Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 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

Yesterday we read the section in John's Gospel about Jesus' trial before Pilate:   The high priests and those who'd arrested Him led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

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 is a highly respected and careful observer of the Law.  The tax collector is despised -- he's a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces.  He betrays and cheats his own people, often using extortion to collect more for himself.

"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 practices of this Pharisee are worthy examples for others to follow.  His good deeds (fasting and giving tithes) are considered the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (that is, adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart or disposition, even the best outward practices are worthless, and lead to pride and judgment of others.  Note that the text tells us that he prays with himself.  My study bible says that God is absent where there is boasting.

"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 expresses even by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul.  He stands afar off from the altar of sacrifice, and he won't even raise his eyes.  He prays what is perhaps the chief prayer of the Church, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"  This is the foundation of what is called the Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart, and the basis for ancient monastic and lay practice to "pray without ceasing" as we are taught by St. Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).   He gives us the refrain "Lord have mercy" that permeates worship and personal prayer everywhere. 

"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."  To be justified is to be forgiven and set right with God.  My study bible says that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.

In today's reading we are given the primary emphasis in Lent:  humility.  Traditional practices such as prayer, almsgiving, and fasting are meant to have this primary impact that the development of humility is to teach us:  a closer and more dependent relationship upon God.  To be humble is primarily to have a distinct awareness of where we stand with God, where we stand with Christ.  How do we measure up in the sight of God?  Love goes a long way toward humility.  In love or in a loving relationship, all pretense can disappear.  To stand on pride is not really an act of love, it's a kind of manipulation, and can dissolve into abuse.   To be humble before God is to bear all, just as the tax collector does.  It is linked to truth and a pure heart -- because what is in the heart is what comes out of his mouth.  When we "pray with ourselves" as the Pharisee does, we cite the good things we do, but we're cultivating an image for ourselves, rather than asking God what the next step might be.  We're always on a road somewhere; when we're purely satisfied with ourselves we're not really listening for the forward movement God calls us toward.  We're not in that loving relationship.   Perfection is a goal realized in the pureness of love and communion.  Jesus says that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Everywhere we look, there are all kinds of ways to exalt ourselves, especially through social media.   Like the Pharisee who prays with himself, our lives can be all about a kind of publicity that reflects the image we want back to ourselves and in the eyes of others, making an impression.  But the depth of the heart is a different matter, and looking toward the deeper, higher, more truly majestic authority of God is a whole different story -- and that's where we need to be.   A communion of love drops all pretense and image and merely desires to please the Beloved with a sincere heart, and experience God's love which is absolute.  Let us consider this Lenten period how we get to that place.