Lent: the Tax Collector and the Pharisee

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Luke 18:9-14

Today is Ash Wednesday, which, in the Western Churches, is the beginning of Lent (the Eastern began on Monday). This year Easter falls on the same date, East and West, April 24th. The difference in the dates for the start of Lent reflects the difference in methods of calculating the Lenten period, due to varied historical developments in tradition.

The Lectionary is currently in the beginning of the Gospel of John (see Monday and Tuesday readings), but for today, Ash Wednesday, we read Luke's parable of the tax collector (or Publican) and the Pharisee. My study bible points out about this parable: "The sharp contrast between the two men is deliberately drawn by Jesus. The Pharisee is highly respected as a zealous observer of God's Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a public sinner, collaborating with the Romans, cheating the people."

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' " The first thing we notice about the Pharisee is that he starts by criticizing others. But even before we look at his words, we must also look at Jesus' words, describing the Pharisee's prayer: he "prayed thus with himself." A prayer of self-justification is like arguing with others instead of engaging in real dialogue. Instead of looking to the things that are ours and taking responsibility for them, we compare and criticize. After that, he begins to brag about the good works he does, as if somehow God doesn't know this already. But there is a failure here to engage with God in dialogue at all: his prayer is pure self-aggrandizement. It is reflective only of a dialogue with himself, in which he reflects favorable comparison with others and basks in his own praise. There is no openness to the mystery of God into which we are called in relationship, nor to grace calling us forward. He follows the law, religious practice, which is good -- but his awareness is only of himself and not God.

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' " The tax collector is aware of himself but in a different light. He doesn't seek only to justify his behavior, but is rather in an audience with God, and it is before God he prays. He engages in dialogue, not a mere basking in his own reflection. And this is what God wants in prayer, a dialogue with His children. There is room here for reciprocal action in the plea for mercy. Humility is the virtue of placing ourselves before our Creator, and the great mystery of just what it is that we are created to become: where we can go that is pleasing in God's sight, what we could do with our lives, and even more powerfully perhaps, feel with our hearts. Because, in fact, it is the attitude of humility that gives this tax collector the possibility of a future in which he reaps the harvest of spiritual life.

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." My study bible says that "justified" means "forgiven and made right with God." It notes, "Jesus reverses the expected conclusion. In the eyes of God, it is the tax collector who is justified because of his humility. The Pharisee is condemned because of his self-righteousness and self-exaltation." Let us consider, then, the reality of the heart of these two men, and the very basic difference in that one saw himself reflected only in his own sights, and the other saw himself as reflected in the presence of God. And this is the great crux of the difference in our hearts and minds that we need to cultivate as we enter the period of Lent.

The lectionary cycle is now taking us through the gospel of John, and we will continue with those readings tomorrow again. But the parable of the Publican (or tax collector) and the Pharisee gives us a great sense of our own position in life as we begin the fast for Lent. Although it is not common practice in all churches to fast, we must remember what fasting is all about. It's not simply about rules for food, but about the discipline and practice of how we choose -- to cultivate the humility to understand our capacity for internal change, the ability to see ourselves as reflected the presence of grace, and not merely justified in a dialogue with ourselves alone. It is a time in which we hope to more fully "seek first the kingdom of heaven." In the readings prior to this week, the lectionary gave us the Sermon on the Mount, with all Jesus' teachings about the internal life, and the internal cleansing we undergo as His disciples (see especially If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out), that we must choose carefully what we nurture within ourselves, what we treasure in life, and what we worship first and foremost. So, as we begin Lent, let us consider where we are, who we are, and more importantly, the God we worship. How are we in dialogue? How do we practice humility before a loving Father who would ask us to walk His Way? And how do we let in the room for the light that would filter into our own darkness, the things we don't know, the places where we need to go forward? How do we know what we may need to "cast out," the things we need to "fast" or abstain from? John's gospel will teach us all about the light; we remember that it is always there, shining even in the darkness, though we may not know it. How do we come to find that light and its grace for ourselves? The answer is in this parable from Luke we are given today.