The Pharisees were old covenant believers who advocated for a strict observance of all purity and piety regulations. Closely connected with the oral tradition of Torah interpretation, they were eager to build a fence around God’s law in order to help people keep it/prevent any disobedience. One of their main aims in doing so was to ensure that there would not be another exile (as a result of God’s wrath), and to hasten the coming of the Messiah. They were generally supported by most people who saw them as examples of godly living. 1
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.