October 23, 2016
23rd Sunday after Pentecost Year C

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

“A lot of interpreters of this parable make the mistake of assuming that the Pharisee in the parable is representative of all Pharisees, that it was a religious movement founded on works alone and despising others. The story is not intended to show, illustrated by this one Pharisee, that this is how all Pharisees are. This negative perspective on this parable and on Pharisees in general is reflected by our common use of the word pharisaic, which we take as synonymous with self-righteousness. The listeners of Jesus’ day would have expected the Pharisee to be a careful observer of the Law, in keeping with their generally high view of the Pharisaic movement. They would not expect the tax collector to go to the Temple at all. The parable serves up two behaviors that are out of character: that the Pharisee prays in a self-righteous manner, and the tax collector prays at all!

Those who felt unworthy may not have been the original audience of this parable, but it does have a message, not only for the puffed up, but also for any of us today who have become comfortable in our low self-esteem and use it as an excuse for inaction. True humility contributes to the dynamic of faith allowing the power of God to work through us. Nothing can be allowed to interfere with genuine humility. Not the arrogance that assumes that we are to be placed above others. Not the self-loathing that presumes to denigrate a human being, in this case, ourselves, who is made in the image of God. This parable is a freeze frame, a slice of life. Sooner or later the preacher closes the Bible, says, “Here ends the lesson,” and the listeners go out into the world to love and serve our neighbors, divested of both arrogance and shame.

Luke believed the purpose of this parable was to challenge self-righteousness and to promote humility. The lead-in to the parables speaks volumes, “He told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt” (18:9). For any who are prone to the dangers of pride and self-righteousness, the parable calls us to look over in the corner to where our teacher stands with bent head. For the tax collector becomes the teacher of the Pharisee in the parable. The invitation to enter into the kingdom of God shows up where we least expect it. It shows up in our inward lives, in the ember of humility that still burns, yet that needs to be fanned to warm and illumine our inner life. In our families, our churches, our communities, the gate to the kingdom of God opens before us in the example of those who are humble before God.” (The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Lectionary Reflection on Luke 18:9-14, Alyce M. McKenzie, October 12, 2010)

As human beings, we all like a good story. And sometimes a good story involves deep seated conflicts. Jesus had such a relationship of conflict with the Pharisees. And the Pharisees had deep seated emotional difficulties with Jesus. It seems the feelings of conflict were mutual. Jesus tells us this story because he wants us to have the heart and attitude of the tax collector. In other words, Jesus wants us to be humble – and to be honest in our self-assessment of our relationship with others, and with G-d. Jesus wants us to be honest about our sinfulness, and to remember to ask, on a daily basis, for the forgiveness of our sins that we can never escape.
The Pharisee has one huge flaw in this story – he thinks and believes deep within his heart that his sinfulness is not as bad as someone else’s sinfulness. While the tax collector understands that he is a flawed sinner in need of the mercy of G-d, the Pharisee sees it differently. He, because he is a Pharisee, is sin-less, or he believes at least that he is not as sinful as the tax collector. And that is the beginning of the broken relationship we have with G-d – G-d is perfect, we are not. G-d is without sin, we are not. Throughout our whole lives we need to remember and to remind ourselves that we are sinful and imperfect people who need G-d’s grace and mercy as a gift. And when we live our lives aware that we are deeply flawed human beings, it also reminds us that we do not have any right to look down our spiritual noses at other people and secretly confess, “I thank God that I am not like….”

Jesus taught at the beginning of his ministry: “Those who are well have no need of a physician. Those who know they are sick know that they need a doctor.” We Christians never outgrow our need for Jesus, our physician, to heal our sinful and imperfect hearts and actions.

Pastor Dave