Some folks use Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees to argue that Jesus was against organized religion. They wield these interactions as a club to beat down anyone who articulates theological truths, practices religious rituals, or draws lines between what’s good and bad. They claim Jesus hates religion and so should we.

But, there are two notes to make about this. First, it’s wrong. Natasha Crain explains:

When people appeal to Jesus’ exchanges with the Pharisees to somehow show that Jesus didn’t approve of “organized religion” or “religious leaders,” they’re completely missing the context of those exchanges.

Jesus wasn’t against the Pharisees because they were religious or religious leaders. He never said or implied that becoming irreligious would solve their problems. Rather, it was their self-righteousness, legalism, hypocrisy, and rejection of himself that Jesus condemned. He wanted them to be “religious” in the right ways, not give up “organized religion.”

Jesus participated in and validated many aspects of the organized system of beliefs—religion—that the Jewish people had. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16); taught in the synagogue (Mark 6:2); considered what we now call the Old Testament to be God’s Word (Matt 15:3; Mark 7:13); and observed Jewish religious traditions such as Passover (John 2:13), the Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:2, 10), and the Festival of Dedication (John 10:22).

Jesus said Peter would be the rock on which he would build His church (Matt 16:18). He gave specific instructions for practicing faith in what would come to be known as the Christian religion. Examples could be multiplied, but as we can see, there’s no need to separate Jesus from religion that is TRUE. Christianity is simply the name for the religion whose beliefs center on who Jesus is and that calls us to know, worship, serve, and obey him.

Jesus loves organized religion that is based upon faith and obedience to His words.

The second thing to note is the irony. Those who loudly condemn others as “Pharisees” for caring about doctrine or practicing historic Christianity often end up committing the very error Jesus condemned in the Pharisees. They twist God’s Word to say what they already want it to say instead of humbly seeking, learning, and submitting to him as Lord and His Word as authoritative. They don’t reject Phariseeism, they repeat it.