The Pharisee
By Lisa Boyer
“When the Pharisee
who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet,
he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a
sinner.’”
Luke 7:39 (NIV)
A
few years ago, I experienced an “ah-ha” moment while trying to figure out why I
didn’t feel particularly loved by
Jesus. At the time, I’d written, “During my search, I also learned something
about me. I felt reprimanded when I read the Gospels because, honestly, I had
always related better to the Pharisees (priding myself on following the rules)
than any of the sinners Jesus reached out to with love and compassion. I had never wanted
anyone to know I was a sinner…. But when I began aligning myself with the
sinners in Scripture, I was met by His love and compassion.” Since then, I’ve
learned a few more things: I wasn’t the only one with a Pharisee complex and
that it’s a multi-faceted issue… while I had moved past not wanting to admit I
was a sinner, there was more to it than that.
Recently
at a women’s conference, the speaker was talking about the fruit of the Spirit,
but rather than saying what they were, she was cleverly giving examples of what
the opposite might be. By the fourth comparison, my heart had sunk so low it
was on the floor. God had brought to mind a particular person I was treating
this way. I had been so disappointed and angry with her choices that I
responded by walking in the flesh. I wasn’t patient...I was frustrated, I
wasn’t kind…I was harsh, I wasn’t loving…I was apathetic. The list goes on, but
I won’t.
While
I could look for and possibly find Bible verses that might support my attitude,
the bottom line was that I was still a Pharisee…self-righteous and judgmental…
and I needed to make things right. It wasn’t going to be a matter of a simple
apology; I needed to confess my sin of walking in the flesh and all that went
with it. I left the conference knowing I had an appointment to make.
It’s
costly to behave like a Pharisee, which is why I need to be intentional in
making sure my primary motivation is love... always love.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Have you been struggling to act in love
towards others? Today, will you go to the Father and share your struggle with
Him?
2. Is there
someone you need to apologize to? Will you take steps to do that now?
FURTHER READING:
Lisa
has been married to Ted for over 20 years and they have two teenage sons. Lisa
administers Fresh Start’s Facebook and blog, and loves hanging out with and
impacting teenage girls for Christ.
