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These are taken from Zac Poonen’s book “Fifty Marks of a Pharisee”

But I’ll list each one on a regular basis to ease the hassle of reading the book yourself

Characteristic 10 (I’m starting at characteristic 10 because I want to!)

Pharisees are easily offended.

“Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?” And he replied, “Leave them alone!” Matthew 15:12-14

When Jesus corrected the Pharisees for teaching people to dishonour their parents, they were
offended. Pharisees are easily offended by any word of rebuke or correction that the Lord may give through a brother. One of the kindergarten lessons in the Christian life is to get victory over “getting offended”. There
is no hope that you will ever be delivered from Phariseeism if you don’t seek to be totally free from getting
offended when corrected.

I know people who were so offended by some teaching they heard, that they
left their church altogether. They are wandering in the wilderness today and there is every possibility that they will
be lost eternally. I can assure you that like the Pharisees, you could be on your way to hell too, if you have been
offended by some correction you received or were offended by the practice of another Christian.

Jesus told His disciples to “leave them alone”. We are not to go after offended Pharisees trying to bring them
back.  We must obey the Lord and leave them alone. If they repent, then they can come back to the
Lord and into the body of Christ. Not otherwise.

-Zac Poonen

Related articles

• Pharisees are jerks. (averyedison.com)
• A Legal Religion (gpangie12.wordpress.com)
• Thinking of Pharisees Again… (avielehr.wordpress.com)
• http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/guest-article-have-you-heard/
• http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/living-without-offense-rick-warren-is-supporting-our-twitter-conference-tomorrow/

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