Written by Richelle Thompson
Luke 18:11 (NRSV) 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.”
Lord knows we like to justify our behavior by casting ourselves in a favorable light. We might be bad. But thank God we’re not as bad as a friend or a coworker. We might be mean and selfish, but that guy down the street is way worse. Most of us are just like the Pharisee, propping ourselves up on the backs—and at the expense—of others.
Jesus bids us instead to be like the tax collector: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (18:13b). The ancient Greek maxim to know thyself does not ask us to know the motivations of others. The philosophy of the examined life requires that we look at our own actions, our deepest selves, and determine whether we are living into the beliefs we espouse, the faith we proclaim.
When we compare ourselves not to others but to the vision that Jesus has for each of us, we need be less like the Pharisee, preening and crowing, and more like the tax collector, on our knees and praying for mercy.
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