I found this definition of Pharisees in Wikipedia (and how did we live life without that?) The word Pharisees (lat. pharisæ|us, -i) comes from the Hebrew
פרושים
perushim from פרוש
parush, meaning “separated” [1]. The Pharisees were, depending on the time, a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 BCE–70 CE). After the destruction of the Second Temple, the Pharisaic sect was re-established as Rabbinic Judaism — which ultimately produced normative, traditional Judaism, the basis for all contemporary forms of Judaism (with the possible exception of the Karaites).
So the first thought was about separated…. Being a Pharisee separates me from others and ultimately God. Then I thought about the political party, social movement and school of thought. Have these things began to blend together an infiltrate your church or small group?
Something to think about.
