If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you’ve heard a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. A Pharisee and a tax collector (a terrible sinner, of course, are pictured in Jesus’ parable.

The publican prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” (ESV)

Jesus, at the end of his parable says of the tax collector, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The sermon you heard was likely on the Pharisee’s emphasis on his prayer and his use of the personal pronoun “I”. He was praying not to God, but himself. There is truth in that. I had an interesting conversation recently that opened my eyes to how many of us view ourselves. Our personal pronouns say much about us. They betray us. They betray us in church, in life and in social media.

First Person Plural: We/Us

 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”(Genesis 11:4 ESV)

Not a good call. When the people of the land decided to fight against God, He looked upon their efforts as futile. They were speaking in the first person plural. Let “us”. We can do this without “Him.”

New Testament example. After Peter spoke boldly before the people, the rulers had to figure out what to do. Here’s what they said:  “’What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is  evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.’” (Acts 4:16 ESV)

Nothing. You can’t do anything with them. It’s you against God.

But let’s not pretend it’s not happening in our hearts today. How many pastors have I talked to who have fielded phone calls from members who have said, “Preacher, it’s not just me who doesn’t like the changes, but we’re just concerned with the path you’re going down.” Change is a disruptive thing. But it’s not always the wrong thing. Our personal pronouns can say a lot about our hearts.

Second personal singular and plural: You

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” (Numbers 21:5 ESV)

You is often used as a blaming word. We use it a lot to blame people. If you hear this in an argument, feel free to shut down. Don’t say another word. The Israelites in this passage, after God has brought them out of the slavery of Egypt, are looking to blame someone for their lack of comfort. In the following verses, things get ugly.

New Testament second personal singular usage (there’s a lot, but I’m only using one): At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-2 ESV)

The Pharisees stuck around a lot to find a fault in Jesus. Same in this passage. Their personal pronoun use exposes them. Verses later, he exposes them for their hypocrisy.

Today, we do the same. We see sin in people (the same sins we commit) and say, “Well, look at you. You aren’t the person I thought you were. You’re no better than anyone else. I thought you were better than that.” We say it to church people. We say it under our breath. We say it to our children. We say it on Facebook. We say it on blogs, anonymously.

Third Person Singular: He/She

And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:15 ESV)

Saul was jealous of David. There are a ton of other Old Testament examples. Saul wanted David dead.

New Testament?   “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:16-17 ESV)

Today, we often use the third person singular in a derogatory way. “Look at her. She embezzled. She’s a whore. He’s an adulterer. He cheated on his wife. He’s a rat.” But those are the people Christ sat with. Ate with. Spent his ministry on. Went to the cross to save.

Thankfully, there’s one more personal pronoun group in Scripture. It can be misused, but it should be used for the glory of God.

First Person Singular: Me

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8 ESV)

Isaiah places the emphasis on himself. Realizing that the task is placed before him. Not on the “I” but on the “me”. If you’re a discerning reader, you’ll understand the difference.

The book of Luke records the tax collector doing thusly:  “standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

Where does change start in our day? When we say, “I may have been hurt, wronged and sinned against. But change starts with me. It is my filthy heart that needs cleansing first. I don’t go to church so that I am pleased. I go to church so that God makes a change in me.”

It’s when we realize that if any change is going to be made in this world, it’s going to be made because we (first person plural) step up. The people of God, armed with His (third personal singular) righteousness, because we (FPP again) believe in His (TPS again) cause. But it has to begin with me (FPS). I have to say, “I want a change to begin in my life, to recognize the work that Christ has done in my life. In my heart.”

It is the heart that sings out with the poet from Psalm 139:

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
        Try me and know my thoughts!
    And see if there be any grievous way in me,
        and lead me in the way everlasting!

(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)