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Mar 03, 2013

Self-righteousness: The Death of Love

Passage: Luke 18:9-14

Detail:

Self-righteousness: The Death of Love

Introduction: ….

Prayer

Flash back to the greatest commandment mini-series done by Eric and John in the later half of January.

Can anyone refresh our memory about what the greatest commandment is?

Alright, lets go back to the passage in Matthew and get some context for this...

Matthew 22:34-40

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’i 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’j 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

From this passage we see that the person asking the question is a pharisee and an expert in the law. But it is not the only piece of evidence that we have about this encounter. There are four accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Lets pan out for a moment and see what Mark has to say about this and get a better picture of what is going on here.

Mark 12:28-34

28And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

By reading both of these passages, we can put together a better picture of what is going on here. We see that the Pharisee and expert in the law actually agrees with Jesus. “to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Ok, Flashback is over, Lets get into today's text.

Luke 18:9-14

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Who was he directing this parable to?

Those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.

Who were the key players?

Pharisee-

What do we know about pharisees during this time?

-Give time for answers.

Teachers and political figures.

We don't know a lot about Pharisees, but we do know a few things from the writings of Josephus and from what is known about them from the Bible. Pharisees were members of one of the most elite and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. Pharisees had certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. They were strict and zealous about the laws of the OT and many other traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection. They believed that people could live their lives either virtuously or viciously, and in doing so, be rewarded with freedom and life when they die, or eternal imprisonment. Jesus often times refers to them with pretty harsh terms... If you want to look into what he thought of them, you can read matthew 23.

What is the pharisee here in this parable? Before God?

He was self-righteous. He showed his shiny outside by saying “God I thank you.” And then he let his true colors show by listing off all the people that he considered himself better than He had contempt in his heart for these people, and the cherry on top of this pile of filthy rags was a list of things that he had sacrificed for God. He was blinded to his sinfulness because he was too busy casting stones at his neighbor the tax collector. And so he was not only blinded to his sin, but he was also blinded to the love, grace, and mercy that God wanted to show him.

Before we go getting all hypocritical about pharisees, Were all Pharisees self-righteous and blind?

-No

-Nicodemus- John 3 where Jesus tells him that he must be born again after nicodemus comes visiting him in the night.

He was also there at the death of Jesus in John 19 bringing Myrrh and Aloes for Jesus' body, and helped Bury Jesus.

-The Pharisee who asks Jesus about the greatest commandment...

-Gamaliel- Acts 5

-When the Sanhedrin was going to put the disciples to death for speaking in the name of Jesus, Gamaliel went through a short history of the effects of rebellions in the past and how after the leader of these upheavals was killed, their followers were disbanded. Then he said, in verse 38-39 “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

So... Being a Pharisee... Seeking Knowledge and having Zeal for God and his statutes does not always lead to self-righteousness. As long as you allow God to love you, and as long as you realize that you cannot do it all on your own, You can have knowledge and zeal and still find grace in the love of Christ.

But, here in Luke 18 we see the prayer of this particular pharisee... What is wrong with his prayer?

He was self righteous! He stood up and prayed about himself... standing there, he displayed his white-washed outside all shiny and clean while his heart and the words that he was saying showed that in truth, there was contempt in him toward his neighbor. He followed the law and was making bold sacrifices in his life, fasting twice a week when the law required of him only one fast a year and tithing and checking his books to make sure that he fulfilled the required giving down to the last fraction of a cent, but when it came down to it, he forsook the commandment that all these laws hung on!

Boasting, arrogance, pride, and contempt have squelched out the love that should have been present in his life.

He missed the boat... and the person that he thought that he was more righteous than... the person that he was throwing stones at... caught the boat.

So, Let's talk about the tax collector...

What do we know about tax collectors during this time?

-give time for answers

The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge to the tax which they kept for themselves. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked. Yet even they were moved by John’s call to repentance.1

To many, he was a snake out to get their money. The IRS possibly? The only time a normal person, meaning everyone besides possibly his mother, wanted to hang out with this tax collector was when he was throwing a party with all the fixins. Free food, good music, and lots of alcohol.

What was he here in this parable?

Here we see Jesus saying that the tax collector leaves justified. This means that the tax collector left righteous in the eyes of God. Why is this the case? He has claimed that he is a sinner, and everyone knows that he is a cheat! He can't even come close to the temple because he is so guilty! He can't lift up his eyes because he knows that he doesn't deserve to look on God's face! So why does he go home Justified?

The tax collector calls for mercy. He humbles himself and accepts aid from God.

Modern translators translate the words of the tax collector to “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

A sinner (τῳ ἁμαρτωλῳ [tōi hamartōlōi]). The sinner, not a sinner. It is curious how modern scholars ignore this Greek article. The main point in the contrast lies in this article. The Pharisee thought of others as sinners. The publican thinks of himself alone as the sinner, not of others at all.2

This tax collector has brought himself to such a humble position that he looks only at himself in relation to God's righteous law and acknowledges that he is The sinner in need of mercy. And in verse 14 we see that it is his man who goes goes home Justified before God rather than the other “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

At the end of matthew 23, where Jesus lists seven woes to the pharisees and then we see a glimpse of God's heart for the self-righteous when he says in verse 37, “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

How often have I wanted to Love you, and you would not let me.

God wants to love us so much more than we will ever know. But our pride and self-righteousness immobilizes love... and eventually love has no life in the person who is self-righteous. Judging others on what they have done, in order to put themselves on a pedestal.

I have problems in my life... I have sin issues that seem like they will not go away... it is not judging others and comparing myself that will heal the problems that I have in my life. It is humility that will heal me... a humility that will allow God to love me in my imperfection, a humility that will cry out to him for mercy and grace. And as I allow him to love me in my imperfection, I will learn to love him, and learn from him how to love others.

Turn with me to a well known and oftentimes over-used passage(if one can say that)... 1 Corinthians 13

As we read this passage, compare the descriptions of love to those of self-righteousness, pride, and being Judgmental.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I hope that you can see that self-righteousness is the antonym of love. I would call it the death of love in the individual. You don't have to agree with me. I cannot cite a place in the Bible definitively says this.

Those of us who are willing to humble ourselves and realize that we are sinners. Take heart, because though we have presented ourselves broken and contrite in need of some massive help, God is ready and willing to help. He already has. Through his son's death on the cross, we have been Justified. Proven righteous before God. And acknowledging and believing in that act of love is what will change us. As you go out into the world this week, remember the love that has been shown to you, and learn to show that love to others.

1 Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 3:12). Biblical Studies Press.

2 Robertson, A. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 18:13). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.