feet. This act that everyone at that dinner saw was very shocking and scandalous, especially to Simon the Pharisee. Simon judged both Jesus and the sinful women for their actions, he knew Jesus to be a teacher and was no longer sure if Jesus was who he claimed to be of what. he let this woman do it. It wasn't so much the touching of Jesus that bothered Simon, it just bothered Simon to let someone so sinful and ungodly touch him. He couldn't believe it. But then Jesus shared with Simon a story and that story captivated Simon until he told him that the women washed his feet, kissed his feet, and poured perfume on them. He asks Simon, did you do all this for me? Jesus compared Simon's actions as a dinner party host to the loving actions of a sinful woman. We can see through this story that Jesus and Simon the Pharisee, like many other Pharisees, do not share the same opinions and teachings about life. Perhaps Simon felt like his opinions and views were wrong because Jesus had just forgiven the sins of sinful women right in front of Simon in his house. Simon questioned his judgment and how he could forgive someone so easily without even knowing it. Knowing that Simon was a Pharisee helps us conclude that he probably believed that Jesus had no power capable of forgiving sins because he was only a teacher and they believed that God himself was the the only one capable of doing it. Jesus and Simon the Pharisee clearly have very different views, they did their best in this story not to let it affect each other too much. It was only very serious because it was in Simon's house and he did not feel respected by Jesus and the sinful woman. Simon was confused and torn between what he should believe because of what his beliefs told him. This reading about the Pharisees and Jesus made me understand more clearly how they viewed each other, and especially how Jesus felt toward the Pharisees and how they treated him. The way Jesus taught things and how mighty, holy, and mighty He was was probably very difficult for the Pharisees to understand based on their beliefs and rules. In conclusion, delving deeper into the articles about the Pharisees provided me with a deeper understanding. understanding of their beliefs, practices and interactions with Jesus. Through these readings, I learned that the Pharisees were a group of Jewish men who sought purity and separation from what they considered ungodly or unrighteous. They developed their own set of rules and commandments, including an oral law, which they believed essential to restoring holiness and connection with God. Despite their efforts to uphold religious standards, the Pharisees often found themselves at odds with Jesus, who challenged their interpretations. and practices. Jesus criticized them for their hypocrisy, emphasizing the importance of mercy, justice, and faithfulness over outward displays of religious observance. The Pharisees, in turn, rejected Jesus' claims and ultimately played a role in his persecution and crucifixion..