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.
Following
that insight, I was at a women’s conference where 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 is married to Ted and they have two adult sons. Lisa serves
on a Sunday morning Welcoming Team at Oakwood.
