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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
On Thursday, Jesus spoke about the event of His Second Coming. In yesterday's reading, He taught a parable about this time in which we await His return: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'" Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: As we begin the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, we are first set in a right place regarding prayer. In whom do we trust? And by extension, how do we see others? This is all a question, in this framework Luke gives us as he introduces the parable, of where we put our trust, and especially about who is the true Judge. In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke of the importance of persistent prayer. As we begin this new parable, Luke frames it in language that we might all understand regarding how we are oriented within that prayer.
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector." My study bible says, "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." Anyone in His audience would begin with this frame of mind, seeing the one as righteous and the other as notorious sinner.
"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.' " My study bible points out that "the Pharisee prayed thus with himself and not to God!" Indeed, it's like looking in a mirror, and being thankful for what one sees there. But where's the approach to God? Where is the dependency and the rest one takes in God? Luke tells us the Pharisee "prayed thus with himself."
"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!'" My study bible says, "The tax collector's posture and words express his deep humility and contrition, the opposite of the Pharisee's attitude." There's a question here of the depth of honesty practiced in this prayer by the tax collector, and true relationship to God as true judge, the One whose judgment really counts. We rest in the mercy of God at all times; this is an important and essential teaching for right-relatedness, or righteousness, to begin with. This sort of humility, which is not a recipe for an automatic assumption of guilt, but rather one of humble dependence upon God for our understanding, is the starting point for true prayer.
"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 it this way: "Justified: forgiven and made right with God. 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."
Jesus' teaching is an important one about humility. If we look closely at the Pharisee and his words in prayer, we see a kind of narcissism. He's seeing himself reflected through the images of others ("this tax collector") and by comparison in a sort of competition with others. He looks at himself in his own mirror, making assumptions about God's perspective on his life. It's not that he does wrong things or bad things, or that there are things wrong with his actions. Rather, lack of dependence on God is self-serving and ignorant. There is no question here about a "plank in his own eye" nor of relying on God in prayer for where he needs to go from where he is. This is an important lesson for all of us about the nature of a walk with God -- it's a constant movement toward "perfection" in the sense that God is always calling us into deeper relationship and spiritual understanding, and where we need to go for our real challenges in God's eyes. Without humility we can't really get started on that journey of the heart, and this man can only see his own self-justification -- as opposed to the justification from the true Judge. The Publican is rather in the right place in relationship to God. He puts himself before God's judgment and mercy and teaching, and there is a door opening to the future in this way. He needs instruction. The Pharisee isn't seeing anything but his own assumptions, what he thinks he knows already. It isn't a prayer of gratitude as in "there but for the grace of God I go," but rather a sense of his own judgment, as opposed to God's judgment. Prayer is dialogue, not monologue. Good works are good things in the world as far as we can see. But our judgment comes from God, and there is nothing more vivid than this parable for our understanding about where true judgment comes from, and how we may truly be seen.
