Pharisee's eat at Subway (and by Pharisee's i mean me)

Good Evening my loyal friends and blog readers.

Yesterday was a pretty darn good day. Except for one time during the day. So after church (church was really great by the way....Shawn preached the best message i have ever heard him preach.) i went out for lunch with some friends. I had been craving Subway (props to my sister) for like weeks, because unlike months earlier, i had not eaten there in over a month. So at my request and desire we went to Subway. I hada great sub, but as we were standing in line to order a crappy scene began unfolding.

As you may or may not know, May long weekend was this past weekend. In Alberta, this is an excuse for many people to get totally hammered. One such person and his buddies wandered into Subway that fateful morning, and the one fellow was out of control. He was yelling, and cussing in a very vulger way - alot, he was bothering customers and employees alike, he was taking off his shirt, basically, he was being a real ass. I just kind of ignored him at first. I figured, ah, what the heck, he is drunk, and he'll leave after he gets his food, but he didn't. The people (especially the females) i was with, were becoming obviously disgruntled with this person. To the point where they were responding with anger to his idiocy and drunken behavior. This continued well on into the time where we were eating our subs. He was not being a considerate drunk. One lady in line apperantly called the police, but they never showed up. So this went on and on, and we didn't want to leave because he was harrassing the two teenage girls who were working at Subway. The ladies in our party continued to engage the guy in conversation when they felt neccesary to tell him to shut-up or what have you. I have to admit, he was being fairly rude, and with kids in the place. My anger began to burn. I wanted to get up and throw him out, and maybe give him a punch or two to straignten him out. My anger began to burn and then i wanted to just plainly kick his ass. I was almost wishing he would go one step further and give me an excuse to pop him. Eventually, after some unkind words between him and my friend Cara, he stumbled out with his buddies. I dwelled on my indignant, righteous anger for a little while, then moved on, cause he was gone. Today, i had time to think about this situation. I thought about how it could've played out differantly. Then i thought about, what an asshole i was. I had just today read the seven woes that Christ addresses to the pharisee's and teachers of the law. They were about being hypocritical and unloving and so on, and as i thought about how this could've been differant i realized that i needed to love that guy.

How am i any better then this guy? I'm not, i may not've been drunk then, but i've been drunk and obnoxious before. Hell, i've been sober and obnoxious before! I have done worse things then piss some people off in a subway when i was drunk. The differance comes in that i have accepted the forgiveness that God has offered to me. Yes, i have been just as bad and worse then this guy, but the differance is, I have discovered God's life changing love, and he hasn't. But how is he ever going to find God's love if Christians like me, and looking at him with eyes of hate, and murderous intent?

I thought about how instead of grumbling under my breath and hating this "SINNER" i could've gone and eaten with him, and loved him and showed him what Christ has done in my life. If Christ would've been there, who would he have sat with....me...or this other guy? He would've sat with the other guy, and at that moment i realized what a pharisee i can be, and how those seven woes that Christ addresses to the Pharisee's are for me, because i can be exactly like those guys who we villify all the time. How easy it is to allow righteous indignation to serve as a cover for pure hate and anger. It felt right at the time, i had a right to be angry with this guy, he was being a total jackass, and bothering my friends especially, WRONG! I had a right to pass on the love that Jesus gave to me, and the thought didn't even cross my mind...how frustrating is that?! I can see where the Pharisee's would get caught. It made sense that they would not want to hang out with those sinners and tax collecters, they are drunk assholes in subway, they are thiving tax collectors, they are foul mouth co-workers, they are prostitutes...do you see what i am getting at? I have made the pharisee's out to be real idiots on more then one occasion, but they weren't so unlike me after all! Which makes me kinda sick to my stomach to think about. God give me the strength, and the heart to love those who are unlike me, but like me completley on that we both are in need to you amazing love and grace.

Song of the day is "Shadows" by Matt Sharp. Matt Sharp used to be the bassist in Weezer. His solo album is good, really mellow and slow. I ordered it and am trying to give it a good listen. Check it out, i dig Mr. Sharp and so should you. If you have the means and or the desire, check out "Shadows" by Matt Sharp.

This is Shaolin - Out