Pride and Fear

Matthew 12:23 - When the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This one does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons."

The Pharisees are paying attention too. Yet, their conclusion is the exact opposite of the crowd's - they claim Jesus is in league with demons. In fact, with Beelzebub himself. They see the miracle and they cannot believe. They know the prophecies as well as the crowd, yet, out of fear of losing their position and the power and riches that come with it, they deny that what they have seen is from God.

They probably have nothing personal against Jesus, yet attack him because it is the only way to stay in power. Yet there is something else - they do not want to think they got it wrong. They are incapable of changing their minds when they see new evidence.

We all know or know of people like this - people who cannot possibly be wrong and when they are double down. I have been this person. In fact, in some areas, I still am. I based so much of my identity on whether I was right or wrong. That road does not lead to happiness. The Pharisees do not come across as happy and comforting. THey come across as assholes. I'm sure I used to come across the same way.

Yet ... people loved me anyway. They didn't ignore my bad behavior - they called me out - yet they also showed me a better way. "Would you rather be right or happy?" If those Pharisees were anything like me the answer was obvious - being right meant being happy.

It was only when I realized that that answer was not in my best interests that I began to think about pride, to recognize my own pride and to see how it had led me to make some unhealthy and even harmful decisions. It was when I let go of being right that I began to see things differently. And I began to be happy.

Today I choose to be attentive to this.
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