The Virtue-Signaling Pharisee- Luke 18
“Virtue signaling” or “moral grandstanding” has become a topic of conversation in the last few years, especially in relation to how people behave on social media, like twitter and facebook. Brandon Warmke is a philosophy professor who co-authored the book “Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk”. He defines moral grandstanding as the act of engaging in moral talk for self-promotion and status. It is waving a flag about a particular moral or political issue in the hopes that people we like will be impressed with us.
This can take a few different forms. For example, this might take the form of attacking someone online. Those who see you attacking the “bad” person, or the “bad” idea will be impressed by you standing up for what is right. This can give a sense of dominance over an enemy, especially if you can get others to gang up on them with you to humiliate and shame them. … In moral Grandstanding there is no desire to create peace or understanding with the person they disagree with. They just become a symbol of what is bad. The enemy is just a foil used to present yourself as “the good one”.
Moral grandstanding could also be as simple as posting something on facebook in favour of a cause or a movement or political position. It could be putting a sign on your lawn, or a sticker on your car. The goal is to have people look up to you, or for people to see you as enlightened, or on the right side, or as on the good side.
This isn’t to say all of that behaviour is moral grandstanding. We can support a cause, or argue a point, without it being moral grandstanding. The subtle difference is found in our motivations. This is where Jesus was often directing our attention- What is the state of our heart in these acts? If we do it to look good in the eyes of others (to promote our reputation, or to seek status) that’s when it becomes moral grandstanding.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says,
“Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matt 6:1).
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward” (Matt 6:5).
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward” (Matt 6:16).
Jesus is warning us that if we are doing these things merely to impress others, then we will not receive any spiritual benefit from doing them. Our reward will be that others are impressed by us, but that will be the trade off.
One way to test ourselves is to observe ourselves when no one is looking. Do we only do good when we can be observed being good? Do we only give when we can be recognized for it? Do we pray when no one is looking? Do we fast without needing to talk about that with others? Who we are when no one is looking gives us a peek into our hearts. This is one of the reasons the discipline of solitude is so beneficial. Our hearts are a mystery. It takes a lot of time and discernment to understand ourselves, and I’m not sure that job is ever really completed. Our motivations are often hidden to ourselves. So how much more difficult is it to understand someone else’s motivations. This should make us very wary of accusing someone of moral grandstanding.[1]
Jesus tells a parable about two men who go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee in this story seems to be participating in moral grandstanding. He is both puffing himself up, while simultaneously putting down the tax-collector. …
Traditionally, in the first century, people would often read and pray out loud. So, it is also possible that his prayer is a bit of a sermon to the people gathered for prayer. “Get it together people. Be righteous like me.” I'm sure we've all heard prayers that are more like sermons than prayers- "...And Lord as we sit down to eat our supper, please remind Johnny to do his homework and eat his vegetables, and remind him to stop teasing his sister, and to get his homework and chores done...".
The Pharisee stands off by himself, maybe so he's not touched by anyone who is ritually unclean. He prays by thanking God for his own goodness,
"God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get."
We are left wondering if he is actually thanking God, or is he just basking in his own sense of self-satisfaction. The Pharisee obviously feels he is righteous and looks on the sinful people around him with contempt.
Contempt has the effect of making you feel better about yourself by thinking someone else is really horrible. It’s a bit like making yourself feel taller by beheading the others in the room. He isn’t a robber. He isn’t a con-artist. He isn’t living in sexual sin. So, he must be one of the good guys.
The Pharisee goes a step further. He's not just ‘not bad’ (he isn’t like the tax-collector)- he's actually really good. He even goes beyond the requirements of the law. The Old Testament requires fasting on certain days in relation to festivals, but the Pharisee fasts twice a week. The Old Testament requires a Tithe, or 10%, from certain kinds of income, but he tithes on everything he has. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty. He is a super Israelite. … He seems to bask in his own sense of self-righteousness. How good it is to be one of the righteous, especially more righteous than the other people around you.
What is wrong with the Pharisee is not his dedication and good works- these are good things. What’s wrong with the Pharisee is that his motivations are tainted by his sense of comparative righteousness which led to pride and contempt. "God I thank you that I am not like this tax collector". Pride, self-righteousness, contempt, and judgement are poisons to our soul. When we try to justify ourselves by looking at others with contempt, we destroy humility in ourselves, which is the necessary stance before God to receive grace.
This is where the Pharisee gets it wrong. He thinks he has worked his way out of the mud, because by comparison to the people around him, he looks like he's doing alright. He sees everyone else’s sin. But, he doesn't see the root of all sin living in his own heart- Pride. Pride is the seed of all sin. Pride leads to contempt. Contempt leads to anger and hatred, which can lead to murder. The prideful Pharisee might have good works but they are tainted by bad motivations. With pride planted in his heart, he is a ticking time-bomb.
And this is where the tax-collector gets it right. Jesus isn't saying that there is anything good about his job. He has no good works that we are aware of. Tax-collectors were crooks and traitors who worked for an occupying army. Often, they were already wealthy and they squeezed the people to make themselves more rich and powerful using the authority of their Roman oppressors. They were allowed to skim as much as they wanted off the top as long as Rome got their share. Anything extra the tax collector was free to have. It was a rotten system that led to all kinds of corruption. …
This Tax Collector seems to have come to see his own sinfulness. He comes to God in prayer feeling the weight of his sin. He knows God doesn’t owe him anything, so he asks for mercy-
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
The Pharisee doesn't see his own sin. … The tax collector sees his own brokenness- his greed, and gluttony. He stands at a distance from the rest not because he is afraid of being polluted like the Pharisee, but he feels like he is not worthy to stand among them out of shame over his own sin. He is so burdened by his own sin that he hangs his head and beats his chest.
The tax collector calls out for help in humility. … Humility is just seeing yourself as you are- no better, no worse. Humility is seeing yourself as God sees you. Seeing his own sinfulness, the tax collector pleads for God's mercy. And that is the prerequisite to receiving it. Unless you genuinely realize your need for atonement you don't have the ability to receive it. … Humility is the seed of all virtue. St. Augustine says that humility is "the foundation of all the other virtues; hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist, there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance". With humility, even in our sinfulness, we are made open to receive God’s grace. … But, in pride, even the benefit of our good works is taken from us.
Sometimes people have the sense that humility means that God wants us to have bad self-esteem. That’s not what humility is about. Humility is seeing yourself accurately before God. What God wants is repentance. He wants us to be in a continual state of turning towards God. He wants us to be continually open to correction. God wants us to see the world and ourselves as God sees. This starts with humility.
The alternative to living in humility is to live in an illusion- pride is an illusion. God knows the deepest and darkest parts of you. God knows the parts of you that you keep secret even to those who are closest to you. God doesn't want us to remain stuck in the mud. Christ stands with his hand out to us who are stuck in the mud. Humility is seeing the mud and seeing that you need help to get out. Christ has done the heavy lifting. He has shed his sweat and blood on the cross for us. He wants to transform us through his Spirit working in us, but he wants our permission and co-operation. He wants to work through us and transform the world by transforming our little piece of the world. … God wants to speak peace into your life. That is what it means to be justified. You have peace with God. Your relationship is healed. … The Tax collector went home with his relationship to God healed- he was justified. Sure he had work to do. He had to fix some things in his life, but God was there to help him. AMEN
[1]
Warmke’s research found that one political side
is no more likely than the other to do this, though it is more prevalent on the
extreme sides of the political spectrum. Narcissists are most likely to do moral
grandstanding.
It can take the form of
‘piling on’ (producing, or taking part in, an Avalanche of criticism);
‘ramping up’ (increasing the intensity from they deserve to be fined to, jailed, to be considered a Nazi);
‘trumping up’ (Making a mountain of a
molehill- a minor offence is exaggerated);
‘excessive emotion’ (appearing outraged to show you really care);
‘dismissive’ (proclaiming moral superiority by stating that
engaging the other is not worth their time).
https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/moral-grandstanding-podcast
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