7.17.22 - How Jesus' Questions Challenge Our Pride

July 17, 2022 - When Jesus' Questions Challenge Our Pride Good morning. Great to see you all here in person and welcome to those joining us online. We are in the 2nd week of a new sermon series. After spending numerous months working our way through the Gospel of Mark, we thought it would be fun and rewarding to finish the summer with a bit more topical series. And so, here in July and August, we are looking at Questions Jesus Asked. As we introduced last week, Jesus asked a ton of questions in the midst of his ministry. In 67 recorded interactions with people, we find 50 questions that Jesus asked. On top of that are his parables - these stories that often infer a question, even if one is not spoken explicitly. In all of this, Jesus' approach was very unique Look again at this quote from Conrad Gempf, found in his book Jesus Asked. "Jesus was a bit different from other religious teachers. Moses wanted to tell you the Law of God. Prophets were always telling you what the Lord was saying. But apparently if you met Jesus on the street, he was more likely to ask you something than to tell you something. Even when other people asked him a question, he often replied with one of his own." Why does Jesus ask so many questions? Jesus utilized questions very intentionally to get at what's under the surface in people's lives. His questions stretch us to consider our deeper thoughts & feelings. And they are often provocative: pushing us to choose what our lives are/aren't going to be about. Today, we are going to look at 3 more questions that Jesus raises. 3 questions that challenge our pride and our tendencies towards self-righteous judgment. With that topic, here's the image that's been in my mind. You may experience a moment or two today with some "sting" to it, as you are challenged by what Jesus asks. But, my hope is that any "sting" will be like a good antiseptic... that heals even as it may hurt. That's how Jesus works in our lives. So, let's look at these 3 questions that challenge our pride, as well as how Jesus' invittes us to experience grace that can transform us. Our first Bible passage for this morning comes from Luke 7 - we'll start in verse 36 (ESV up on the screen) 36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." 40 And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." 41 "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven and she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48 And Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" 50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Wow... what a vivid stretch of Scripture. Here's a practice that I often like to do with a passage like this one. I take time to enter the story, envisioning what it would be like to experience this narrative from the point of view of different people in the story. ● So, with this passage... maybe you instinctively imagined yourself as a by-stander... watching these events unfold before you. ● Or maybe you could take the perspective of the woman and imagine interacting with Jesus in these ways. ● Here's a thought: how many of us naturally imagined ourselves as Simon the Pharisee? He is the one that Jesus is talking to the most. Let this sink in for a few moments. Simon had pulled together this dinner party. The meal was apparently a special celebration, possibly connected with the Sabbath or another Jewish festival. At such times, outsiders could enter the open door, sit by the wall, watch, and perhaps beg for leftover scraps. ● It's in this semi-public context, this woman begins to anoint Jesus' feet, both with oil and her tears, and wipes them dry with her hair. Luke 7 describes how Simon had a whole string of thoughts run through this mind about this woman and what Jesus' reaction to her should be. And right in the middle of that - Jesus interrupted his thoughts. "Simon... let me tell you a story. Two people were in debt - one a little, one a lot. When they could not repay what they owed, the moneylender forgave both their debts. Which one of these two loved him more? ● That's the first question we'll look at in more detail in just a few moments. But, first let's contrast what was going on with Jesus and Simon. Jesus and Simon had the same background facts about the woman. She indeed had a sordid past. Jesus didn't deny that. But what Jesus and Simon did in response was very different. Jesus chose redemption and forgiveness. Simon took the path of judgment. ● Here's the uncomfortable truth: we are more often - more like - Simon the Pharisee than we realize. (The problems of pride & self-righteous judgment) Even as it looks differently in each of our lives... all of us have a propensity towards pride and self-righteous judgment. ● While you ponder that in your life, let me share an example from mine. A handful of years ago, I found myself becoming increasingly angsty. I was worked up about the decay happening in society and I was frustrated with the world being the world. In the middle of that, I sensed God interrupting me with a series of questions. The back and forth of this took several days, maybe even weeks, but here's the gist of it - condensed down. ● God: "Brian, why are you so angry?" ● Me: "God... can't you see what's going on in the world? (Funny) People aren't doing what you want them to do. They aren't following your rules. ● God: "Why would they follow any of my 'rules' if they don't have any kind of relationship with me?" Me: Crickets... ● God: "Brian, what has brought change to your life? Has it been your own effort and your ability to follow all the rules? ● Me: internally, I had an immediate answer of "no... change has come through encountering Jesus in a real way." ● God: "That's the same thing I want for everyone else." Mic drop! Again, that's super condensed, but do you get the point? In the midst of my struggles with pride and judgment, God interrupted me with a series of questions that challenged me to a different perspective. He helped me to realize that I was expecting people to behave like mature Christians, without any real connection with Christ. God wasn't minimizing the brokenness in the world. It's real. His main focus, however, was to challenge me - challenging me to remember what it would take for that brokenness to become whole: an on-going, life-giving relationship with Jesus. That's one story from me. What about you? Where do you see tendencies towards pride in your life? Where does judgmentalism show up in you? Let me give you a couple more minutes to consider that, as I read a second passage that hits on some similar themes. This is Luke 18:9-14 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." I love how Luke gives the point of this passage, right in the first verse: To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable... Jesus often used parables much like a question. His stories are an indirect avenue to challenge our assumptions and to get us to think more deeply than we typically would. So, we have another example of someone stuck in self-righteous judgment. And once again, it is a Pharisee... one of the religious leaders of Jesus' day. From outward appearance, this guy could win church member of the month (if there was such a thing). He was avoiding the big moral sins, he was a faithful giver and expressed religiosity through things like fasting. But Jesus tells this parable to reveal that there was some ugly stuff going on under the surface for this Pharisee. And, ultimately Jesus makes the point that this guy missed what God had for him, while the tax collector got it. A word of warning... it would be easy to assume that self-righteous judgment comes only in one flavor: from extreme religious fundamentalists like the Pharisees. But the truth is: self-righteous judgment can surface in any of us, and from any spot along the religious, philosophical and political spectrums. Certainly, religious judgmentalism is a thing - we have had countless examples in recent years of Christians acting very little like Christ and exhibiting ugly pride and contempt. And you heard one of my struggles with that. ● But one of the things I've also noticed in recent years, is a rise in non-religious, secular fundamentalism. The rules to follow aren't drawn from Scripture, but there can be a very similar hard edge of judgment when people are not living according to their standards - whether that is about the right kind of car to drive, particulars about taking health precautions, or what it looks like to express tolerance. Whatever the specific items are... it's important to recognize that self-righteous judgment can surface in any of us - no matter how religious or non-religious we are, or where we might land on any political or philosophical spectrum. Here's another angle to challenge us: If you were the Pharisee in this story... Who would be on your list of "God, I thank you that I am not like ________. ● Who are the people that you, at times, despise and judge? ● Either openly or secretly? If we're honest, we'd often wish that these frustrating people and groups would go away - that we wouldn't have to deal with them any more. But what if.... they could actually be gifts from God, to help us learn how to love more like Jesus? Again, be careful with your listening & don't misunderstand what I'm getting at. I'm not saying we should abandon our convictions about right and wrong. No. Instead, I'm saying we need to abandon the ways we exalt ourselves at the expense of others - ways that we are confident in our own righteousness and look down on others. ● Maybe you've experienced this contrast... where two people can believe that something is wrong; but from one person there is a hard edge of judgment, and from the other there is a simple, humble conviction. ● There is a way to have convictions, even strong ones, that is molded by the character of Christ. That's what we're shooting for. This is not easy, but I have found Jesus to be lovingly persistent to challenge me when I am reacting with hard edges... as well as when I am settling for having outward expressions of being right, but my heart is steeped with pride. This is true for all of us, and thank God he doesn't leave us alone in that place. Okay... that's quite a bit about our common struggles with pride and judgment. Let's dig into the 3 questions Jesus raises and consider how we might overcome our self-righteous tendencies. Again, the first question in Lk 7: Question: Which of them will love him more? When you chew on that, it's actually a bit of an odd question. In Jesus' story, these two people have both been released from a debt they owe. To me, the more natural question to ask would be: who do you suppose would be more grateful? Or more relieved? Or even, who would be more surprised? ● But Jesus asks: which of them will love him more. In this, Jesus ties the experience of being forgiven, with an increasing ability to love. Look again at what he says in Luke 7:47. Let's read this aloud together. ● A person who is forgiven much, loves much. A person who is forgiven little shows only little love. What kind of person do you want to be? A person with little love or a person with much love. In this story, Jesus is connecting the dots between our experience of forgiveness and our ability to love. The deeper our awareness of God's grace goes, the more fully we understand the kindness of Jesus towards us... seemingly the more authentically we can love God and others. In this regard, Jesus makes a stark contrast between the Pharisee and the woman. He was saying, in essence: Simon you might have some correct opinions, but your actions are revealing that your heart is not in the right place. Your love is lacking. And in large part that is because you think you are self-sufficient. Your experience of being forgiven is super shallow and so your love is shallow too. The woman on the other hand knows how much she has been forgiven, and in return her capacity for love is big. Imagine your heart being like real estate. There is only so much square footage available. How much room am I currently letting be taken over by pride and self-righteousness? And what would it be like if more space was occupied by Christ-like love instead? With that in mind... let me offer a couple practical Action steps: ● Regularly reflect on the forgiveness that Jesus has extended to you ○ Communion ○ Assess your lack of love... reveals a lack of awareness and an experience of forgiveness that is not as deep as it could be. ● Leverage your frustrations with others as a pathway to grow in love As I mentioned a moment ago, what if these people could be gifts from God, giving you an opportunity to learn how to love well. Author Paul Burns describes it this way: The more we grow in love for God, the more we will grow into the image of God, the less we will resemble the world, and the more our instinct will be to love...even on a bad day...and even our enemies. Similarly, Dallas Willard described spiritual maturity like this: "The main test for Christlike character is whether one spontaneously responds to one's enemies with love." Dallas Willard ● This is a key marker for spiritual maturity... the ability to love your enemies spontaneously from the heart. ● That is super-challenging, but this is the way of Jesus, and this is what we want to grow into. Okay - here's the next question that Jesus asks in today's Scriptures: Do you see this woman? Now, this is likely just a transition phrase that Jesus used before contrasting the woman's actions and the Pharisees, but it is still worth sitting with. And - that's what's been happening with me. My earlier story was from a few years ago... but this question: "do you see this woman?" has been challenging me a ton - just over the past few days. ○ I am realizing on a deeper level, that when I slip into pride and judgment, it is easy for me to be blind to others' full humanity. I certainly see what they're doing that irritates me - but I can fail to see them as people. Ouch! ○ Again, what they are doing or thinking could be totally wrong... but so is the way I can scornfully objectify them. That is worthy of a challenge from Jesus This dynamic is so pervasive in our culture right now. Where we prop up ourselves and people on "our team." And then there is the consistent push to dehumanize and even demonize those that disagree with us or are part of a different group. Think about how the news headlines we read and the tweets we click on - they are designed to produce contempt in us. They are crafted to elicit responses of judgment, and the outrage of "can you believe that?" ● This is very normal in our world today... but this is not the way of Jesus. What does that look like for you? Who does Jesus see that you don't see? Who are you prone to dehumanize? Who can you easily cast aside? ○ Answering those questions takes some courage, but it can be really helpful in your hope to love others more like Jesus. Let's keep rolling. One final question to ponder: ● Which person went home justified? Even though it was not stated explicitly - this is the inferred question from Jesus' parable in Lk 18. To be justified is to be made right, brought into good standing. ● Pharisee: his prayers were filled with his resume of good deeds he thought would earn him bonus points with God. As verse 9 says... he was confident in his own righteousness and looked down on everyone else ● Tax collector: "God, have mercy on me" ● In light of this, here is Jesus' punchline (v.14) "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." This dynamic can be pretty sneaky - where we slip into approaching God with all the good things we've done... expecting that to gain us the acceptance and affirmation we long for. It's sobering to realize the path to being justified is simply to admit we don't bring anything to the table. We cry out for mercy and we ask for God's grace to do in us what we could never do for ourselves. I love how the Apostle Paul describes this in Romans 3 (Romans 3:22-25 NLT) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Take action: ● Place your trust in Jesus Christ This is not a one and done thing... on-going, every day, moment by moment thing... track back to my story.. What am I trusting to make me in a good and right spot? If it's my own efforts and my ability to live up to some standard... I'm going to fail miserably. Putting my trust in Jesus... you, putting your trust in Jesus is a much better way to go. ● "Clothe yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 If you've lived in the Northland for any length of time, you've likely learned the saying: "There is no bad weather, only __________ bad clothing!" ● Just like you had a choice this morning about what shirt to put on and what socks and shoes you were going to wear... you have a choice everyday about what you clothe your heart with. And there is good clothing and there is bad clothing. Friends, here is the deal... it is easy, it is the auto-pilot response to put on pride and self-righteous judgment. The harder choice is to clothe ourselves with the humility of Jesus and express that to the people around us... even those we would consider our enemies. One of things I love about Jesus is that he is persistent to challenge us in any way that we are slipping into pride, and he often does that through a pointed question or a well-placed story. The only item left in the balance is our response. How will we respond when Jesus challenges our pride and self-righteous judgment? May God pour out his supernatural grace upon us, that we can increasingly choose his way of love and humility. Let's stand together and transition into praying for one another and into some more singing in worship. Ministry time questions: ● Last week: What do you want? Great one to get prayer about today ● Add another short question today: What do you need? ○ Saint Augustine says, "God gives where he finds empty hands."