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 that Jesus 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 men, 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: . . . We don't know precisely to whom this parable was directed, although of course it has applications to all of us.  But perhaps the behavior exemplified by the Pharisee in the parable is comparable to those who complained against Jesus because He received and ate with tax collectors and sinners (see this reading).

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study Bible explains that the Pharisee is highly respected and a careful observer of the details of the Law, while the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, who betrays and cheats his own people.  

"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.'"  These practices of the Pharisee are worthy examples to follow, my study Bible points out.  His good deeds (such as fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (that lead to adultery and extortion).  But, my study Bible adds, without a humble and repentance heart, such outward practices are worthless, and lead simply to pride and judgment of others.  It's important to read closely the language used here, that the Pharisee prays with himself.  My study Bible comments 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!' "  This tax collector shows by his posture that he's aware of the state of his soul.  He stands far from the altar of sacrifice, and his eyes are cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer.  The refrain "Lord have mercy" permeates worship and personal prayer, my study Bible reminds us.  

"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 means to be forgiven and set right with God, my study Bible explains.  It says that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned. 

 In modern popular language in the West, we hear a lot about the "ego."  This has become synonymous with grandiosity, or flattering portrayals of ourselves, and is often chastised as being mistaken.  Christ's parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector roots us in the reality of this observed behavior, and defines for our consciousness an awareness of the pitfalls of self-exaltation.  As the Gospel frames it, Jesus delivers this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.  What follows in the parable is the expression of this Pharisee essentially flattering himself in his own eyes, although he appears to be addressing God at the altar.  To use another term often heard today in popular culture, this sense of admiring his own reflection is a pattern of narcissism, named from the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus, who drowned as he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.  But Jesus gives us a better picture of the root of the type of mistake in his thinking and practice this Pharisee makes, when He gives us the terms of the Pharisee's prayer.  As my study Bible points out, Jesus phrases this parable specifically in language that declares that this man prayed, not with God, but with himself.  He is so busy admiring himself and painting this self-flattering image that there is no room for God; he's playing to his own image.  Moreover, it is this flaw that leads the Pharisee to condemnation of others, in that he then turns to the image of the tax collector to further boost his own image of himself.  These are patterns given to us in this very simple parable by Jesus that teach us the roots of a disordered type of behavior, one that causes misery both to ourselves and others.  First of all, Jesus makes it clear that the true saving relationship is that between ourselves and God.  We need to be dependent upon God for our measurement of ourselves and our yardstick.  God is the ultimate reality upon which we can base our sense of ourselves without distortion:  it is in that relationship that we may discover where we are sinful, and where we are loved.  What stands in God's sight remains as good and true, what does not must be discarded.  No one loves and knows us as God does, and there is no other who can teach us who we need to be.  To use terms from the myth of Narcissus, but which are most significant in Christianity, it is only Christ who can give us the true image -- or icon, in theological language -- of who we are and must aspire to become.  Looking at others and comparing, or simply looking at our own image we create, distort the picture of truth.  An inverse sort of narcissism is also possible, wherein for our own harmful emotional reasons, we paint an overly negative picture of ourselves that is nevertheless equally self-centered in its focus.  A toxic guilt is just the flip side of the same coin.  But let us look at the tax collector, who prays with God for help and mercy.  This is not a practice of morbid self-guilt, but one of honesty that leads to hope.  He is accepting the reality of his life, and so much more.  He is putting his trust in God for God's everlasting mercy and love.  Even though he knows he is a sinner, he nonetheless is going to God in trust and seeking to establish himself more deeply in God's love.  It is for this reason that he is justified.  As human beings, we're none of us so perfect we haven't got more in front of us God wants us to learn, to correct, adapt, and to grow toward the image God has of us.  Let us find that way to deepen our reliance on God, seeking God's way for ourselves for what we need to discard, and relying on and trusting in God's love and mercy to take us forward.  For this is the only way to well-being.  Jesus says that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  This Pharisee who exalts himself will be humbled at the judgment of Christ, while the tax collector who humbles himself before God will be exalted.  Let us follow and do likewise, fully relying on God's love and mercy to show us what we truly need for our lives.

 

God, be merciful to me a sinner!

 

 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 

 

As we begin to enter into Lent, the lectionary gives us readings to consider and frame our Lenten journey, particularly in the context of the traditions of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting.  For the Oriental Orthodox, Lent began on Monday; today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for the western churches, Catholic and Protestant; for the Eastern Orthodox Lent will begin this Monday.  Yesterday we were given the story of Jesus on trial before Pilate:   Then they 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."  My study Bible explains that the Pharisee is highly respected and a careful observer of the details of the Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, and who betrays and cheats his own people.  

"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 practices of this Pharisee are worthy examples to follow, my study Bible explains to us.  His good deeds (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, these outwardly good practices are worthless and lead only to pride and judgment of others.  We are to note that he prays with himself, for 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!'"  My study Bible asks us to observe the posture of the tax collector:  it shows an awareness of the state of his soul, as he stands far from the altar of sacrifice with eyes cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, as is the refrain "Lord have mercy" which permeates worship and personal 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."  To be justified means to be forgiven and set right with God, for inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.

My study Bible explains that to be justified essentially means to be forgiven and set right with God.  In pursuit of that end, we must know that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  And that is why this particular parable of Jesus is the archetypal parable for Lent, because during Lent our pursuit of the practices of prayer, of almsgiving, and of fasting are particularly directed at "getting right with God," as the expression goes.  And these are the means whereby we pursue that goal, with Lent as the period particularly dedicated to that end.  This period leading up to Easter is the period dedicated to a preparation for the Lord's Resurrection as the One whom we expect to meet at His Second Coming.  It is a time to think about how we are prepared to meet our Lord, what it is that God praises and that God does not.  The emphasis, then, has always been on the cultivation of humility, on the awareness of our own flaws and things we need to restore or repair, the ways in which we need to grow.  But without humility, we can't possibly even know where we need to shape up our thinking and our lives, the errors we fall into, or the ways in which our Lord would not be pleased to meet us.  This parable given by Jesus is the prime example we have of how Jesus teaches us our attitudes should be.  We can all perhaps recognize in modern form what the Pharisee would look like.  Let us note that his whole focus is first of all on his own self-righteousness, leading to a focus on comparison to others.  This is entirely the wrong focus.  Lent is the time when we learn to focus more clearly on God.  We fast from all the things that distract that focus, we just give everything a rest for a while and we think about God, focusing in on prayer and the other practices that help us to remember God and to know what we are to be about.  We attempt to make more space for attention to God.  We don't focus in on our passions and desires and the million and one things the world seems to clamor for us to follow.  The interesting thing about today's parable (or, at any rate, what grabs my attention today) is that God, however, is comparing us!  At least in this case, Jesus (our Lord) is clearly pointing out that one person is praying "with himself" and that the other, however, is quite aware of his own flaws -- and he compares the two for us, and the one aware of his own mistakes comes up justified, and not the nominally "good" Pharisee.  The Jesus Prayer practice mentioned by my study Bible is a simple yet profound practice of short, repeated prayer, developed through the monastic tradition in Orthodoxy.  It is based, for the most part, on the refrain of the penitent tax collector, but also from other passages in the Bible, and particularly from St. Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing."  In the earliest monastic practices of the desert monks, it was common to repeat a short prayer from the Psalms:  "Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!" (Psalm 70:1).  In this practice, the monastics were continually reminded of their spiritual struggle.  They would repeat it throughout the day, while doing their work or other activities.  Some used small pebbles to mark each recitation.  These short prayers were called "arrow prayers."  In the Eastern monastic tradition, the Jesus Prayer developed, a way to practice in various times and circumstances, including when alone, a short arrow prayer which is repeated and upon which one focuses.   This practice is also called the Prayer of the Heart, for the idea is that the repetition eventually becomes something which deepens itself within us, penetrating to the heart.  For those interested, I recommend this short, inexpensive book by Met. Kallistos Ware, or for a little more depth, this paperback authored in humility by one calling himself A Monk of the Eastern Church, but known to be Fr. Lev Gillet.   Another book teaching about this prayer tradition by Met. Kallistos is this one.  Please note that there are many Western advocates of this prayer who teach that it is meant to be accompanied by breathing exercises, but traditionally in the East this was never a part of the teaching, especially for lay people.  The true practice is simply to repeat the short prayer to oneself, and when you find your mind wandering (which will happen inevitably), just bring your focus back to the prayer.  In this prayer, even the very Name of Jesus is considered a prayer, and will work as an "arrow prayer."  Note that this is a prayer practice, not a meditation practice.  It is a way of "praying without ceasing," of calling upon Jesus and seeking His presence, both simple and profound, as our prayer deepens within us.

 

 

 

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

 

 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 that, after the discussion about His Second Coming and the end times, Jesus spoke a parable to the disciples, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city 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:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study bible calls the Pharisee a highly respected and careful observer of the details of the Law.  On the other hand, the tax collector is despised as a sinner, who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, thus betraying and cheating his own people.  

"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 practices of the Pharisee are all nominally good, and worthy examples to follow, as my study bible puts it.  His good deeds named here (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, these outward practices are worthless, leading to pride and judgment of others.  My study bible asks us also to note that the Pharisee prays with himself, in the specific language of the text, "for 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!' "  What does the posture of the tax collector show to us?  My study bible answers that question by telling us that we can see he has an awareness of the state of his soul.  He stands far from the altar of sacrifice, and his eyes are cast downward.  This prayer that he prays, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, a practice designed to follow St. Paul's admonition (and Jesus' frequent instruction regarding prayer) to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  So is the refrain, "Lord have mercy," which permeates both corporate worship and personal prayer throughout the centuries.

 

"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, my study bible explains, means to be forgiven and set right with God, for inward humility is blessed, while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  

Nowhere else, perhaps, is the illustration more stark than here in Christ's parable, that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  The Pharisee is in every way perfect and good as described by himself, and in his external appearances to the world.  He follows every rule of the Law and is careful to abide by them.  He does all the good religious practices, which are still considered to be good and virtuous in the Church.  So where does he go wrong?  It is entirely interesting that the text tells us that the words of Jesus say "he prayed thus with himself."  And therein, as wise patristic commenters have said through the centuries, is the key to the entire text.  This man is justified in his own eyes, but what about the sight of God?  It is, in fact, in prayer where we are to meet with God, and not simply to pray with ourselves alone.  The tax collector not only is self-aware, and completely honest with himself and God about his sin, but he also carries within himself the full acknowledgement that he has come before God in prayer, and is not simply praying only "with himself" present to him.  Here is the essence of what it is to be humble, and precisely why there is value in humility -- because humility is first of all before God.  We allow ourselves to be humble before God, to accept God's will before our own, to keep our hearts open to the possibility that there is a better way in which we could be serving God, something outside of whatever it is we already understand.  In recent readings, Jesus has also taught that we are to be good and faithful servants, not only simply doing what we know, but ready for the new commands that may come our way, to truly fulfill the devotion of disciples (see this reading).   So although the tax collector in today's parable is inarguably a sinner, he is -- by contrast to the perfect and good Pharisee -- also praying in God's presence, in acute awareness of his own shortcomings.  What stands out for us is just the presence of God included in the act of prayer, and this makes all the change.  When we think about humility, it is usually a concern about whether or not we are sufficient humble before other human beings.  But the reality, as illustrated in this parable, is actually quite different.  Our humility is first and foremost before God, and it is that kind of humility that enables right-relatedness with other human beings.  The Pharisee has justified himself before human beings, and not before God, therefore he is capable only of comparing himself to the tax collector.  But the tax collector minds his own business, in spiritual terms, something important enough to be included in the Gospels, such as in this reading from the end of John's Gospel (John 21:20-22).   Therefore, in spiritual terms of our relationship to God, he is more wise than the Pharisee, because what he practices in his prayer is putting God first before all else, and not paying attention to what it is that others (like the Pharisee) are doing.  His prayer is between himself and God -- but let us note that this does not fail to take in his sinful actions that affect other people.  Let us remember that it is not so much his confession as it is the humility and total honesty before God that make that confession possible, which lead to his justification by God.  It is there in that communion that we are saved, and all the good works and good appearances and applause of the world cannot change that if it does not already exist within our prayer and our deep desire for God.  How much would the Pharisee be willing to change about his perfect life, do you think?  What about the tax collector?  Which one do you think is truly open to God in his heart?