Pharisees (פְּרוּשִׁים / P’rushim)

Meaning: “Separated ones”
Who They Were: A prominent Jewish sect during Yahushua’s time known for strict adherence to the Torah and the oral traditions (man-made laws). They claimed holiness through outward observance, but often missed the heart of Yahweh.
Yahushua’s Rebuke: He called them whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside, but full of death inside. They added burdens, sought praise, and rejected the very Messiah they claimed to await.

“You nullify the Word of Elohim by your tradition…” (Mark 7:13)

“You cleanse the outside of the cup… but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25)

Sadducees (צְדוּקִים / Tzedukim)

Meaning: Likely from tsedek, meaning “righteous”
Who They Were: A priestly, upper-class sect who rejected all spiritual doctrines not found in the written Torah. They denied the resurrection, angels, and the Spirit. Politically powerful, but spiritually empty.
Yahushua’s Rebuke: He said they were in error and ignorance, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of Elohim.

“You do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of Elohim.” (Matthew 22:29)

Christian (Χριστιανός / Christianos)

Meaning: Follower of Christ
Historical Origin: First used in Antioch (Acts 11:26) — not as a title of honor, but a name given by outsiders, often used in mockery and scorn. It was never a term Yahushua used for His disciples.

Definition:
The term Christian was never spoken by Yahushua, nor claimed by His earliest followers. Instead, they were called disciples, believers, the Assembly, and most clearly — those who walked in The Way (Acts 9:2; Acts 24:14).

Over time, Christian became institutionalized—claimed by Rome, sanctioned by empires, and hollowed out by tradition. Today, it often masks compromise, lawlessness, and idolatry in a cloak of religiosity.

Why It Matters:
Yahushua said many would come in His Name but refuse to obey His Word. He did not teach a new religion — He came to fulfill the Torah (Instruction) and call us back to covenant.

He warned that claiming His Name without doing the will of the Father leads not to life, but rejection.

“Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’
And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’”
(Matithyahu / Matthew 7:22–23, ISR)

Yahushua’s Rebuke:

“I have come in My Father’s Name and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you would receive.”
(John 5:43)

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete… until the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah.”
(Matithyahu / Matthew 5:17–18, ISR)

The Warning:
A name without obedience is nothing but empty confession.
The label Christian cannot save. Yahushua saves — but only those who know Him, love Him, and walk in His ways.

Note:
The disciples did not build denominations. They did not soften the truth. They were persecuted for The Way, not praised for a title.

We are called to follow Yahushua, not a system that bears His Name without bearing His fruit.