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Self-Righteousness
Today is another very familiar passage for a lot of people, but a powerful reminder. Some thoughts on this passage:
"Pride preaches merit; humility pleads for compassion. Pride negotiates as an equal; humility approaches in need. Pride separates by putting down others; humility identifies with others, recognizing we all have the same need. Pride destroys through its alienating self-service; humility opens doors with its power to sympathize with the struggle we share. Pride turns up its nose; humility offers an open and lifted-up hand." [1]
And:
"Humility is harder to discuss because it does not discuss itself. It simply gets out there and serves, often with sacrifice. It does not claim rights; it tries to do what is right. It does not brag about integrity; it displays it. Sometimes it is easy to miss what does not point to itself. But God sees the humble heart and lifts it up in honor. That is Jesus’ challenge." [2]
As I said before, I think a lot of us are familiar with this parable. I think that there is a subtle danger in that familiarity. It's easy to see the tax collector and the pharisee in this parable for what they are. Their attitudes are worn on their sleeves, and Jesus even gives us commentary on their attitudes. Few of us would be as brazen in our addresses to God as the Pharisee is here. The danger is this, and it is a very, very subtle danger: that we read this passage and we go away thinking, "Thank God I'm not like that Pharisee!" If we've thought that, then we've missed the entire point.
Self-Righteousness
Today is another very familiar passage for a lot of people, but a powerful reminder. Some thoughts on this passage:
"Pride preaches merit; humility pleads for compassion. Pride negotiates as an equal; humility approaches in need. Pride separates by putting down others; humility identifies with others, recognizing we all have the same need. Pride destroys through its alienating self-service; humility opens doors with its power to sympathize with the struggle we share. Pride turns up its nose; humility offers an open and lifted-up hand." [1]
And:
"Humility is harder to discuss because it does not discuss itself. It simply gets out there and serves, often with sacrifice. It does not claim rights; it tries to do what is right. It does not brag about integrity; it displays it. Sometimes it is easy to miss what does not point to itself. But God sees the humble heart and lifts it up in honor. That is Jesus’ challenge." [2]
As I said before, I think a lot of us are familiar with this parable. I think that there is a subtle danger in that familiarity. It's easy to see the tax collector and the pharisee in this parable for what they are. Their attitudes are worn on their sleeves, and Jesus even gives us commentary on their attitudes. Few of us would be as brazen in our addresses to God as the Pharisee is here. The danger is this, and it is a very, very subtle danger: that we read this passage and we go away thinking, "Thank God I'm not like that Pharisee!" If we've thought that, then we've missed the entire point.
[1] Darrell L. Bock, The NIV Application Commentary: Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 464.
[2] Ibid.
[2] Ibid.
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