Of Saints and Sinners
Sermon text for August 19, 2007:
Luke 18:9-14
A good church-going Presbyterian went to church one day to pray. He was a genuinely good man who always did his best to live up to the highest standards of the faith. He prayed every day, gave a full one-tenth of his gross income to the church’s ministry, served on session, and attended worship each week unless he was too ill to come. As he sat in the front pew, his one non-Presbyterian characteristic, he reviewed his life before the Lord. His was a good life. Blessed in many ways, his spirit swelled with gratitude and pride. “Lord”, he prayed, “I am grateful that I am not like so many other folks. I am not unjust in my business dealings, I do not fool around on my wife, and I even give you ten percent of everything I earn.”
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the elder, someone else had wandered in off the street. He saw the door of the church open and somehow felt compelled to come inside, but not too far inside. In fact he hid in a dark corner near the back of the sanctuary and suddenly felt very ashamed for the things he had done.
He was everything the first man wasn’t. While in the military he sold secrets to the other side and since leaving the military had been involved in several shady business deals. And he didn’t know the meaning of fidelity. As the memories of his life washed over him he was too ashamed even to look at the cross over the communion table. In despair he felt more than spoke his confession. “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
We might say that confession is good, but it isn’t enough. He has to pay for what he did. But Jesus says, “I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Many commentators try to explain this parable by theorizing that the Pharisee was not really a good man. He was pompous and arrogant, filled with self importance and that is why his prayer was not answered. The sinner on the other hand was sincerely sorry for his sin, and so was justified. But this interpretation misses the point.
Jesus wants the disciples to see a caricature of a good man. In fact this man is almost too good to be true. Perhaps the disciples might even have pictured someone that they knew who behaved very much like this Pharisee whom Jesus describes. He takes the Jewish law to an extreme. He not only does what he is supposed to do, he does more. He is a good man according to the highest religious standards of his day. That is what makes the story so hard to take. He is a good man and he knows it.
Now here’s the rub. I think that most of us can identify with the Pharisee. We may not think that we are the best, or that we have reached the highest our faith has to offer, but we do compare ourselves to others:
“Look at the mess she has made out of her life. I’m glad I was smart enough to avoid making those mistakes.”
“That guy is always in trouble, he goes from one woman to the next, can’t keep a job, and his kids hate him. I’m glad that I live the good life. Thank God I am not like that!”
Those may not be our exact thoughts or words, but it is probably inevitable for us to compare ourselves with others. We are glad that there is an inherent goodness within us that makes us different from other people. But if we feel smug, the parable tells us to look again.
The second man in the parable could have no illusions about himself. Everything in society told him that there was something fundamentally wrong with him. When he listened to the inner voice, he understood instinctively that confession was his only option. He understood that whatever goodness he could achieve in life would be through the grace of God. And Jesus says, “He went down to his house justified.”
The parable only works if the good guy really is good, and the bad guy really is a scoundrel. As with all of Jesus’ parables, this one can be read on several different levels. On the deepest level the story is about those who trust themselves and despise others. It is about those who believe themselves to be righteous because they follow the rules, and others are worthless because they don’t.
Jesus wants us to acknowledge the gifts of faith and morality which are a part of our lives, and to give thanks to God. But at the same time we are called upon to be cautious and, using Paul’s theology, not think too highly of ourselves, because of what we have done. And if at any point we discover that our goodness has faded, the parable inspires us to turn in trust to God, praying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
Luke 18:9-14
A good church-going Presbyterian went to church one day to pray. He was a genuinely good man who always did his best to live up to the highest standards of the faith. He prayed every day, gave a full one-tenth of his gross income to the church’s ministry, served on session, and attended worship each week unless he was too ill to come. As he sat in the front pew, his one non-Presbyterian characteristic, he reviewed his life before the Lord. His was a good life. Blessed in many ways, his spirit swelled with gratitude and pride. “Lord”, he prayed, “I am grateful that I am not like so many other folks. I am not unjust in my business dealings, I do not fool around on my wife, and I even give you ten percent of everything I earn.”
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the elder, someone else had wandered in off the street. He saw the door of the church open and somehow felt compelled to come inside, but not too far inside. In fact he hid in a dark corner near the back of the sanctuary and suddenly felt very ashamed for the things he had done.
He was everything the first man wasn’t. While in the military he sold secrets to the other side and since leaving the military had been involved in several shady business deals. And he didn’t know the meaning of fidelity. As the memories of his life washed over him he was too ashamed even to look at the cross over the communion table. In despair he felt more than spoke his confession. “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
We might say that confession is good, but it isn’t enough. He has to pay for what he did. But Jesus says, “I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Many commentators try to explain this parable by theorizing that the Pharisee was not really a good man. He was pompous and arrogant, filled with self importance and that is why his prayer was not answered. The sinner on the other hand was sincerely sorry for his sin, and so was justified. But this interpretation misses the point.
Jesus wants the disciples to see a caricature of a good man. In fact this man is almost too good to be true. Perhaps the disciples might even have pictured someone that they knew who behaved very much like this Pharisee whom Jesus describes. He takes the Jewish law to an extreme. He not only does what he is supposed to do, he does more. He is a good man according to the highest religious standards of his day. That is what makes the story so hard to take. He is a good man and he knows it.
Now here’s the rub. I think that most of us can identify with the Pharisee. We may not think that we are the best, or that we have reached the highest our faith has to offer, but we do compare ourselves to others:
“Look at the mess she has made out of her life. I’m glad I was smart enough to avoid making those mistakes.”
“That guy is always in trouble, he goes from one woman to the next, can’t keep a job, and his kids hate him. I’m glad that I live the good life. Thank God I am not like that!”
Those may not be our exact thoughts or words, but it is probably inevitable for us to compare ourselves with others. We are glad that there is an inherent goodness within us that makes us different from other people. But if we feel smug, the parable tells us to look again.
The second man in the parable could have no illusions about himself. Everything in society told him that there was something fundamentally wrong with him. When he listened to the inner voice, he understood instinctively that confession was his only option. He understood that whatever goodness he could achieve in life would be through the grace of God. And Jesus says, “He went down to his house justified.”
The parable only works if the good guy really is good, and the bad guy really is a scoundrel. As with all of Jesus’ parables, this one can be read on several different levels. On the deepest level the story is about those who trust themselves and despise others. It is about those who believe themselves to be righteous because they follow the rules, and others are worthless because they don’t.
Jesus wants us to acknowledge the gifts of faith and morality which are a part of our lives, and to give thanks to God. But at the same time we are called upon to be cautious and, using Paul’s theology, not think too highly of ourselves, because of what we have done. And if at any point we discover that our goodness has faded, the parable inspires us to turn in trust to God, praying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
posted by Dwight Blackstock | 2:30 PM
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