Don't be a Pharisee, be a Disciple.
In my path to Christianity, I have learned the most through reading scripture, or, explanations of scripture.
Jesus is the best person you can follow if you want to live a good honest life and, if you believe in heaven, he is the way to it. He is the truth and the light. But I'm not trying to force you to believe this, this is just what I believe in earnest.
And in my earlier post about how Christ didn't teach tolerance, I mentioned how Jesus went against the Pharisees and I wanted to explain why he did so in detail in this post.
So yes, Christ didn't teach tolerance, he taught us to stand up to what was obviously wrong.
An example is what the Pharisees stood for. The Pharisees stood for upholding tradition, for man made rules and laws. They were above the common man in rank and riches. But they were not good people because they upheld tradition.
Because they placed those traditions above what God actually commanded. They focused on outward appearance rather than inward righteousness. And this is not how God fearing people should act.
Jesus called this out directly. In Matthew 23:27–28, He says, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
This is important because it shows that Christ was not concerned with surface level goodness. He was concerned with truth. And truth is not always comfortable or easy to accept.
The Pharisees also burdened people with rules that were never meant to bring them closer to God. In Matthew 23:4, it says, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”
This is where Jesus drew the line. He did not tolerate hypocrisy. He did not tolerate leaders who misled people while claiming to be righteous. Instead, He exposed it.
Another example is when Jesus cleansed the temple. In John 2:15–16, it says that He made a whip and drove out those who were buying and selling, saying, “Take these things hence. Make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.”
That was not passive. That was not tolerant in the way people often define tolerance today. It was righteous anger directed at corruption.
So when I say Christ did not teach tolerance, I mean He did not teach us to accept what is clearly wrong just to avoid conflict. He taught us to stand for truth, even when it is uncomfortable.
At the same time, this does not mean He taught hatred. That is where people misunderstand. Jesus also said in Matthew 22:39, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
So the balance is this. Love the person, but do not accept the wrongdoing. Speak truth, but do it without malice. Stand firm, but remain humble.
In my own journey, this has been one of the hardest things to understand and live out. It is easy to either become too passive or too harsh. But Christ showed a different way. He was full of grace and truth at the same time.
And that is what I believe we are called to follow.