contemptible contempt

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

Luke 18:9

Self-righteous hate is an awful evil. Of all the sins Jesus died for, this was the one most responsible for carrying out His execution. It was self-righteous contempt wrapped in pious religiosity that opposed Jesus at every turn. This sin plotted. It planned. It hated grace. It hated the people needing grace. It always does.

Reading this short parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we see self-righteous hate in the heart of the Pharisee. Some telltale signs: 1) He prayed literally “to himself” - not reaching God’s heart with his selfish garbage (Luke 19:11). 2) He was judgmental and biased against others. 3) He trusted his own efforts for salvation. 4) He despised people who literally stood next to him in a house of worship. 5) He prided himself on his own works in self-congratulation, not even recognizing God as the source of His reward.

Only one humble prayer dismantles self-righteous contempt: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” We are awfully susceptible to having a Pharisaical pride… the longer we soak in Christian “culture”, the easier it is to slip into self-righteous comparison. The more we want to be away from “the bad people”, the more likely we are to be praying just to our boastful selves. But the truth is we are all the tax collectors and sinners who MUST pray this prayer. We never lose the need to pray it. Pray it every day, all day, embracing your need for a Savior! And He will grow close to you, wrapping you in His mercy, grace, and care!