Spiritually Smug.

Something has been seriously lost in translation.  For adulterers and tax collectors looking for relief from their lives of sin, Jesus had nothing but good news.  For the religious elite and spiritually self-satisfied, he could offer nothing.  “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick;  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners,” Jesus said. Mark 2.17  Jesus looked at the pomp of the arrogant Pharisees and knew they did not see their sin—why, they had no need for him! 

In two thousand years, little has changed.  The self-righteous make light of their own sin, and miss the blessing of the intimacy of grace.  Meanwhile, God’s grace is poured out on the repentant, as he lavishes them with his mercy.  Jesus doesn’t have much to offer the spiritually smug, nor are they really looking . . . What is it inside religious folk that causes us to be self-righteous or feel superior to another, spiritually speaking?

Paul, as the first missionary and instructor of Christianity, had the herculean task of showing his fellow Jews their need for Christ, to show them that he was indeed their long-awaited Messiah.  The Jews hid behind the Law, and the knowledge that they were God’s chosen people.  In Romans 1, Paul listed the sins of the Gentiles—easily identified and condemned by the Jews.  But now, as he sets his sights on the Jews, his task becomes more involved as he has to take apart their self-righteousness, and endeavor to get them to remove their blinders.

He writes:

“Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God;  

if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;

if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,  

  an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants,

because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—  

you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?  You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  

You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?  

As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”  Romans 2.17-24, NIV

A brief survey of the Judaism of first-century Palestine is helpful here.  The majority of Jews belonged to three major sects:

Pharisees - a group of influential Jews active in Palestine from 2nd century BCE through 1st century CE; they advocated and adhered to strict observance of the Sabbath rest, purity rituals, tithing, and food restrictions based on the Hebrew Scriptures and on later traditions

Sadducees - another prominent group of Jews for same time period; they were probably smaller "elite" group, but even more influential than the Pharisees; they followed the laws of the Hebrew Bible (the Torah), but rejected newer traditions.

Essenes - a smaller group or "sect" that lived a communal "monastic" lifestyle at Qumram (near the Dead Sea); the "Dead Sea Scrolls" found in this location in 1947 are usually associated with them.1

~If you wish to know more on ancient Judaism, I found a great brief description:  http://www.becomingjewish.org/history/ancient_jewish_sects.html

Here’s the thing—the Jews saw themselves as the only people who were spiritually connected to God.  They thought themselves guides to the poor, blind Gentiles who sat in darkness and were very proud of this--that whoever would have the knowledge of God must be beholden to them for it. All other nations must come to be schooled by them, to learn what is good, and what the Lord requires; for they had the living oracles (prophecies).2

Could it be that the Church today is an awful lot like those Paul was addressing?  Spiritually smug, we are not very teachable . . .

apathy has encroached . . . we see the sins of others, but do not worry too much about our own . . .

Ah, apparently Paul’s words to the Jews in Rome have strong application—yes, the Word of God is living and active, isn’t it?  Marvelous!

Christine

1 - Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

2 -  Matthew Henry, Romans Commentary