I really like those passages where Jesus points his finger at the Pharisees. I want to stand right beside him and glare at each of those guys and shout, “That’s right, buddy, don’t look down your nasty nose at me!” If I did, I have a feeling Jesus might glare at me and say, as he did to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matt. 16:23). Self- righteousness goes in both directions. No matter what kind of person we are, it’s always easier to detect sin and shortcomings and imperfections in other people than in ourselves.
Regardless of where each of us is on the self-righteousness continuum, we’re all looking down our noses to some degree at someone who’s unlike us. Our sin-corrupted survival mechanism makes us think, “I have to believe I’m better than somebody.” This rampant urge to maintain self-confidence and self-esteem is the default mode for fallen humanity. If we aren’t better than somebody, we fear we’ll lose all reason to live. It only shows that we’re trying to trust in our superiority, rather than God’s, in order to be saved.
- Tullian Tchividjian,
Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels
, 146, 147
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