Self-Righteousness

“And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:10-13

Self-righteousness, in its essence, is thinly veiled pride; and it separates us from God. In their efforts to please God and live holy lives, the Pharisees lost their focus on the original object of their affections and began to be enamored with their own goodness. They had been right in wanting to please God, but they were wrong in trying to impress everyone else with how well they were doing at it.

When the Pharisees came to Jesus, they were skeptical about Who He claimed to be and the validity of the miracles which He performed. Jesus did not fit into their private universe of godliness. He healed people on the Sabbath day, a day in which no manner of work was to be performed. Now they saw Him spending time with publicans and sinners, people that they would never associate with. They were convinced of their own goodness. They did not need any help, and that attitude was precisely what separated them from Jesus.