Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blilnd Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

 

- Mark 10:46–52 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and the disciples were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."   But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blilnd Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  My study Bible comments on today's reading that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5).  It notes that this is a power which God had reserved for Himself (compare John 9:32).  The title by which Bartimaeus calls to Christ is a messianic title.  Its use is evidence of Bartimaeus' faith that Jesus is the Christ.  There is another, spiritual interpretation to this miracle found in patristic commentary, my study Bible tells us.  As Jericho was a low-lying city, which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1), it is interpreted here to symbolize fallen humanity.  Christ passing through Jericho is an image of His Incarnation.  When the Lord restores sight to Bartimaeus it is a parallel to restoring humanity to glory (bringing "light" to his eyes).  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which is symbolized by the event in our following reading on Monday, Christ entranced into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11).  

In St. John's Gospel, we read that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12).  At Holy Baptism, we receive His light, and so baptism is also called Holy Illumination.  In the centuries prior to ours, blindness was thought of as a kind of darkness of the eyes, a state in which light could not be received in the eyes.  And it's true, that without light, none of us can see anything.  All that we perceive of the world is quite literally the things that sunlight shows to us.  In fact, in the understood spectrum of physical light, the colors we see and perceive with our eyes are created through the spectrum of light reflected back off of the objects we see.  Everything else in the light spectrum is absorbed.  So, if we think about light, we can truly understand why Christ is the light of the world.  He is the One who illumines for us the realities of life beyond what we can understand naturally, although even in our nature, we do perceive of what is good and what is evil, what is light and dark in that sense.  But Christ has said, again reported by St. John in his Gospel, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  This He said to the disciples as they were approaching the time for His death on the Cross, so "a little while longer" was the time He had left as Jesus in His Incarnation.  That approximately corresponds to this point in His ministry as He approaches Jerusalem in our readings in St. Mark's Gospel.  In the Psalms, we pray, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105), and when we consider Christ as the light of the world, then we need to think about how His teachings -- and yes, His presence, together with the Father and the Spirit -- illumine our paths in life.  So the story of Bartimaeus strikes us, that of the blind man who cries out to the one he can "see" is his Messiah, as he clings to the light of this truth until he is heard, despite the repeated attempts to shush him.  Sometimes in our world it will seem as if there is some kind of conspiracy to keep us from seeing the truth in the light of Christ, as if the whole world is in denial of His light and truth.  But in that sort of darkness that might surround us at times, we should be like blind Bartimaeus, who knows his handicap and cries out to his Messiah.  For this is the way that we ought to pray, especially if we can't see the light, and we feel surrounded by darkness.  In the Creed, we proclaim that Jesus is the "Light from Light, true God of true God," and so, we may go to Him as the source of light, the one who illumines our vision spiritually, so that we can see where we are going in life, and our path is guided by something in which we can trust, an eternal path for us.  Psalm 36:9 declares, "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."  Jesus fulfills these words in His life and ministry for us, and His continuing abiding presence available to us in the mysteries we're given of our faith.  In a sometimes overwhelmingly sinful and dark world, let us be just like Bartimaeus, continually crying to our Lord.  For this cry of Bartimaeus is the basis of a very good prayer (called the Jesus Prayer) for all occasions, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me."  Let us seek His light, and let none of the darkness dismay or deter us, even when we're shushed or shunned into silence.

 

 

 

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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke a parable to the disciples, 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:  "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, as well as a careful observer of the details of the Law.  The tax collector, on the other hand, is despised as a sinner, who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, and 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, in the view of my study Bible, are worthy examples to follow.  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, such outward practices are worthless, and lead to pride and judgment of others.  Note also that Jesus says 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!'"  Through his posture, the tax collector expresses an awareness of the state of his soul, as 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 (which was mentioned in our commentary in yesterday's reading, in conjunction with the parable of the Persistent Widow).  This is also true of the refrain "Lord have mercy" which permeates Orthodox 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.  My study Bible comments that inward humility is blessed, while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  Indeed, Christ saved His most scathing comments for the hypocrisy of the religious leaders (Matthew 23).

Today's reading teaches us a great deal about the importance of humility. Despite the Pharisee's own laudable spiritual practices, what he lacks is humility.  It is humility which is precisely the thing that saves the tax collector, despite his failings in his conduct and his poor standing among his own people.  Stark indeed is Christ's conclusion that it was the tax collector who went down to his house justified rather than the other. It is only his humility that allows the tax collector to see himself clearly, because his humility enables him to truly feel himself in the presence and the sight of God.  In this sense, it is his humility that has saved him, and lack of humility that has condemned the Pharisee.  Of course, what we are to take away from today's reading is just that -- the essential importance of humility to the Christian faith.  In the long spiritual history of the Church, it has been handed down to us that humility is the queen and gateway of the Christian virtues.  It is the foundation for the rest, the fruit of the Spirit:  "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (see Galatians 5:22-23).  How can we know what honesty is, unless we first are humble enough to recognize the truth about ourselves -- or even to hear and know that truth?  It is the humility of the tax collector, in contrast to the self-righteousness of the Pharisee, that enables him to truly pray, to be face-to-face with God, so to speak, in the temple.  At a very minimum, his bodily posture as described by Jesus shows us he's aware that he's in the presence of God, whereas the Pharisee is not.  John's Gospel gives us a clue to this failure, when John tells us that "even among the rulers many believed in [Jesus], but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  This Pharisee is conscious of his own social standing, and the opinions of others.  But the tax collector has an awareness of himself in the sight of God, as well as his community.  This parable enforces for us the particular summing up of the Law and the Prophets to which Christ and the Gospels (and even the Old Testament) constantly return, that the two greatest commandments in the Law are to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength, and neighbor as oneself (see Luke 10:25-28).  In this case, despite appearances to the contrary, it is actually the tax collector who has put the love of God first, and not the Pharisee.  For here, the tax collector is aware of God and his own standing before God, while the Pharisee prays with himself, rather than God.   The tax collector here is, in fact, reconciled to God, and that is, in a sense, a face-to-face meeting, and it is what leads to what Jesus calls the state of being justified.  How do you reconcile with God?  How do we come face-to-face with God, settled with God, opened to God's way of seeing ourselves?  This is the mystery of faith and worship, but it begins with humility.  In today's story that comes from the recognition that we need God's mercy and love, for we can't truly live without it.

 

 

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, "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 haven, 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 testimony of John the Baptist, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   

 

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."  In today's reading, we're given one of Jesus' parables which sets the tone for Lent.  The lectionary skips over to Luke's Gospel (tomorrow we will continue in John's Gospel) to give us the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  My study Bible explains that in the context of Christ's audience and society, the Pharisee is highly respected as well as a careful observer of the details of the Law.  But the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, 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.'"   My study Bible points out that the practices of this Pharisee are worthy example to follow; they are particularly important for us to think about during Lent with its traditional emphases for us.  These "good deeds" -- fasting and giving tithes -- my study Bible calls the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, it notes, these outward practices are worthless and lead only to pride and to judgment of others.  On Saturday, we read from Mark's Gospel a passage in which Jesus indicated a similar teaching on hypocrisy, in His comments warning of the practices of the scribes:  "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation" (Mark 12:38-40).  It is the "humble and repentant heart" that is a necessary component to make such practices effective, and the scribes worthy of the honor they're shown for their office.  In this context, we importantly observe that the text says this Pharisee prays with himself.  My study Bible comments that this is so because God is absent where there is boasting.  

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study Bible says that the tax collector shows by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul, standing 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, and the refrain "Lord have mercy" that permeates the worship practices and personal prayer of so many branches of Christian faith.

"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 indicates that to be justified here means forgiven and set right with God -- for, it says, inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned. 

If there is anything we should seek to cultivate in this period of Lent, it is the practice of deeper and more meaningful prayer.  It seems to be a good time to explore the practice of the Jesus Prayer, which gives opportunity for us always to think of ourselves as in the presence of God the Father, before Christ, and praying with the Spirit.  This article at the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese sets out the basic idea of the prayer and the practice.  This article at Wikipedia also does a fairly decent job of setting out the practice and its theological and historical roots.  But in terms of its basic practice, the form is quite simple.  As indicated by my study Bible, it follows this prayer of the tax collector given as an example by Jesus of one who prays well.  Its most basic form which is frequently given is, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."  But both shorter and longer versions also exist.   The simple, "Lord have mercy" is one such example.  In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, even the name of Jesus Christ is considered to be a prayer.  The important understanding about this prayer is that it is short, it is upheld by Scripture and rooted in Christian theology in that it declares Jesus as Lord, and it can be prayed at any and all times, in any circumstances.  Most importantly, this short repeated prayer is used as a powerful tool to help us to cultivate the mindfulness of prayer at all times.  That is, it is used to cultivate a prayerful orientation to all of life; it can be prayed while we do menial tasks, at any moment when we "remember God" (also an important practice in itself), in the middle of the day or the night.  Its repetition not only gives us a sense of what it means to live a prayerful life, with a prayerful mindset and orientation, it also allows us to experience what it is to let a prayer "sink down" into ourselves and root itself in the heart.  That is, this type of short prayer, repeated to ourselves either throughout the day when we recollect it, or in sessions of contemplative prayer alone and in quiet time to ourselves, roots itself in consciousness.  The practice itself is designed so that it becomes a part of our thinking, so to speak, a practice designed so that we are eventually praying "without ceasing" as St. Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  It is a good practice to decide to cultivate during Lent -- simple to do, simple to start, and need not be taxing to practice so much as it is simply a matter of decision to begin.  The benefits of this prayer practice can be felt right away for each person and in ways that edify and benefit whatever is going on in one's life, helping to reorient ourselves to God at any time, and drawing closer to Christ with the help of the Spirit.  It is rooted in Scripture and in today's teaching by Jesus found in the parable, and can aid and assist us in finding our way to better love God and cultivate the humility of knowing we are in God's presence at all times.  There is a kind of peace that often comes with this prayer.  It also helps us to let go of what we cannot control.  But each person has to find this for oneself in consenting to Christ's presence (Revelation 3:20).  Let us consider adopting the ways that deepen our faith, and help us to rest in and rely more strongly upon our Lord.

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 

 

Yesterday we read the testimony of John the Baptist, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

  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, my study bible comments, is a highly respected and careful observer of the details of the Law.  By contrast, the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, betraying and cheating his own people.  Often, as a matter of course, the Jewish tax collectors, by virtue of their positions enforced by the Roman state, would claim extra revenues for themselves, thus extorting fellow Jews.

"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 characterizes these practices of the Pharisee as all worthy examples to follow.  It says that his good deeds that he names here (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But we're meant to understand that without a humble and repentant heart (a proper Lenten orientation), these outward practices are worthless.  Instead, they lead only to pride and judgment of others.  We note that the text tells us he prays with himself.  My study bible explains 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, by contrast to the boasting Pharisee, shows by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul.  He stands far from the altar of sacrifice, and his eyes are cast downward.  The prayer of the tax collector, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, as is the refrain "Lord have mercy" that 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."  My study bible explains that justified means forgiven and set right with God.  Inward humility is blessed, while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  

"God, be merciful to me a sinner!" is indeed the basis for many prayers, including that of the Jesus Prayer practice, which is also called Prayer of the Heart.  The Jesus Prayer has taken on many forms throughout the centuries of Christianity, but is based on a repetition of the phrase "Lord have mercy" or Kyrie Eleison in the Greek.  Its present form is formally "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."   But one need not use that formal form to perform the Jesus Prayer practice.  Here and here are two webpages on the practice of the Jesus Prayer, and there are many others.  But, put most simply, in an effort to follow the admonition of St. Paul to "'pray without ceasing" (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), the earliest monastics began using a prayer rule, in which they would repeat a very short prayer all the day long, such as while doing manual work.  This took on various forms, such as the first verse from Psalm 70, "Make haste, O God, to deliver me!  Make haste to help me, O Lord!"  In this context, we must recall that the earliest Christian monastics went out into the wilderness and deserts to follow Christ in His forty-day fast, struggling against their own temptations and tests.  Over the centuries of Christian tradition, this practice has evolved into what is now called the Jesus Prayer.  Put most simply, it is a focus on a simple prayer, repeated for a period of time, in which the mind continues to refocus on this prayer.  It is distinguished from other contemplative practices in that it is truly a prayer practice, with intention as prayer.  If we wish to begin a good Lenten practice, we would all do well to start there, as good discipline and focus for any follower of Jesus Christ.  Be let us turn back to the parable as given by Jesus, in which we are made to understand that it is the humility of the tax collector that saves and "justifies " him, over and above the virtuous Pharisee.   In order to fully appreciate this parable, we must first of all understand that Jesus preached the same point repeatedly about humility.  It is an essential lesson for those who would follow Christ.  Moreover, in the context of Christ's time, humility was not a valued virtue of what it meant to be "great," as Jesus Himself pointed out when He told the disciples, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them . . . Yet it shall not be so among you . . . " (Mark 10:42-43, Luke 22:25-26, Matthew 20:25-26).  But it is a keystone of what it means to be a follower of Christ, and it remains our primary focus for understanding who we are.  This humility is not a groveling sort of understanding within a power hierarchy.  Rather, it is an accurate assessment of what is best for us, and especially our own place before God.  We accept that we are meant to grow, that we don't know everything about ourselves, but that we are dependent upon our relationship of communion with Christ to show us the way in our lives.  In this sense, Christ's parable given in today's reading is meant to be instructive in that it teaches us our proper orientation in life, as contrasted to the Pharisee who seems to be measuring himself by himself, oblivious to the pathway a deeper communion with God might bring.  The Pharisee remains instructive to all of us  particularly in a modern culture where social media plays such a great role.  We have all heard the term "virtue signalling," and that is clearly something this Pharisee does well.  He flatters himself with the picture of himself, and by contrasting himself to the odious tax collector.  Our lesson in humility starts with the idea that a communion with God means we will always be led somewhere beyond what we know, and we need a deep mystical participation in prayer and humility as an ongoing spiritual awareness.  Lent is the right time to remember what we are meant to be about, to find that depth in which we come before God in humility to seek the light we don't yet know, and allow Christ to illumine the darkness of which we are not aware.  We can point to all the good deeds and legalism of rule-following we want to, but that doesn't bring us closer to God in the heart.  For that, we need a different kind of orientation, which is the true heart of repentance or "change of mind" as the Greek word metanoia/μετανοια literally means.  Let us take time to cultivate that inner depth of prayer, retreating from the appearance-focused mantras of today's social rules and paradigms as cultivated by so much of what passes for community in our current phase of modern culture.  Let us focus on the heart where God takes us and Jesus calls, the place of truth and reckoning before God, where we all know we are on a road to somewhere -- and ask for God's help to find His way for us.

 

 

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

Teaching fresco of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector; reproduced as a Lenten Greeting

 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 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 His trial by night at the home of the High Priest, the religious leaders 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 then?"  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 to us that the Pharisee is a highly respected and careful observer of the details of the Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, betraying and cheating his own people.  We should not be confused as to the places of these two characters in the story in the eyes of the people and the society.

"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 tells us that the practices of this Pharisee are worthy examples to follow.  His good deeds (such as fasting and giving tithes), it says, are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  Therefore, that makes this particular parable highly relevant to this time as we enter into Lent.  Without a humble and repentant heart, my study bible says, these outward practices are worthless, and as we can see from Jesus' parable, they lead to pride and judgment of others.  It is of great importance to note that Jesus tells us the Pharisee 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 raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' "  My study bible says that the tax collector shows by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul.  He stands afar off from the altar of sacrifice, and his eyes are cast down, showing his deep awareness that he stands before God as he prays.  This prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer practice (see this article and this one for more information).   The refrain "Lord have mercy" permeates all liturgical 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, my study bible explains, means to be forgiven and set right with God -- as inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned (see Matthew 6:1).

Twice elsewhere in the Gospels Jesus repeats this same statement, that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (see also Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11).  But the sense of this statement appears many, many times throughout the bible (see, for more examples, this link).  My study bible makes note of the fact that Jesus tells us this Pharisee prays with himself.  In other words, for him there is one judge, and that is himself.  This is the very definition of self-righteousness, a justification within ourselves, and without a consciousness of standing before God.  By contrast, the tax collector is repentant, hanging his head, quite aware that he prays not with himself but with God.  He enters into a dialogue as he prays, and not a one-way street.  We can see the contrast between the two men exemplified quite often in the ways that people approach others whom they feel they have offended.  A childish person will immediately begin with justification according to their own feelings and ideas, and use that as a substitute for a proper apology.  This is akin to self-justification, and, even if they do have a good reason for their offensive behavior, it still lacks an awareness of the person they are addressing.  That is the difference between dialogue and speaking "with oneself."    To be truly humble is not a matter of necessarily humiliating oneself to others in some servile sense, but rather to be aware that we are always -- in a very real sense -- in the presence of God.  There is nothing about us that is hidden from Christ, who knows us better than we know ourselves.  Each, we're told, has a guardian angel, a being of an intelligence vastly superior to our own.  If this isn't enough to keep us humble, let us consider the "perfection" of this Pharisee.  He is, indeed, meant to be a model for all others in the society, and he truly does do the good deeds he says he does.  By contrast, the tax collector falls far short of any social ideal of good behavior.  In fact, tax collectors were despised by the rest of their communities, not only because they collaborated with the occupying Romans to collect taxes from their fellow Jews, but because that frequently included extortion (with the aid of the might of the Roman state) for their own personal graft.  They were seen as sinful traitors who preyed on their own community.  Let us not forget that Jesus does not diminish any of that in this parable.  Rather, He uses these two figures to make a point:  that "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."   The tax collector is aware and humble before God, and the Pharisee is seemingly unaware that no matter what his "good deeds," God always has a way for us to come closer to God, something more in our journey of faith that we're unaware of.  It is, in fact, the Pharisee who is in this sense blind to himself, and the tax collector who sees himself.  Therefore let us consider, as we enter into this time where we make more time with God, what it really means to pray.  To pray is to enter into dialogue with God.  It's not before others that we need to compare ourselves and see how we measure up.   The Gospels have a choice phrase that sums up that mistake as well.  John tells us about the leaders who believed in Christ, but who would not say so openly:  "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (see John 12:43).  It doesn't matter where we are on our own spiritual journey; there is always a way God calls us to come forward, to become more aware of ourselves, to make the changes God calls us to make.  It equally applies to both the Pharisee and the tax collector.  This is a walk forward, not a status quo standstill when we reach a certain place in our faith, for such is the nature of we creatures, human beings, who live in time and are meant to be challenged and expanded, like the new wine which needs new wineskins (Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37-39).  For that true journey of faith, and our walk with Christ, we need humility, the greatest of the virtues and gateway to all the rest, if we pay attention to the whole of Christian tradition.  Let us remember this time upon which we enter, and its purpose.  In keeping with the spirit of Lent, I post above what is no doubt meant to be a greeting.  It is a reproduction of a teaching fresco depicting the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  In the corner above we see an angel weeping at the Pharisee's mistake, with a giant fish about to swallow him up in his spiritual error.  Over the door of the temple, into which the tax collector enters, is the phrase from Hosea 6:6, which Jesus quotes back to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:13, 12:7:  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."  (Interestingly, in Matthew 9:13, Jesus has just made Matthew the tax collector his disciple, and Jesus is responding to the  Pharisees' criticism that He dines with him and other sinners.)   The tax collector enters in with his sinful means of gain clearly evident:  he wears a sword and carries his money bag.  And yet it is he who will leave justified.  In Greek, the phrase superimposed above is a greeting that reads, "Good Triodion," which is the three-week period in the Eastern Orthodox Churches that is the entryway into Lent.  Below the greetings read "Good  Repentance and Good Struggle" -- both a true depiction of our spiritual process during Lent.  Yes, these are meant to be joyful greetings, and so we enter into the joy of our Lord as we enter this period of Lent.

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

Yesterday we read that, after teaching about His Second Coming, Jesus taught a parable to His disciples, 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:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  In the common understanding of the time, these two individuals are about as far apart as examples of personal conduct as they can possibly be.  A Pharisee was a highly respected and careful observer of the details of the Law.  The Pharisees were perhaps the most conspicuously righteous of all the groups of people, following not only rather strict interpretations of the Law, but an entire body of traditions built up around the Law as well.  A tax collector was a despised figure.   They were universally viewed with contempt for the job they did, seen as a betrayal of their people as they worked for the occupying Roman authorities.  Moreover, they frequently used the forces of military might in order to extort fellow Jews for extra funds; in effect, cheating them.

"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 notes here that the practices of the Pharisee are worthy examples for all to follow.  He has good deeds that he does (fasting and giving tithes) which are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, my study bible says, these outward practices aren't effective but rather lead merely to pride and to judgment of others.  Let us pay close attention to the words of Jesus:  this Pharisee prays with himself.  Where is the communion with God in his "perfect" behavior?  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!'"  My study bible comments on the posture of the tax collector in this parable, as given by Jesus.  He was standing afar off from the altar of sacrifice, and would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, and beat his breast.  These are all physical images of repentance, an awareness of the state of his soul, as my study bible puts it.  His prayer, asking, God, be merciful to me a sinner, has become the classic prayer refrain heard in the Church (Lord have mercy, or, in Greek, Kyrie eleison), used both for worship and for personal prayer.  It is also the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, or what is called Prayer of the Heart.

"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 explains that justified here means forgiven and set right with God.  It notes that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.   This is the second time in Luke's Gospel that Jesus has taught that everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  The first was in chapter 14, when He spoke to a gathering at the home of a ruler of the Pharisees, teaching the same (see 14:1-14).

What does it really mean to be humble?  We can see, from Jesus' teaching, that the root of humility is really communion with God.   The Pharisee here has great achievements in terms of spiritually "good deeds."  On the surface, we might say, they are works that defy selfishness:  works that speak of sacrifice and also of sharing.  But the Pharisee exalts himself in his failure to be face to face with God, regardless of outward posture.  As Jesus says, he "prays with himself."   The only judgment he therefore seeks is his own.  But the tax collector, as reprehensible as he is, knows his own failure, and this is due to the fact that his posture betrays that he feels he is in the presence of God, and he speaks in the presence of God.  He seeks God's will and not his own.  Therefore it is the latter, the tax collector, who includes in His prayer the honoring of the first and greatest commandment that Jesus names, to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind (see Matthew 22:36-40).  Oh, he may not be perfect at this!  He may have a long way to go for full faith in God, as we all have a ways to go for perfection.  But the key here is that he is making the attempt.  His dejected posture and self-awareness teach us that he sees himself speaking face to face with God, and knows that he's coming up short.  In communion with a loving Father, we need not fear the truth.  Rather, if we really love and know God, we understand that every rebuke and every correction is simply that which is for our own good, to get us on the path to our own place of justification.  Like this tax collector, we seek that place where, face to face with God, we can know ourselves as children in right relationship with our Father, and in right relationship through such with one another.  Humility before God is the point.  To simply seek pleasure in the approving eyes of another is not the same as real faith.   In chapter 6, Jesus has spoken of the "woes" to the Pharisees, saying, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets" (6:26).  In chapter 12, we're told that even among the rulers many believed in Christ, "but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  The real key here to the kind of faith that Jesus is looking for is a living communion with God.  This is a dynamic internal relationship, ongoing.  It is one that shapes us and gives us identity, adding shape and a destiny to our lives for the long run.  It sets us on a journey, that is not so much about the discovery of "new lands" as it is about the ongoing process of getting to know the One to whom we owe all our lives, and who will, in effect, give us our lives and teach us who we really are.  It is a process of ongoing and increasing reliance upon God.  Let us note once again quite carefully that the Pharisee in the story "prays with himself" and that Jesus gives the parable specifically "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous."  To understand the deepening relationship sought in practices inspired by this parable such as the Jesus Prayer, is to understand that we enter into mystery when we seek real communion with God, and that mystery of God includes the person that God calls us to be, and to become -- a constant state of discipleship on the journey of faith.  It is a call that we respond to from the inside out, and not simply to be seen for the "praise of men."  It is there that we find the humility He asks of us!

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

- Matthew 20:29-34

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again." Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.   These two blind men greet Jesus using significant titles.  They call Him Lord, which is the common title for God, and also Son of David, a title which is deeply associated with the Messiah.  Although Jesus knows what we want before we ask, my study bible says, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn about His mercy.  There is also a traditional spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  The blind men symbolizing future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, and without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (John 20:29).  The ones who try to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who try, in every generation, to silence the Church.  But nevertheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

I'm always intrigued by Jesus' question to these blind men, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  It's such an open-ended and direct question.  Jesus asks it with perfect confidence.   There seems to be no doubt here that the question will be met with a reasonable answer, nor that whatever was asked, He couldn't respond fully.  There is no hesitation here.  After all, Jesus has just finished responding to a request by two of His closest apostles, John and James Zebedee, and their mother, who obviously is one of the ones traveling with His ministry, by telling them that they didn't know what they were asking Him, and furthermore, that what they wanted wasn't His to give (see yesterday's reading, above).    But this is different.  These are not people who are already His followers.  These two aren't even a part of the crowd that has come to see Jesus on His way to Jerusalem.  They only know He's there because people tell them who is passing by.  Furthermore, the whole crowd tries to tell them to be silent, but they shout all the more.  Perhaps the most important aspect of this story is just what they shout to Jesus in the first place, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  This is a prayer.  And it is such an important prayer that it would be turned into the most commonly heard prayer in Church services ("Lord have mercy") and also be made into the basis for the Jesus Prayer, the practice of monastics and others for constant prayer (following St. Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing," 1 Thessalonians 5:17).  These blind men give us the prayer of the Church by asking, "Have mercy on us, O Lord."  It is in this context of a prayer for God's mercy that Christ asks them, "What do you want Me to do for You?"  Moreover, in their prayer is a clear recognition that He is Lord and Christ (Son of David).    These blind men, who cannot see, nevertheless have clear sight when it comes to Jesus.  They both know Him and identify Him as Messiah and Lord, and appropriately pray for mercy.    Their faith becomes the bedrock upon which Jesus then asks them His question, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  In the context of prayer, we couldn't get any better example for what our prayers should be like, because their prayer sets up the appropriate relationship between them and Christ in the first place.   One more irony in this story that is notable for early hearers of the Gospel is that this takes place in Jericho, a place considered by many to be a place of sin.  In that context it really teaches us that it matters very little what our circumstances are, what it is we may be surrounded by, or where we come from.  Their social standing among the crowd and in the town (they are most likely begging by the side of the road when they are told Jesus was passing by) is also an indication of the same.  It is faith that makes our connection with Christ, and they are most properly in relation to Him by the very text of their prayer.  Blindness is another symbol for sin, or our state of imperfect seeing; it tells us in addition that we need not be perfect to come before our Lord.  But what we do need to be is truthful.  Let us consider the usefulness of this prayer.  We may use it at any time, in its version for use in the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me" or "have mercy on me, a sinner."  There are shorter versions of the prayer.  Simply, "Lord have mercy" or "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy," are two other versions used, and others are possible with this basis.  These two blind men pray by the side of the road -- and the occasion for this prayer is always proper.  The Church in its tradition teaches us to use it constantly, without ceasing, and calls it the Prayer of the Heart.  Let us learn a lesson from our Lord's question in reply.

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

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke a parable to His disciples, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was a 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:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  The Pharisee is an expert in the Law and the Scriptures, one who carefully observes all details of a pious life according to the Law.  The tax collector is his opposite:  despised by the community as a sinner who not only collaborates with the occupying Romans forces, but who betrays and cheats his own people, taking via extortion what he can 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 for us that the practices of this Pharisee are worthy examples to follow.  His good deeds listed here (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion are two of the things he lists as properties of other men).  But without a humble and repentant heart, outward practices such as these have no value.  They lead, says my study bible, only to pride and judgment of others.  Note how the text tells us he prays with himself.  Prayer is communion and dialogue with God.  My study bible explains of this case 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 collectors shows by his posture an awareness of himself -- of the state of his soul.  He stands afar off, away from the altar of sacrifice with his eyes downward.  This prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the basis for the Jesus Prayer (a practice designed to fulfill St. Paul's admonition to pray without ceasing), and also the refrain that permeates worship everywhere, including personal prayer:  "Lord have mercy."

"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; that is in right relationship to God (and by extension to others).  My study bible says that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds in condemned.

One thing we can notice about the tax collector:  for all of his sins, he's honest with God.  At least here and now and in this moment, he's honest about the sins he's committed.  And there's more to it, there is real relationship -- a give and take, if you will -- involved here in his prayer.  He asks God for mercy, but in a form that is suggestive of the words, "Forgive me."  He's aware of his sin, and he's engaged with God:  he's asking for God to overlook his sins, to consider them 'paid' in some sense.  This is what his particular prayer for mercy suggests.  As the text tells us, the Pharisee isn't really engaged with God.  He prays with himself.  It's as if he's looking in his own mirror, and admiring himself by looking down on the tax collector.  It seems to me there is a great stress placed on our choices.  The Pharisee seems to take for granted that somehow God has made him superior to others; but he is in fact congratulating himself.  Even among His disciples, Jesus discourages us from comparing ourselves to others.  At the end of John's Gospel, Peter is told three times that he must "Feed My lambs," after Jesus asks three times, "Do you love Me?"  And Jesus tells him, "Follow Me."  Then Peter asks, indicating John himself, "Lord, what about this man?"   Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."  (See John 21:15-25).  Our work is to focus on our own lives and our own relationship to God in our prayer.  It's a very real sense in which we are to mind our own business.  Jesus has just warned of the time of His Second Coming, and of the Judgment (yesterday's reading, above).  The best way we learn discernment for the time in which we live is through constant prayer, such as the Jesus Prayer practice, which is a repetition and variation of the simple prayer, "Lord have mercy."  But here Jesus teaches us how to pray:  we enter into dialogue with God, we seek to make right our most basic relationship -- that with Creator.  In the mirror of God's gaze, there is nothing hidden nor secret, but we stand before love and truth.  That is, before judgment itself.  It's in this understanding that the tax collector can pray, with trust, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he receive his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

- Mark 10:46-52

Yesterday, we read that Jesus and the disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized, but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he receive his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  Jesus is passing through Jericho, a town notoriously known in Christ's time as a place of great sin.  The names given here are interesting.   A word pronounced like the name "Timaeus" in the Greek means "honorable."  But in Hebrew, Timaeus could stem from a word that can mean to be or become "unclean."   Bar- is a kind of Aramaic addition to a word to make it diminutive, that is, smaller -- or more commonly used to mean "son of."  Bartimaeus is the son of Timaeus.  But "bar" in Hebrew can also be a verb that means "to clean."    So we get a mix of meanings here that illuminate an ancient interpretation of this story:  Bartimaeus is a stand-in for a struggling humanity, beset by evil in the form of blindness.  Jericho is the fallen world, our environment of fallenness:   His father "unclean" but Bartimaeus by virtue of his faith in Christ is given sight, his eyes given "light" -- a humanity restored to its glory.  Christ moving through Jericho in this interpretation is an image of the Incarnation itself.  We can see Bartimaeus' faith in the title by which He calls Jesus, "Son of David," meaning the Messiah.  My study bible says, "Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, symbolized by our Lord's subsequent entrance into Jerusalem."   The restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected of the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18), considered a power reserved for God such as in the case of a man born blind (John 9:32).

What are we to make of blind Bartimaeus, a man stuck begging by the side of the road, in Jericho, a place known for sin?  He's a kind of obvious picture of fallenness, that which seems to have no real glory, someone rather doomed by his circumstances not to get much farther than that in life.  Where are his chances to do more, to be more than this?  His environment is a kind of metaphor for spiritual blindness:  a notorious environment of sin and limitation, a father with a name that means in the native language "unclean" but in the Greek of the New Testament, having value.  All of these are hints about the state of our world, what it is that the Incarnation makes possible for each of us.  But it's Bartimaeus' faith that unlocks everything for him, and he becomes a follower of Christ -- on the way to the Holy City, to the Kingdom -- to somewhere better, to the promised land.  With his voice and his shout, Bartimaeus is able to call up to the Lord, to be heard.  Christ asks him directly, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  We note that as Bartimaeus runs to Christ, he casts aside his garment -- no "hiding" here behind anything -- any image or stance, we go to Christ as we truly are and in all honesty.  His deepest desire of the Teacher ("Rabboni" - Great Teacher, Master) is to receive his sight.  It's Christ who both cleans and who renders great value, realizing the honor of human beings made in the image of God.  All the meanings here, in this sense, are important.  Sight is of course a metaphor for knowledge and understanding, as in seeing the true light and receiving wisdom, being illumined.  Bartimaeus healed through faith is the image of humanity restored to its true glory in the light of Christ.  Maybe most importantly, we all have the plea of Bartimaeus, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  This plea forms the basis for the most important prayer for many in the Church:  "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me," the root of an ancient prayer practice.  In the original Greek of the Gospel, Bartimaeus' words contain the root of the phrase Kyrie eleison, "Lord have mercy," which punctuates universal Church worship and prayer.  Just as Jesus said to the woman with the blood flow, He tells Bartimaeus, "Your faith has made you well."   This plea of Bartimaeus forms the root of a prayer practice called the Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart:   it consists of a repetition of any variation on this prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy."  Practiced for periods of time, it becomes a deeply effective prayer, a way to "pray without ceasing," rooting itself within our hearts and minds.  If there is one lesson we take with us, we learn from Bartimaeus that prayer is powerful.  It's a key to our faith which unlocks God's illumination in our lives, and changes our lives, turning our lives over from any circumstances in which we find ourselves, whatever the environment we may struggle with, or whatever we are "born into."  His prayer is a key to something, and it may be a key to something in your life that helps you with anything.  Try it!