Pharisees. At that time, there were several religious groups divided among themselves. Each followed a different theory and belief. The main groups were: Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes, Scribes, Herodians and Pharisees.

This last group was known for legalism and uncompromising attitudes regarding the Law and traditions. The Pharisees despised the essence of the Scriptures because they lived up to the text word for word, which is the theoretical part of the Word and not to the teaching in itself.

The Lord Jesus firmly opposed the pride, formalism, and hypocrisy of this group (Matt. 23).

The term “Pharisee” became synonymous with pride and deceit since it is used to refer to those who profess faith in the Savior but only maintain holiness for appearance because, on the inside, they live in immorality.