I love running around with kids, and one of the most timeless games is tag. And although there are countless variations…Freeze Tag, Noodle Tag, Tunnel Tag, and even Tuna Tag (learned that one recently…whoever is “It” apparently gets to be a shark), the basic rules are the same.

But there is always one kid who, whenever he is about to be tagged, calls “Time Out!” or selects an arbitrary inanimate object as a “Base” in which all tag attempts are rendered impotent. This kid thinks he’s winning and fancies himself as the “Big Tuna of Tag,” but he actually just annoyed everyone and all the other kids left already. But he still loudly proclaims that “he won,” although no one is around to hear his self-congratulatory laudations.

Similarly, the legalistic Pharisees were professionals at keeping their own rules. According to their personal scorecards, their tithes of cumin were painstakingly precise and their righteousness quotients were practically perfect. And even their “prayers” were effusively self-congratulatory.

So when Jesus tagged them with labels such as “brood of vipers” and “sons of hell,” they sought to eliminate Him from their game…unfortunately, you can’t do that to the One who created the game and determines the rules.

So take a Time Out and make sure you’re not off-base in your assessment of your own merits. And if no one else wants to play with you, it might just be because you’re playing by your own rules

Matthew 6:1