The Original Virtue Signaler?

by Greg Kogler

In Luke 18 Jesus teaches on prayer and uses a parable comparing a Pharisee and tax collector. The passage in the English Standard Version begins in verse 9, “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”

As I read these verses, my sarcasm took over and I thought the Pharisee in this parable was perhaps one of the earliest virtue signalers; someone who publicly shares a post or a thought (or prayer, bumper sticker, t-shirt, decoration on your residence, or even the clothing brands you choose to wear or not wear) in the hope we’ll all see how good they are. The longer this “funny” thought revolved in my own head the less comical it was. As a matter of fact, the original humor in my observation was soon replaced with personal conviction and sadness. Why?

Churning this simple inquiry clarified an answer, and it was a realization specific to our current cultural climate. One in which we find ourselves not simply wanting to share our thoughts or ideas, but instead using this process to passively make and state judgments about others, especially other Christ followers, on any number of topics or issues. I began to ask myself how I formed my conclusions about others; were my conclusions or assessments based on information or assumption?

What was the individual reality of the people around me, especially with those whom I’d expect to disagree with? Do I really know them or even care to know them? Do I see them first as a brother or sister in Christ or do I see them first through a social-political-cultural lens and then worry about if they walk with the Lord?

My conviction and sadness were fueled by an admission that too often I settle on an assessment of another with minimal information behind my conclusion and no real effort to gain genuine understanding. Happy to judge, but too bothered to learn.

I started to pick the topic I would filter judgments through…vaccines…political affiliation…social causes…church doctrine…worship styles…and more. Oh, my goodness, much more. And of course, the Pharisee jumped back onto my mental screen, and I could hear his words being spoken in my voice. “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: the unvaccinated (or vaccinated), the Democrat or Republican, the Socialist or the Trump supporter, the Social Justice Warrior, or even like this law enforcement officer (would some of us call them a modern-day tax collector?).

All of this mental energy swirled about and the inevitable next question popped up. Where was Jesus in all of this? Easy answer: He wasn’t. At least not in this context. Who was I to look at another believer and assume the very worst about them because I disagreed with them on any of the above issues or causes? That’s awful. And then the next question arrived. Why are we Christians fighting so much over things that have so little to do with what we claim is our first focus? Why are we destroying our churches over political affiliation? Why are we tearing families apart due to vaccination status or any other status for that matter?

Why is someone willing to cut relational ties because of differing opinions on the role of government entirely unconcerned when their church is dying, or a brother or sister is faltering in their walk with the Lord? Better yet, we’ll make time to join a march or gathering (or riot or insurrection) or go crazy on social media to advance some cultural dynamic, but can’t make time to visit someone who just lost a child or spouse? Too busy to help your neighbor?

I mean, are we interested in being relational or is everything we do transactional and based on a pre-established an entirely inflexible criterion? Are we interested in inquiring and hearing or is our driving motivation in every encounter looking for an opportunity to “tell” and correct?

Everything about the circumstances of each of our lives and the experiences God has allowed for us (or hasn’t) all exists within His sovereignty. All of it. And since this is true, how do we manage assessing our fellow believers against the truth of God’s word without moving into the world of foundationless conclusions about them?

With this in mind, and recognizing our limitless capacity for arrogance and downright hubris, we somehow skip over God and assume we are the grand orchestrators of our own lives (aren’t we all so amazing….yes, this is sarcasm) and we allow this absurd falsity to become the foundation for why, when, and how we assess others. We assume the very best of ourselves and the very worst of others even when we’ve taken no time to understand the influences they’ve experienced, and we TOTALLY forget they are someone who kneels at the feet of the same Lord we do. Let’s be real, that doesn’t really matter because they are so wrong about this…whatever “this” may be.

Now, before any of us get too excited about the comments above, the same tendency to point out the evil in others is the same evil that prompts us to respond harshly when others are critical of us. After all, the Pharisees arranged to have Jesus crucified, and based on some of the hostility within the church it seems some would be OK if “those people” experienced something similar, or at least a figuratively similar.

And here is another question: Where in any of the snap judgments, criticism, harshness, is anything someone could use to identify us as Christ followers? Anger, resentment, and retribution are fruits of the Spirit, right? Oh wait, I think it’s things like love, joy, kindness, gentleness, patience. Silly Jesus. Instead, what we do in the midst of our foolishness is imitate culture rather than Christ. Total bummer.

I mean, if you’re right and the vaccine is a future death sentence for those who chose to get it then every single one of us will lose people we care deeply about. It’s OK though. We were right. If the disease is way worse than we thought and those who chose not to get a vaccine die, then every single one of us will lose people we care deeply about. It’s OK though. We were right. Gosh, I can’t wait to be right? Remember, being right is what proves we love Jesus isn’t it?

And in the meantime, don’t forget you’re a horrible person because you chose to/not to do something. Just ask the person who doesn’t know anything about you except for the one fact they happened to learn about you. It’s totally enough information to judge you.

In JC Ryle’s book Practical Religion he writes, “we live by the grace of God yet so often fail to extend any grace to others. And we wonder why there are quarrels? Quarrels about things which have no impact on our salvation and create nothing worthwhile in the lives of those around us. We scream about who is right and what is true and think not for one moment that our very behavior is utterly contradictory to the attributes we’d expect to see in one who desires to be like Christ.”

And yes, when reading this there was a physical reaction to being punched in the face and the verdict for myself was: GUILTY. How about you?

So, what do we do to re-focus on being true to our calling as Christ followers and sharing His message and reflecting His attributes? How do we recalibrate our personal filter, so we view others with eyes and hearts shaped by the Holy Spirit? I think it starts with reminding ourselves that none of us has a monopoly on being right, and conflict and disagreement are a normal part of life. Jesus isn’t on my side during an argument, and He’s not on yours either. As was said in a recent Sunday message, “Conflict can make us better as long as the fruit of the Spirit is present.”

Generating the fruit of the Spirit requires we read the Bible and ask what it means for ourselves. Instead of using scripture as holy hand grenades we all should use it as a mirror. What does God’s truth mean for my life and how I treat others? Perhaps in the process we can relearn how to think the best of others, just like we do ourselves. Let’s be real, there is only One who is ultimately in charge and responsible for rendering perfect judgment. Heads up, it’s not any of us.

Lastly, let’s fall back on Jesus’ response when asked to define the great command. In Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV) Jesus answered the Pharisee, “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love God with everything in us and love our neighbors just like we love ourselves. The real impact of this approach to life could have substantial impact on us and those around us. If we let it. The instruction is stunningly profound in its potential influence, and simple enough to remember in every interaction we have with others.

I guess the real questions for me, and perhaps for you as well, are can we choose to both remember this instruction from our King and make every effort to demonstrate it? Or will we all continue to decide being “right” is more important than obeying the great command?

What about the Pharisee and the tax collector at the beginning of this diatribe? The truth is we will play both roles at times in our lives. The question is, can we recognize it, ask for forgiveness, restore the relationship, and continue on our walk to be like Christ? One day, when the Lord calls us home, we will become what God always intended us to be. Until then, strive to love like Jesus did, as imperfect as it may be for now.