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 Jesus spoke 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."  This depiction of our spiritual standing and relationship to God uses two very different faces.  A Pharisee, says my study bible, "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."   In order to get the proper picture, we really have to see things from the contemporary point of view of Jesus' audience; there could not be a greater difference in the estimation of virtue and vice in each of these people in the story.

"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 says, "The practices of this Pharisee 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).  However, without a humble and repentant heart, these outward practices are worthless and lead only to pride and judgment of others.  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!'"  This may be the most effective image in terms of prayer that has been given to us.  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 (a practice in which one endeavors to pray without ceasing), and the perennial refrain heard everywhere in Christendom, "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."  My study bible says that justified means forgiven and set right with God, for inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.

There are many things to say about today's "landmark" passage.  It's the archetypal understanding not only of our prayer but how we stand in relationship to God.  It teaches us what it is to be justified in Christ's perspective.  But there is more to it.  Here's a great teaching on humility.  We really have to understand how the deeds of the Pharisee are worthy and good.  He's sort of like the most "politically correct" of the politically correct, but there's much more to it.  He's doing things that are recognized as deeds which are pleasing to God, good practices which are in fact designed to lead to and support our humility and our understanding of humility.  This is essential for us to understand.  Tithing and fasting are ways in which we practice spiritual discipline, doing without, that above all have a powerful and good impact on who we are inwardly, so that we are more "ready" to hear God's word for us.  And yet, this Pharisee, this pillar of good works and humble deeds, has missed the point -- he's praying "with himself."  He's congratulating himself in some sense.  He's not really talking to God and asking God what God wants of him.  Granted, he's practicing things that are always recommended by the Church and by Jewish religious law and teachings to start with.  But, despite the practices, he's still missed the point.  And we have to start there:  what is the point of humility?  Humility is, essentially, the practice of giving ourselves to God.  It's about putting ourselves before the Lord and asking, "What do You want me to do?"  It's not about recounting our good deeds or basically praying to or with ourselves.  It's about the face-to-face relationship with God that comes in prayer -- our great opportunity in prayer.  It's about dialogue and not monologue.  We within ourselves are not a closed off circle.  In prayer, we are to join a great "circle that has no circumference and whose center is everywhere" -- God.   This saying about God is so ancient nobody really knows for certain who first said it.  Its truth stands as it serves well the Person who is Truth, Christ, Logos.  That's the dialogue into which we enter properly in prayer, the true Face before which we stand in no other way possible than with humility.  And the person who understood that best in today's story was the tax collector.  That horrible, evil person who betrays his own people in the form of extortion and service to the enemy, the oppressor, the non-faithful -- he's the one who got it right in today's story.  That's because he spoke face-to-face, and the Pharisee only spoke, basically, to himself.  And there's a more important point to humility rather than its justification in and of itself as virtue.   Humility is the one and only way we can know that we are seeking to serve Truth.  It's the only way we really lay ourselves before Christ and ask, "What else do you want me to do?"  or "What am I missing?" or "Where do I go from here, Lord?"   Humility is the attitude that tells God that you are aware you don't know everything, and that there is more to learn.  Humility is the willingness to see what you're blind to, to have the plank in your own eye removed, even when it's painful and difficult.  Humility has the "moral intelligence," if one wills, to understand that whoever we are, there's more that we're unaware of, and more that God wants for us to learn, to aspire to in life.  It's the face-to-face that really counts -- a dialogue, a relationship of love.  It's the attitude of willingness to accept truth beyond what we know and where we are.  It's the only true way to go to God.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus left us with the admonition that it is constant and persistent prayer that sees us through the difficult times through which we await His Return.  Today, He teaches us what it really means to pray.  Can we understand Him?  Do we want the truth He offers us?

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted: the Pharisee and the Publican

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

- Luke 18:9-14

On Thursday, Jesus spoke about the event of His Second Coming.  In yesterday's reading, He taught a parable about this time in which we await His return:  Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  As we begin the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, we are first set in a right place regarding prayer.  In whom do we trust?  And by extension, how do we see others?  This is all a question, in this framework Luke gives us as he introduces the parable, of where we put our trust, and especially about who is the true Judge.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke of the importance of persistent prayer.  As we begin this new parable, Luke frames it in language that we might all understand regarding how we are oriented within that prayer.

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study bible says, "The sharp contrast between the two men is deliberately drawn by Jesus.  The Pharisee is highly respected as a zealous observer of God's Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a public sinner, collaborating with the Romans, cheating the people."   Anyone in His audience would begin with this frame of mind, seeing the one as righteous and the other as notorious sinner.

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' "   My study bible points out that "the Pharisee prayed thus with himself and not to God!"  Indeed, it's like looking in a mirror, and being thankful for what one sees there.  But where's the approach to God?  Where is the dependency and the rest one takes in God?  Luke tells us the Pharisee "prayed thus with himself."

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study bible says, "The tax collector's posture and words express his deep humility and contrition, the opposite of the Pharisee's attitude."   There's a question here of the depth of honesty practiced in this prayer by the tax collector, and true relationship to God as true judge, the One whose judgment really counts.  We rest in the mercy of God at all times; this is an important and essential teaching for right-relatedness, or righteousness, to begin with.  This sort of humility, which is not a recipe for an automatic assumption of guilt, but rather one of humble dependence upon God for our understanding, is the starting point for true prayer.

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study bible says it this way:  "Justified:  forgiven and made right with God.  Jesus reverses the expected conclusion.  In the eyes of God, it is the tax collector who is justified because of his humility.  The Pharisee is condemned because of his self-righteousness and self-exaltation." 

Jesus' teaching is an important one about humility.  If we look closely at the Pharisee and his words in prayer, we see a kind of narcissism.  He's seeing himself reflected through the images of others ("this tax collector") and by comparison in a sort of competition with others.  He looks at himself in his own mirror, making assumptions about God's perspective on his life.  It's not that he does wrong things or bad things, or that there are things wrong with his actions.  Rather, lack of dependence on God is self-serving and ignorant.  There is no question here about a "plank in his own eye" nor of relying on God in prayer for where he needs to go from where he is.  This is an important lesson for all of us about the nature of a walk with God -- it's a constant movement toward "perfection" in the sense that God is always calling us into deeper relationship and spiritual understanding, and where we need to go for our real challenges in God's eyes.  Without humility we can't really get started on that journey of the heart, and this man can only see his own self-justification -- as opposed to the justification from the true Judge.  The Publican is rather in the right place in relationship to God.  He puts himself before God's judgment and mercy and teaching, and there is a door opening to the future in this way.  He needs instruction.  The Pharisee isn't seeing anything but his own assumptions, what he thinks he knows already.  It isn't a prayer of gratitude as in "there but for the grace of God I go," but rather a sense of his own judgment, as opposed to God's judgment.  Prayer is dialogue, not monologue.  Good works are good things in the world as far as we can see.  But our judgment comes from God, and there is nothing more vivid than this parable for our understanding about where true judgment comes from, and how we may truly be seen.