And He spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and despised
others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the
other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank
Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican! I fast twice in
the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself
shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted! (Luke
18:9-14)
According to this story, Jesus was not impressed with the holier-than-thou, self-righteous, egotistical, self-praising, tithe-giving, food fasting, law-keeping, Scribe and Pharisee. The Pharisee kept the jot and the tittle of the law to the degree that when he went to pick mint and anise out of his garden, he would pluck off ten percent to make sure that he tithed properly. (Matthew 23:23) But Jesus told His disciples, "This self-righteous Pharisee is not the most righteous!...But the more righteous of the two is this poor publican and sinner!"...A tax collector, who to the Jews was the worst kind of a character they could possibly imagine! They were usually extortionists, cheaters and robbers of the poor!...Franchised tax collectors for the Romans, considered traitors to their brethren! The Romans would tell them how much taxes they needed and how much people had to pay Caesar, and then they could charge whatever they wanted above and beyond that for their own income. They were hated by their Jewish brethren, considered lower than a snake's belly!
The descriptive words attributed by Jesus to this Pharisee has coursed their way down the corridors of history to this present day "christians". We miss Jesus' point in this story completely when we use scripture has ammunition against people because they believe differently and sin differently than we do. Such egotistical pride is a believers downfall.
In the sight of God there is no worse sin than self-righteous religious pride!...The self-righteous, Pharisaical, proud, religious person who "thanks God he's not as other people", and looks down on them because they don't have as much faith or fast as he do, nor do the do's and not do the don'ts of the law!...Those self-righteous proud hypocrites who are so proud of their own success and righteousness that they look down from their lofty man-appointed spiritual position and tell the lowly pew-warmer what God wants of them and for them because they are more godly! They are the most stubborn and intolerant people that you could meet! They have no mercy, no compassion, no sympathy or no forgiveness for sinning people who really haven't got it all together as they do themselves.
Self-righteousness renders a person a spiritual pauper.
According to this story, Jesus was not impressed with the holier-than-thou, self-righteous, egotistical, self-praising, tithe-giving, food fasting, law-keeping, Scribe and Pharisee. The Pharisee kept the jot and the tittle of the law to the degree that when he went to pick mint and anise out of his garden, he would pluck off ten percent to make sure that he tithed properly. (Matthew 23:23) But Jesus told His disciples, "This self-righteous Pharisee is not the most righteous!...But the more righteous of the two is this poor publican and sinner!"...A tax collector, who to the Jews was the worst kind of a character they could possibly imagine! They were usually extortionists, cheaters and robbers of the poor!...Franchised tax collectors for the Romans, considered traitors to their brethren! The Romans would tell them how much taxes they needed and how much people had to pay Caesar, and then they could charge whatever they wanted above and beyond that for their own income. They were hated by their Jewish brethren, considered lower than a snake's belly!
The descriptive words attributed by Jesus to this Pharisee has coursed their way down the corridors of history to this present day "christians". We miss Jesus' point in this story completely when we use scripture has ammunition against people because they believe differently and sin differently than we do. Such egotistical pride is a believers downfall.
In the sight of God there is no worse sin than self-righteous religious pride!...The self-righteous, Pharisaical, proud, religious person who "thanks God he's not as other people", and looks down on them because they don't have as much faith or fast as he do, nor do the do's and not do the don'ts of the law!...Those self-righteous proud hypocrites who are so proud of their own success and righteousness that they look down from their lofty man-appointed spiritual position and tell the lowly pew-warmer what God wants of them and for them because they are more godly! They are the most stubborn and intolerant people that you could meet! They have no mercy, no compassion, no sympathy or no forgiveness for sinning people who really haven't got it all together as they do themselves.
Self-righteousness renders a person a spiritual pauper.
- Glenn Regular
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