Reflection for the Week – 3 November 2026

By Rev Prof Bart Bruehler

Posted Nov  3, 2026 in Faith

The ones who justify themselves

By Rev Prof Bart Bruehler

From Luke 16:14–16:

When the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, they ridiculed Jesus. So he said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were in effect up through John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God has also been proclaimed, and everyone will do anything they can to get into it.”

We all have times when we feel attacked, called out, or put on the spot for our actions or behavior. I think that our typical first response is to attempt to justify what we have done. This is exactly how Jesus identifies the Pharisees – they are “the ones who justify themselves.”

The problem is that this kind of behavior is “an abomination to God.” God hates this kind of self-justifying behavior: the Law says so (Deuteronomy 5:21), the prophets say so (Hosea 7:2-4), John the Baptist says so (Luke 3:7-9), and Jesus says so (Luke 18:9-14).

Jesus hints that people will even try to “justify themselves” in God’s sight to get into the Kingdom of God, but he is trying to show us how ironically foolish that is, for God knows what is in our hearts.

The next time you feel attacked, called out, or put on the spot. Stop and ask yourself, “Am I seeking to justify myself, to preserve my reputation, to show myself to be right?”

As we seek to obey Jesus in the details of these daily moments, we will find ourselves being formed for the ultimate opportunity of entering into God’s Kingdom (so Luke 16:10), for God does know our hearts.

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