No doubt 2020 will result in all kinds of new entries to our personal vocabularies that weren’t there before. We will all speak in freely and easily in the way of social distancing, quarantining, furlough, and contact tracing. And we’re not done yet. There will yet be more words – words that will emerge as we come out of quarantine – and figure out the next phase of life.

Not all these words will be born of good. They are descriptive, yes – but reminders of the ongoing psychological and physical effects everyone is going to feel for some time. Here’s one example:

Mask shaming.

It’s a term I certainly would not have thought of before the last month or so. But here we are. Judging and shaming people for not wearing masks. Or judging and shaming people for putting one on. And there are all kinds of other things like that as well – all opportunities for us to be right in our own eyes and make immediate assumptions about people who do not do the same thing.

It makes me think of a story Jesus told. But even more than the story, it makes me think of the way I react to the story. Perhaps you will remember this tale about two different people doing the same thing but for very different reasons:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’

“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).

The first man, filled with himself, spent his time thanking God that he was not like all those other people – the greedy, the sinners, the adulterers – pretty much everyone else. He thanked God for this, though we are left wondering if God was his true audience.

Standing next to him was one of those other people. He didn’t raise his eyes toward heaven, but instead had a true assessment of himself. His prayer was far less articulate: “Have mercy on me. Turn your wrath from me—a sinner!” He was one of those people, and he knew it.

Jesus followed up His story with the punch:

“I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

To put it another way, humility is not an option. Every mouth will eventually be closed; every chest will eventually be de-puffed; every knee will eventually bow. Humble yourself now or be humbled by God later, but humility is coming nonetheless.

Now here’s the thing – we can look at this story and learn many things. We can learn, for example, that the fashion and nature of our prayers goes a great way in being a window to our hearts. We can see our true desires, our true belief in who God is and what He does, and our true assessment of ourselves by looking at our prayers. These are all virtuous things – they are the kinds of things that show we are moving forward with Jesus, being transformed into His likeness.

But here is part of the true genius of the parable because the way we react to it reveals ourselves in it. What I mean is that our tendency is to read this parable and judge the Pharisee in it.

Do you see the irony? The Pharisee in the story thanked God that he was not like the tax collector. I read this parable and immediately thank God that I am not like the Pharisee. Now consider why this might be particularly meaningful to us at this moment in history, especially as Christians. For what we have before us is the opportunity to cast judgment rather than extend grace; to assume rather than engage in relationship; to esteem our own opinion rather than listening to that of others.

There is another passage, also from the New Testament, that this parable leads us to. As this parable convicts us, the second passage can instruct us:

Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister… So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. Do not tear down God’s work because of food (Rom. 14:13; 19-20).

Christian, do not destroy the work of God because of the virus. Let us instead bear with one another in love and persevere. Together.