The Message, October 23, 2022: "Be the Sinner!" Luke 18:9-14
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
October 25, 2022
“Be
the Sinner!”
A
Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Luke
18:9-14
This is an unusual story. It does
not fit our ear very well. It does not follow the familiar pattern to which we
are accustomed. Who do you root for in the story? The characters are complex
and flawed. There is no clear-cut hero or villain. We like for there to be a “good
guy” and a “bad guy.”
Jesus tells us that two people went
up to the Temple to pray. A Pharisee and a tax collector. Jesus does not
initially tell us anything more about them, but at first blush we want to “boo …
hiss” for BOTH of them! We assign our own ideas and prejudices with us as Jesus
begins the parable.
Neither of them are especially
likable characters.
We have already been conditioned to
dislike the Pharisees. Throughout our reading of the Gospels, we see and hear
the Pharisees attack and criticize Jesus. We know that they have often plotted
against him and tried to trick and trap him. So … right away we do not like
him.
Then there is the tax collector. Two
thousand years later, we do not have any love for tax collectors. Even though
we know that the Internal Revenue Service is just doing its job, we do not put
the IRS agents on the top of our Christmas card lists.
So then, what are we to do with
them? Sometimes I watch a football game and wonder if it is possible for BOTH
teams to lose. Is that the way that we approach this story?
Let us take a closer look.
Two men went up to the Temple to
pray. The devout observed prayer three times per day: morning prayer at 9:00
AM, midday prayer at noon, then afternoon prayer at 3:00 PM. They could pray
wherever they were, but prayers offered at the Temple were believed to be more
efficacious.
Two men went to the Temple to
fulfill their obligation to pray. However, one man turned that religious
observance into a contest. The Pharisee. He began his prayer as we begin our
prayers, by thanking God. But he did not thank God in the way that one normally
would. The Pharisee did not thank God for the blessings that he had received.
Rather, he thanked God that he was not like THEM … those sinners, especially
that tax collector over there.
And as we heard, he went on to exalt
himself. He listed all of his observances. He told God about how wonderful He,
the Pharisee, was. “In case you had not noticed, O God, let me tell you how
great I am! Are you impressed, O God?”
As I said a moment ago, the
characters in this story are complex. The Pharisee is not a BAD guy. He is exceedingly
faithful.
He
observed his daily prayers.
He
fasted twice per week. Jewish Law prescribed only one absolutely obligatory
fast on the Day of Atonement. Those who wished to gain special merit also
fasted on Mondays and Thursdays. (It should be noted that Mondays and Thursdays
also just happened to be the market days, so the city would be full of people.
Those who were fasting often whitened their faces and wore disheveled clothing
so that all would notice.)
The
Pharisee also tithed on everything. Again, Jewish Law only required that people
tithe on their produce, but the Pharisee tithed all of his property. He was
very generous in his giving!
So,
we see that on the surface, the Pharisee had the appearance of doing all the
right things. He fulfilled all of the obligations of the Law and faith, and then
some!
Of
course, the parable would not be a parable if there was not a twist, a lesson
to be learned. The Pharisee’s public observances covered his true character.
The Pharisee did not go to the Temple to pray to God. He went there to brag
about how “good” he was. He prayed so that God … and others … could see and
hear.
What
is more, the Pharisee asked nothing of God. He presumes that his “goodness” and
his piety have him covered. He believes that he has no need of God’s grace of
mercy. His works have taken care of his justification.
The
Pharisee stands away from others in order to maintain his purity, but also
stands in a manner that all can see and speaks in a manner so that all can
hear. “Look at me, O God. Ain’t I great!?”
And
we contrast that character with the Publican, the tax collector.
For
the First Century audience, he was a despicable character. He was working as an
agent for a foreign, occupying government collecting taxes from his own people.
He was a participant in a cruel and corrupt system. If we remember the story of
Zaccheus, we recall that tax collectors often took an extra cut for themselves.
Politically, the tax collector was a traitor, and religiously he was unclean.
Overall, he was a reprehensible character.
So,
Jesus, are we supposed to cheer for him? We do not like him!
Just
like the Pharisee was not in totality a BAD guy, Jesus was not saying that the
tax collector is really a GOOD guy either. He is still a tax collector, a
cheater and a crook. But his prayer was more genuine.
He
humbled himself before God. He began with the familiar words from Psalm 51:
“Have mercy on me, O God.” He prostrated himself before God and confessed his
sin. He begged for God’s mercy upon him. He recognized his need for God’s
grace.
It
is said that no one who is proud can enter into Heaven. The gate is low so that
no one can enter into it unless they are on their knees.
The
two parables that we explored these past two Sundays, the Parable of the
Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge, and the Parable of the Pharisee and the
Tax Collector are presented by Jesus as parables about prayer. Last week, we
learned that we are to be persistent and determined in our prayers, encouraged
and strengthened so as not to be discouraged when faced with the challenges and
obstacles of the world.
This
week we learn about genuine prayer, true prayer. True prayer comes from setting
ourselves and setting our lives beside the Way of God. The question that we are
to consider is NOT: “Am I as good as my neighbor?” Rather, it is: “Am I as good
as God would have me to be?”
There
is a cautionary lesson for us here.
Were
you tempted at any point to think to yourself, “Thank goodness that I am not a
sinner like that Pharisee?”
We
know that humility is important for those who follow the Way of Jesus Christ.
Yet achieving humility can be tricky. We often judge ourselves by comparing
ourselves to others. “Well, I am more humble than so-and-so.” One cannot exalt
themselves without criticizing, minimizing, or denigrating the other. It is
hard to look our neighbor in the eye if we are looking down our noses at them.
It is hard to serve our neighbors if down deep we believe that we are better
than they are.
When
we set our lives beside the life and Way of Jesus Christ, when we set our lives
beside the holiness of God, all that is left to say is, “God, in your grace, be
merciful on me, a sinner.”
We
do not typically like to think of ourselves in that way. When Jesus is teaching
and being critical or condemning, we tend to think that he is talking about
someone else. “Surely not I, Lord. Look at that sinner over there!”
The
sermon title this morning, “Be the sinner!” are three words that I have never
spoken to a congregation before. They are NOT an encouragement to go out and
sin! They are the recognition, the acknowledgement that we do. It is the
recognition that there are times when we fail to follow the Way of Christ as
closely as we should … or could. And they are a reminder that we stand in need
of God’s grace.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to
your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my
transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
(Psalm 51:1)
Amen.
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