This morning, I am looking at the readings for this coming Sunday.  The Gospel appointed is the parable of the Publican i.e. tax collector, and the Pharisee from Luke chapter 18.  Both are praying in the temple.  The Pharisee is blowing his own horn about how good and righteous he is – fasting twice a week, tithing, and giving thanks that he is not like other men who are adulterers, unjust, and extortionists.  He is especially thankful he is not like the Publican.  The Publican, in contrast, asks for God’s mercy as a sinner. 

Jesus holds up the example of the Publican as being justified rather than the Pharisee.  This is a well-known parable of Jesus – at least in my experience.  It is great fodder for sermons and is a great lesson for those in the pews about being like the Publican and not the Pharisee.  Don’t get too high on yourself and be righteous.  If you ask people sitting in the pews if they agree that the Pharisee should be condemned by Jesus, Likely most would agree – perhaps feeling somewhat uncomfortable about having similar feelings to those of the Pharisee – albeit on a much smaller scale of course.

 However, once you do that – to say thank God I am not like the Pharisee, you are doing just what Jesus was criticizing the Pharisee for doing.  How many of us can say we have never looked at someone and mentally criticized them as being the wrong kind of person, or acting in the wrong way, or dressing inappropriately, or having the wrong kind of hair, and so on.  When we do that, we are letting our inner Pharisee take over.  Rather than looking at ourselves we are focussing on the other out there rather than looking inward at ourselves.  

I invite all of us to pay attention for the next week to where our inner Pharisee takes charge and whenever it does see that we might not be admitting about ourselves.