Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Do you know anyone who brags about how pious or good they are?

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted." - Luke 18:9-14

At first, I thought Jesus was intentionally exaggerating the situation. No one is that much of a braggart, right?

But then I thought about it some more, and it is not an exaggeration at all.

People boast all the time. Just look at social media. 

I'm great, and you can be great too. Just subscribe and take my course.

Of course, we have a Bragger-in-Chief who has built his career around boasting greatness. It is a certified national goal to be great and, of course, we will talk about it.

So, is this what Jesus is warning us against? 

When it comes to how we stand before God, humility reigns. 

But in the world, we feel we need to speak from strength in order to negotiate peace. 

I guess that's true. People pay attention to the bull in the china shop or the bully on the playground. 

So, here we are, on this first day of Lent, wondering what Jesus is teaching us today. He is not telling us to judge the one who shows off his pride and piety. He is saying we should be like the tax collector who humbly comes to pray to God for grace and mercy.

So, if we choose to follow Jesus, who will take care of the bully?

God's got his eyes on him.

More to come...