Jesus was incredibly tolerant of the “sinners” around him. The people who got it wrong, the rejects, the ones that you’d be hard pressed to find in a pew on Sunday morning. This is the type of person you’d find at a party with Jesus. But he consistently set himself at odds with the “good people,” the saints, i.e. the self-righteous.
It’s a group we’ve all been a part of. Whenever we talk about, judge, or condemn anyone because they fall short of a standard, we join the very tribe that Jesus was so at odds with. We become unlike God, because the worst form of unrighteousness is self-righteousness.
Self-righteousness: a comparison that ends in arrogance. It allows us to hide our shortcomings in the shadow of someone else’s shortcomings. Self-righteousness grants us a free pass to deceive ourselves and those around us. It says “I’m better than you because I’m better at _____.” And it always undermines our relationships with God and people.
1. In what areas of life do you hide behind self-righteousness? What things cause you to look down on, judge, and condemn others?
2. When we don’t measure up how do we want to be treated?
3. Self-righteousness often begins with a good decision to do or be better. Has this happened in your life? What did you decide to make or be better at and how did it begin to impact the way you saw others?
4. Jesus freely gives us grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and much more. Why don’t we freely give those things to others?
5. The purpose of correction is restoration. Is that why most typically correct? Is that why you correct others? How should the end goal of restoration impact the way we correct others?
Self-righteousness is pervasive in our culture of comparison. Evaluate your own life — ask Jesus to illuminate areas of pride and self-righteousness you weren’t aware of before. Restore others gently and carry others’ burdens.
