“PHARISAICAL TENDENCIES”

17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:17

Harboring a critical, unforgiving spirit is detrimental, not only to one's spiritual well-being but also to those around him. When nit-picking is your default and you find it hard to stop being resentful toward others, it's not hard to say that you are probably light years away from forgiveness.

In yesterday’s blog, we learned that if society rejects us, if religion turns us down, we can look unto Jesus and find forgiveness. Let’s keep digging.

Jesus heard the Pharisees and reminded them that healthy people do not need a doctor, but those who are sick. No physician waits for his patient to get well before giving a diagnosis and prescription. He deals with the problem while the person is ill.

It appears that the Pharisees had failed to recognize their own need for a doctor, so they thought they were healthy. On the contrary, the tax collectors and sinners admitted their spiritual sickness and came to Jesus. The Lord essentially exposed the Pharisees’ self-righteousness and the futility of such thinking. The Pharisees considered these people social rejects, but Jesus saw them as spiritual patients who needed a doctor.

The second part of the verse shows Jesus’ mission statement. He came to call (“kaleo,” “to invite”) not the righteous but sinners. This is the Savior offering salvation to those who hear Him.

Do you realize how absurd self-righteousness is? It gives you a false sense of worthiness but nothing to back it up. It makes you look down on others so you’ll feel good about yourself. Jesus calls such a person “hypocrite,” someone who is too busy looking at people’s imperfections but fails to see his own defects.

No one wants to be called a Pharisee; it is such a horrible label. But unless we learn to search our own hearts and get rid of our self-importance, fault-finding will be as easy as breathing for us. In that case, even when God yells at us, we will not hear His call.

Thankfully, God is willing to forgive all sins, including self-righteousness. But it takes personal acknowledgment of guilt and a humble submission to God to be set free from this egregious sin.

My friend, do you have any Pharisaical tendencies? If so, are you willing to submit them to God and receive His forgiveness?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by James Lord on Unsplash