Luke 18:9-12

“The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.’” vs. 11

Jesus regularly skewered the Pharisees as he wandered from village to village on his journey to Jerusalem. It’s not that they weren’t good people. In fact they were incredibly attentive to the details of the law and prided themselves on their morality and decency. But they had completely missed the gospel of grace that was at the core of their scriptures. They had contempt for others and discounted anyone who didn’t think or act like themselves. They were the righteous…and anyone else was a hopeless sinner. Ironically those same tendencies show up again and again among followers of Jesus. Oh, we pay lip service to the notion that everyone is a sinner, but in our hearts we come to see ourselves as being among the righteous…and then follow that up with deep-seated contempt for the actions and ideas of others. We see that quite clearly in the current contentious political debates. Candidates engage in unctuous displays of self-righteousness while at the same time labelling opponents as thieves and liars. Followers on the right and the left go even further in their charges and ultimately eradicate any semblance of civil discourse. Jesus invites us to put aside our pharisaism and embrace a spirit of humility and gentleness. As his followers we are called to a higher standard!

Thought for the Day: Why is humility so undervalued in our culture?