Justifying a Way of Life

He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight (Luke 16:15).

One of the most powerful of all blinders is justification.  Not God's justification of the sinner, but our justifications we use to excuse behavior, giving, not giving, receiving, not receiving, doing and not doing, and so forth.

Some justifications are easy to pull apart.  The one who steps into an adulterous affair may use the justification that, "I married the wrong person," or "My husband/wife deserves it,"  or "God wants me happy." Or my favorite, "I can't help it."  Whatever excuse is used, adultery is wrong - plain and simple.  But there a crud load of excuses used by adulterers.

Other justifications are not as easy to pull apart.  When Jesus asked people to leave everything and follow him, tax-collectors gave, but rich young rulers would not.  Why not?  Inheriting money or earning it legitimately and honestly is harder to give up than money gained from socially unacceptable means.  We can justify one more than the other.

There were two dynamics that promoted the justifications that the Pharisees used in this passage.  The first had to do with entitlement which is justifying one's ownership of property and money because it is deserved, and it is honest, and it is acceptable in soeciety's eyes.  The Pharisees believed that they deserved what they got.  Not only did they get their money honestly, but they also believed God financially rewarded His own.

The second dynamic promoting justification of their possessions and money had to do with their group.  If one is all alone in being rich and profitting from the tithes of the people and living better than those who give, one would have a harder time excusing how they got the money and keeping on to it.  But excuses love company, and there was a lot of that.  Other religious leaders lived very well because of the peoples' tithes, and those religious leaders were good people who loved God.  Justifications love company.