I’ve said many times that:

In the Gospels, we see Christ reserving His harshest judgment for those who are most judgmental.

And, there is truth in that.

In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks blistering words of rebuke against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. His seven words of woe in Matthew 23 highlight their gracelessness, their legalism, their judgmentalism, their lack of compassion, their externalism, their works’ righteousness, their self-righteousness.

“They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matt. 23:4).

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matt. 23:23).

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matt. 23:25).

Yes, Jesus reserves His harshest words for judgmental, legalistic, self-righteous people who focus on external appearance and rule-keeping, and remain blind to their sin.

Yet…The Parable of the Self-Righteous Son 

Yet, in Luke 15, Jesus tells the Pharisees and teachers of the law a parable in three parts—the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of two lost sons.

Yes, that’s right—a parable of two lost sons. We tend to think of Luke 15 almost exclusively as the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

But it is clearly also the Parable of the Self-Righteous Son—of the Pharisaical, legalistic son.

Shocked by Grace to the Unrighteous

We tend to be shocked by the amazing, counter-cultural, humble grace of the father in the parable for the younger son—for the overtly unrighteous son. And with good reason:

“But while he [the overtly unrighteous son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:20-24).

In the culture of the day, this father humiliated himself. The son had wished his father dead! The community expected the father to humble his son, but instead, this humble father graciously received his son—his overtly unrighteous sinning son…

Shocked by Grace to the Self-Righteous 

But the father’s grace does not stop there. The father goes out to his self-righteous, unrepentant, blind-to-his-own-sinfulness son.

Ponder these words of grace to the graceless:

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’” (Luke 15:28-32).

Consider the self-righteous son:

• Angry about his father’s grace…
• Refusing relationship with his father and his brother…
• Arrogantly demanding of his father: “Look!”…
• Depending on works’ righteousness: “I’ve been slaving for you…”
• Blind to his own sinfulness: “I’ve never disobeyed you…”
• Seeing the father not as a father, but as a cruel task-master: “…your orders…”
• Jealous of his father’s grace to others: “…you kill the fattened calf for him!”…

This self-righteous son is blind to his own sin, and, therefore, unrepentant. Still, the father offers grace to the graceless.

Consider the father’s grace:

• Pursuing Grace: The father went out to his son…
• Pleading Grace: The father pleaded with his son…
• Paternal Grace: “My son.” What words. To this angry, jealous, self-righteous, demanding, demeaning person, the father says, “My son.”
• Perpetual, Persistent Grace: “You are always with me.”
• Priceless Grace: “And everything I have is yours.”
• Personal Grace: “This brother of yours…”

Even after the 7 woes of Matthew 23, we still hear Jesus share this same pleading grace to the graceless:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matt. 23:37).

What About Me? What About You? 

I’ve been convicted by Luke 15 in new ways of late. I’ve always been convicted by Christ’s amazing grace to me—the unrighteous son.

But I’ve begun to realize that I’ve secretly harbored a judgmental attitude toward judgmental people! I’ve secretly harbored an attitude of superiority to people who have an arrogant attitude of superiority. I’ve secretly found it easier to be forgiving toward unrighteous repentant overt sinners, but found it harder to be forgiving toward self-righteous sinners. I’ve secretly harbored a graceless attitude to the graceless.

Now…before you start judging me…what about you?

Can you give grace to the graceless? Do you maintain a humble attitude toward the arrogant? Do you judge the judgmental?

I can hear you now—because I can hear me now… “But, Jesus reserves His harshest judgment for those who judge others most harshly!”

Yes.

And…

Jesus offers His amazing grace to the unrighteous sinner and to the self-righteous sinner.

The Father offers relationship to those who flee relationship.

The Spirit offers grace to those who arrogantly try to depend upon works.

The Trinity offers grace to the graceless.

How about me?

How about you?

What’s our attitude toward the “graceless”?

The Rest of the Story 

I have said:

In the Gospels, we see Christ reserving His harshest judgment for those who are most judgmental.

Now I am also saying:

In the Gospels, we see Christ sharing His amazing grace with the graceless.