Being content and being prideful

Unlike a lot of my other posts, this one will be fairly short. Recently, I was married and have come to realize more and more (the longer I'm married) the true depths of my selfishness and sin. I am able to do this because my wife sometimes puts me in difficult situations (I've been at work all day and I want to unwind by watching the game and she wants to snuggle and talk). It was then that it hit me - a lot of today's youth, especially men, don't push themselves and take it easy - that their life is crippled by their over-enjoyment of pleasure.

Quite simply, viewing just one of the benefits of marriage as being put in difficult situations and being forced to confront your own selfish/sinfulness helps to put it in a much better prospective. As one pastor I've heard say, "Marriage's goal is for you to be Holy, not Happy"

Judging Sinners Like Jesus Did

Jesus judged sinner. He did. Even though we don't like to admit it and even though we get squirmy of that - it's something that cannot be missed in the pages of the gospels. From his strident accusals to the pharisees (and there are some very colorful ones - including calling them a swarm of snakes and telling them their mom shagged the devil) to the Rich Young Ruler that left as Jesus was saying how hard it was for the rich to enter the Kingdom. This was looked upon with some shock in his own day (mainly by the pharisees, they didn't appreciate it) but this is even more shocking in our own. People worship themselves and their own opinions and call it diversity; people judge others by applying the damning title of 'intolerant' if you dare suggest any other view than their own.

What are we to make of all this? In a post-modern culture, what good can come from judging people? Well, that is why it's so critical to judge them how Jesus did. How is that you ask? Let's explore.

There are the well-known pharisees that Jesus clashed with regularly. Jesus spoke very harshly to them indeed on many and varied occasions. He opposed them to their face and pointed out their inconsistencies and lack of true understanding about God. He judged that they were "blind guides" that were not doing anyone any good. To apply this correctly, it's important to note that the pharisees were the religious leaders of the time. They had a very significant following and professed to be able to point people to God. They were supposed to keep the law flawlessly and (in doing so) to be righteous before God. In their self-absurdness and pride, Jesus hit them between the proverbial eyes with his scathing strikes against their superiority, their pride and their belief that they were on God's side. Indeed, in the person of Jesus, that last one was shattered because God showed up to let them know that the pharisees were on their own side. It seems that the best way to judge religious people (especially inside our churches) both harshly and with a measure of humor (because religious people usually don't have a sense of humor).

What about the sinners? Jesus judged them too - as sinners and needing forgiveness and reconciliation to the God that had made them. It's rather humorous that this area is perhaps more shocking to modern Western Readers since that means that they too are ultimately responsible to this same God and not their own views. Or, put another way, you can believe whatever you desire but God ultimately judges the heart and it's his judgment that's most important. The best example of this is the parable between the pharisee and the tax collector. The pharisee thanked God for making him so much better than everyone else. The tax collector was deeply sorrowed and his heart was broken as he pleaded with God for forgiveness of sins from the Great Judge.

What ties the two together, however? There doesn't appear to be a lot of connection between the pharisee and the tax collector in their views. And, funny enough, most people want to say they're the tax collector and not the pharisee. But the difference that really matters between them is that the tax collector had a humble and repentant heart while the pharisee ultimately didn't. (Humble being defined as "having a right view of yourself before God" and repentant being defined as "strongly desiring and putting into action that desire to cease sinning, turn from them and follow God"). However, at churches, a false humility is what I have seen on more than one occasion. Worship leaders who would say "All glory to God" are really saying, "I'm so spiritual that I don't need your thanks." This, in itself is prideful. Members who come weekend after weekend with the same sins, the same fake smile and "fine" on their tongue and don't have any (serious enough to take action) desire for change - no sorrow over their offenses against God.

Jesus always judges justly but he shows his love to all. To the sinners who are truly humble, he extends Grace; to the sinners who are prideful, he extends reprimand so that they would realize their true position (humility) and desire to change (repentance).