The fifth type of Pharisee is the Pestle or Hump backed.
The Pestle Pharisee was known for walking around with his eyes averted especially from women, for the purpose of avoiding visual temptations. Avoiding temptation is one thing, but this type of Pharisee’s heart was wrong, because it was the importance of making a show of his avoidance of temptation to show how Holy he was that caused the issue. This type was often bruised and battered from walking into walls because they closed their eyes to avoid looking at something that might tempt them and were, if truth be told the objects of a lot of joking and hilarity. Remember these categories of Pharisee came from the Pharisees themselves. In a strange way their kind of sin avoidance showed the inside of their hearts for what they were – filth and corruption.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28)
The folks that criticize mercy work and accuse others of corruption bring this type to my mind. Could it be that they themselves are so corrupt, greedy and after “filthy lucre” that they can stand to see someone do anything that might take the focus or the money away from them.
