10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. 12 I
fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. 14 I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for
every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14)
The
Collect
Fifth
Sunday after Trinity
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G
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RANT, O
Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably
ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly
quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This
Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican reveals God's thoughts on inordinate
pride and worldly success as a measure of godliness. It also dispels the notion
that a person of position in the church is somehow more righteous than the
lowliest vagrant who comes in from the street to receive Christ as Lord and
Savior. In fact, a person of high position in the church may be just as dead as
a door nail while those of low esteem may be regarded with great love and
dignity by God the Father.
I hope,
as we read this study, that we shall bear in mind the persons to whom this
parable is addressed: And he spake this parable unto certain which
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others
(Luke 18:9) It is with this sentence that our LORD addresses the parable to the
Scribes, Pharisees, and other company gathered about. Though the primary focus
of this parable is the Scribes and Pharisees actually present, it is also
addressed to each of us – rich, poor, ministers, laypersons, churchmen and
infidels that are in earshot, or who can read, and who do! The humble sinner,
coming to Christ with a broken and contrite heart, may be the publican
represented today, and who turns to be the Pharisee tomorrow as his pride is
lifted up in serving the Lord in commendable fashion recognized and applauded
by others. The temptation to personal pride is one which must be constantly
warred against, especially by those in the ordained ministry. If our preaching
is good and well received, and our writings reach many hearts, we must
recognize that no credit is due our own persons, but only to that Holy Spirit
of God that has done those labors in our hearts to produce Godly works.
Who went
up to the Temple to pray (in type)? 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican. One need not struggle at the
clarity of meaning articulated in this parable. One of the men was a specimen
of the self-righteous man (Pharisee) that far outnumbers the other represented
as the sinner (publican) coming to repentance. Both of these men went up to the
right place, and, seemingly, for the right purpose. Only the motives of the
heart (unseen by man) can discover the true purpose, but the dialogue presented
reveals the truth of their purpose. These two have come to the right place to
pray in serious reverence before God. They WENT UP to the Temple.
Whatever the physical terrain, we always mount up to higher ground when we
enter into serious prayer to the LORD. Going up in prayer means that we are
leaving the concerns of the world beneath the desires of our hearts. As we
study together, perhaps we may even, sadly, discover a mixture of both
characteristics in our own hearts. Hopefully, more of the contrition of the
publican exists there than the pride and arrogance of the Pharisee.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. Please observe to whom the Pharisees prays – to
himself, and not merely to himself, but to the audience of all who were
within earshot. His prayer may have been better heard in Heaven had he prayed
to God instead of the crowd gathered, and had he stopped at his first phrase,
"God, I thank thee." Was this Pharisee thankful for the
unmerited blessings of grace and mercy he had received from the Hand of God?
Not at all was he thankful for those! He was thankful for his great goodness in
not being like "other men". In his mind, he was far
better than any other human that ever drew breath. What a great discrepancy
between his self-evaluation and the view of God toward him! He says that he is
not unjust, yet, he is unjust by his very condemnation of others. He feels
himself, by virtue of his great self-righteousness and religious position, to
be of far greater worth than the fellow sinner standing nearby. I repent of the
times I have taken this view of myself in discussion with others. Have we all
not been a Pharisee at times?
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess. Have we not learned
volumes already in these two sentences of this arrogant man, so punctilious in
ceremony and vacant of love? Have his tithes gained a penny in Heaven's Bank?
No, the interest has been earned in the bank of worldly privilege and
recognition. His tithes have bounced from the brass canopy of Heaven like a
stone transformed into a meteor bent for Hell. Perhaps the worldly worshippers
who witness his boasting are deceived but, make no mistake, God is not mocked!
This is the shallow and arrogant kind of fellow the Pharisee represents.
Churches today are filled with such people just as they were at the time of
Jesus. We have learned enough of him, and dare not humor his pride with further
discussion of his empty words.
Let us
turn our attention now to the Publican. Publicans were tax collectors who
colluded with the Roman authorities in the collection of taxes. They often
charged more, for personal gain, than even Rome demanded. They were a hated
class of the Jews, and were even considered traitors to Israel and to God. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. The publican is far from being a man
filled with pride. He has cast off any remnants of pride in approaching God's
Holy Temple. He recognizes fully his unworthiness to even approach the Holy
Place of God. He is so reluctant to offend the Sovereign God that he stands a
respectable distance away from the Temple feeling himself too dirty to come
even near to it. He is ashamed of himself and all of the sins he knows he is
guilty of up until now. He also knows that God owes him NOTHING!
But the publican, representing each of us ere we came to God, is oppressed in
his spirit by his sinfulness and his dark isolation in being separated from the
Holiness of God. He will, in the desperation every sinner should feel, throw
himself upon the abundant mercy of the Throne of God. He knows, perhaps
intuitively, that the God of which he has heard (and knows exists) will not
cast him away in his humility of heart and contrition of soul. So, knowing he
cannot come all of the way to God in his sins, comes near to God seeking that
healing Balm of Gilead. There is healing and redemption for the sinner who
comes thusly to God.
The
publican is quite obviously not of the strain of superficial Christian we call
`charismatic.' He dares not lift proudly even his eyes up to heaven. He does
not boast of his change of heart in coming to Christ. He is completely unworthy
and he knows it. It is to be prayed that the Pharisee could have recognized his
own complete lack of worthiness as well. The publican, in deep contrition as
commonly expressed in the custom of the day, beats upon his breast in begging
mercy for the sinner that he is. This, my friends, is true repentance and one
centered upon a broken heart. As we have said before, it is only a broken heart
that can be fixed by God.
Both of
these were alike in many ways in their first coming to the Temple. Both came as
profligate sinners to the Temple. Both prayed. But one (the publican) departed
a sinner forgiven by God. The other (the Pharisee) departed as one who remained
in his sins.
14 I
tell you, this man (the publican) went down to his house justified rather than the
other (the Pharisee): for
every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted. When
we exalt ourselves, we are staking our righteousness on self worth and not the
redemption offered in the cross of Christ. When we humble ourselves, we are
kneeling before the mercy seat of God to forgive and lift us up. We can, in no
way, lift ourselves from the moors and bogs of sin no more than a trapped lamb
can do. If we humble ourselves in service to the LORD, He will lift us up
in due time. If we boast, even quietly, of our good works, we will be abased
(not by God, but our own testimonies). I prefer to stake my hope in God rather
than my own feeble works. What about you, friend?
