Luke 18:9-14

Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Humility: good. Exalting self: bad. Discuss.

I’ve always been intrigued by the roots of the word “humility.” Humus=earth. Being humble means sticking close to the earth, close to the ground. It means remembering where you come from, staying rooted. “Exalting self” would mean trying to “fly free” from the earth (which is impossible), forgetting where we come from, trying to plant roots in the sky (which doesn’t work very well). Could it be that in some of the “escapist” versions of Christianity (focused on being caught up in heaven) there’s a subtle self-exaltation at work? I don’t know where the sermon is in all of this, but it’s interesting (to me, anyway).

~~Richard