Joel 2:23-32, Psalm 65, 2 Timothy 4:6-8,
16-18, Luke 18:9-14
The parable we just heard is related to the parable we heard last week, in fact
it’s almost as if they are one large parable that the lectionary has cut in
two. Last week, the parable was about a woman who continually asked for justice
and was eventually given it. Jesus says that God responds quicker to our needs
than the judge did for this woman. My sermon revolved around prayer. This week,
the parable is about two men who pray and show their faith very differently.
Today’s parable seems much clearer than most of the parables that Jesus tells.
The point of this story is so clear it’s hard to miss: Don’t think too highly
of yourself like this Pharisee; rather, be like the tax collector. Or, to make
it even simpler, we can boil the point of this parable down to two words: “be
humble.”
But here’s the
thing: whenever a parable seems this clear and simple, we need to look deeper.
Because Luke is the master of reversals. From Mary’s song at the beginning of
the Gospel to the words Jesus utters to the crowd and thief at the cross,
things never stay as they are for long Luke’s gospel. So let’s take a closer
look at these two characters.
“First, the Pharisee. Truth be told, he only speaks the truth: he is
righteous. He lives his life according to the law. He fasts and gives alms and
bears no resemblance to the people with which he compares himself. What, then,
is his problem? It narrows down to one thing: while he is right about the kind
of life he should live, he is confused about the source of that life. For while
he prays to God, his prayer finally is about himself, and because he misses the
source of his blessing, he despises those people God loves. For this reason, he
leaves the Temple
as righteous according to the law as when he entered, but he is not justified;
that is, he is not called righteous by God. For it would never occur to him to
ask.
Second, the tax collector. Tax collectors are
associated with sinners throughout Luke. Tax collectors were agents of
the occupying Roman Empire, reviled agents of
the state, though they themselves were not Roman, but members of the community.
Not only do they have this working against them, but tax collectors were
also known to extort others and keep percentages for themselves. Once again, Jesus in Luke’s gospel messes with our
expectations. For there is no note of repentance in the tax collector’s speech,
no pledge to leave his employment or pay back those he has cheated, no promises
of a new and better life. Nothing, except the simple acknowledgment that he is
utterly and entirely dependent on God’s mercy. The tax collector knows the one
thing the Pharisee does not: his life is God’s -- his past, present, and future
are entirely dependent on God’s grace and mercy.”[1]
The
reversal in this story is that the tax collector goes home justified not the
Pharisee. The Pharisee does everything correct according to the law, but he does
not rely on God. He is focused solely on himself, on how his actions are
perceived by others. He is doing the right things to make himself look
better. Whereas the tax collector’s focus is on God. He makes a
simple statement of his sinfulness and through prayer asks God only for mercy.
The tax collector is not concerned with how his actions are perceived by
others, his only concern is how God views him.
The tax collector in this parable, a picture of shame,
makes the association himself in a prayer of few words: “God, be merciful to
me, a sinner!” These are simple but powerful words that he utters.
As I mentioned last week, our prayers do not need to be long or eloquent,
they just need to come from our heart. And that is what the tax collector has
done. In his prayer he asks only one thing and yet acknowledges the brokenness
and faults that he, and frankly we all, experience. “The tax collector’s prayer
has become the heart of a very famous spiritual practice. It is known as the
Jesus Prayer. There are Episcopalians who practice this prayer. But in the
Eastern Churches, the Jesus Prayer is the spiritual discipline above all others
because it lives out Paul’s command for us in 1st Thessalonians to pray
ceaselessly. It is the heart of the spiritual life of monks and nuns and
priests and lay people across the whole orthodox world.
And it couldn’t be
simpler. The Jesus Prayer is this: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on
me, a sinner. That’s it. The full and powerful name of our savior, combined
with the simple prayer of the tax collector: Have mercy on me, a sinner.
Repeated again and again, until it penetrates the heart and dwells
silently in the soul, this prayer is the essence of spirituality.”[2]
This
parable was and is an attempt to shift our attention from ourselves -- our
piety or our passions, our faith or our failure, our glory or our shame -- to
shift it from us to God, the God who welcomes the outcast and heals all who are
in need. Our scripture readings this morning call us to be attentive to how we
are living as the body of Christ. As Christians we have a calling to live our
lives a certain way – to love God, love others, and love ourselves. We are
called to live with gratitude for all the blessings we have been given. We are
called to be good stewards of the gift of creation. We are called to be
agents of change in our hurting world with our time, our talents, and our
treasure. We are called to be disciples of Christ. If this shift is
to take place, from the inward focus on ourselves towards a focus on God and
this gathered community, then we must take the time to examine our lives, take
note of what we are doing and why.
We were challenged last week and this week
to take our temperature and ask how our relationships with God and our
neighbors are made manifest. What kind of relationship with God is revealed by
our prayers? What kind of faith do we exhibit to God and to the world through
our prayers?[3]
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