We
Are All Pharisees
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.’
– Luke 18:11
How many
times have we read the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector and
condemned the Pharisee for thinking his sins weren’t as bad as the tax
collector’s sins? How many times have we been the Pharisee by justifying our
own sins while soundly condemning the sins of others?
Ouch. Most
of us live pretty good lives, at least according to ourselves. We try to be
good people. We don’t go around shooting people or robbing others or blatantly telling
lies. We help those we think need it. We pray sometimes. We may even read the
Bible. But we still don’t get it.
I’m
struggling now to show grace and mercy to someone who is committing adultery. I
see the heartbreak he has inflicted on his wife and children. It drags on and
on as he tries to discover what will make him “happy.” I honestly would like to
throttle him. I suspect God would like to throttle me sometimes too.
No. I haven’t
committed adultery. But I have judged the sins of another. I have condemned
what is not mine to condemn. I have failed to show love and grace, mercy even,
as I have held onto my anger. My sins are great.
The hard
truth is that we are all Pharisees. Pastor Adam Hamilton described himself as a
recovering Pharisee who sometimes falls off the wagon. That is true of all of
us. We are quick to point fingers, gossip, and condemn the sins of someone else
all the while justifying our own sins.
I am not
excusing his actions. But I also refuse to excuse my own. I pray that God will
open both of our hearts so that we may be healed. That’s where he’ll find “happy.”
That’s where I will find it too.
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