Having heard the Gospel today, we might find ourselves trying to decide which of the folks Jesus mentioned that we most relate to.
And, as with most parables, this is where we can get into… challenge.
Because we, like most people, try to think the best of ourselves.
Of COURSE we do!
Some healthy self-confidence is a good thing.
It’s when it gets over the top that it’s… over the top.
So we should go back to the way John tells us the setting and audience of this parable.
“Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and regarded others with contempt.”
Ooof. Not where we want to be, is it?
Because these folks are in a double-whammy of ego-driven presence.
They believe themselves to be righteous – by their own standards (which we know are likely to be biased)
And they regard others as unworthy. Beneath them.
And to this group, Jesus uses stereotypes to get his point across.
The Pharisee comes to pray: In the temple.,
Pharisees: influential Jewish religious group; known for their adherence to the law. They were the educated folks who integrated oral and written law, at times separatin themselves from common life in order to delve deeply into studying and teaching the law.
These were the experts.
And they were at home in the temple: this was their place.
And we contrast that with a tax collector… the folks who were known to swindle their own… who collaborated with the oppressor Romans… Society lumped them in with thieves and rogues. These are not the folks you would want to see in the marketplace, let alone in a house of prayer. The ones you’d want to slide away from to ensure nobody thought you might be connected to them in any way.
So a Pharisee in the temple, praying: this is a normal experience.
A tax collector, in the temple, praying: this is weird and uncomfortable.
In the parable, their stance for the prayers are just as diverse and contrary.
The Pharisee is standing (as was the custom for prayer) – eyes lifted, loud voice, slightly apart from the others – but not too far. It’s clear he wants to be heard, and seen, and to be able to see others – even naming others that he sees as part of his oration.
On the other side of the temple is the tax collector – standing far apart, also praying, but with his eyes down. He’s not trying to draw attention to himself – just the opposite. He’s more focused on prayer than on presenting.
So Jesus is starting to show a difference already in these 2 pray-ers… and is starting to shift away from the stereotype anticipated at the start of the parable.
Now let’s consider the prayers themselves…. Because this is where those who would hear and receive the words of Jesus really should be looking inward.
The Pharisee is showing some rather arrogant attitudes here. First, he displays his sense of superiority “God, I thank you that I’m not like other people – bad people!” seems quite the judgement statement.
And then he shares about how great HE is… in giving his list of accomplishments: fasting twice a week in a tradition that would fast maybe 5 or 6 times a year; giving a tenth of his income when most couldn’t afford to do that…
So why would a man of prayer say these things? Well, he’s bragging. He wants to feel good about himself, and the easiest way to do that is to put someone else down.
It’s not healthy, but it is effective – if your goal is yourself.
As the Rev. Joseph Pagano writes:
“The Pharisee basically gives God a status report, a curriculum vitae, highlighting his extraordinary piety and practice. He says the words, “God, I thank you,” but in effect, his speech really says, “God, you’re welcome.”
On the other side of the temple, the tax collector uses one fifth of the words, and takes his prayer in a totally different direction. He doesn’t give a summary, he doesn’t brag, he doesn’t divulge in false humility: he uses minimal words and simply asks God for mercy.
His focus is on himself, but in an honest reflection of his actions, in a private conversation with God.
This is NOT where Jesus’ audience thought the parable would go…
Which is when we can remind ourselves that we, too, are Jesus’ audience.
Rev. Pagano further puts it this way:
“The spiritual trap in reading this parable is to say something like, “I thank you, God, that I am humble like the tax collector, and not like that self-righteous Pharisee.” The human propensity to puff oneself up and put others down can easily twist this parable into an occasion for some religious humblebragging.”
We’re being reminded of the opportunity to reflect on our ways and practices; of how we show the world our faith.
In a society that equates success with having our name put on something, or achieving the highest number of likes or followers on social media, or any other way that we measure “success” by the world’s standards, God reminds us of what it means to have integrity in our faith.
And Jesus lifts this us with another reminder: that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Not by our selves; not by our direction or intention:
But by God.
For again; thinking that we control the world around us takes us back to the arrogance that Jesus warns against.
It is God who can humble us, and God who can exalt us.
And so let us be comforted by our honest and dignified faith: the simple acts of piety, the honest prayers, the authentic self-reflection, the simplicity of being the people of God that God has made us,.
Let us come before the Almighty, as we are, asking for help on the journey; the mercy we all desire and all have need of;
The mercy that God is always bestowing upon us.
Let us come before God, as people of prayer: knowing we are heard, and welcomed, and loved.
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