The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
October 23, 2016
Luke 18:9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (NIV1984)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I learned something this past week. I learned that when I go to District gatherings these days I really wish they would give everyone a name tag. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten a little older or maybe it’s because I am one of the new guys in the District or maybe it’s because I’ve gotten a little older, but I hardly recognize anyone! Even when a face looks familiar, the name is usually just beyond my reach. In fact, even some of the men with whom I went to school look very different than I remember them! Nametags would make talking to someone so much easier! Those of you who attend conferences or school reunions can easily relate to how important name tags can be.
Name tags, however, are not reserved exclusively for events such as conferences and school reunions. Many if not most people either consciously or unconsciously wear an invisible name tag each and every day, an invisible name tags that reveals who they are— or think they are. Let me show you what I mean. Have you ever known anyone who wears an invisible name tag that says, “Pretty” or “Popular” or “Powerful”? Have you ever known anyone who wears an invisible name tag that says, “Strong” or “Successful” or “Smart”? It’s not difficult to think of names, is it. We watch how a person acts, we listen to how a person talks and it is pretty easy to see what their invisible name tags says about who they are— or think they are! But when was the last time you saw someone wearing an invisible name tag that said, “Sinner”? When was the last time you wore an invisible name tag that said “Sinner”?
The sermon text that we have before us this morning gives us the opportunity to look at the invisible name tag that we are wearing and see what it says concerning us. As we conclude our sermon series entitled As Disciples of Jesus… let’s see how this portion of Scripture leads us to stop and remember this truth: As Disciples of Jesus— We Know Who We Are. We know who we are by nature. We know who we are by grace.
Much like the parable we looked at last Sunday (the Parable of the Persistent Widow) Luke reveals to us exactly why Jesus gave us the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Look at the opening verse of our text. This parable is intended for everyone who is “confident of their own righteousness…” or that could be translated, “convinced in themselves that they are righteous.” This parable is intended for anyone who is “looking down on others,” or that could be translated, “despising or treating others with contempt.” And to make it unmistakably clear how dangerous it is to wear an invisible name tag that says “Perfect” or at least, “Better than you!”— look at the closing verse of our text. Jesus speaks words that we will definitely want to take to heart: “I tell you that this man (the tax collector), rather than the other (the Pharisee), went home justified before God.”
With that in mind let’s look at this very powerful parable and see how it gives us the opportunity to look at ourselves and say, “We know who we are.” First of all, as disciples of Jesus we know who we are— by nature. Look at the first portion of this parable. Jesus says, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men— robbers, evildoers, adulterers— or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I own.’”
It is not difficult to see the arrogance, the pride and the ego of this Pharisee. He has the arrogance to go into the Temple of the Living God and pray— not to God, but “he prayed about himself.” He proudly compares himself to the least respectable members of his society— “robbers, evildoers, adulterers and tax collectors”— and then he proudly thanks God that he is better than them all. His ego leads him to list ways in which he not only keeps the requirements of God’s Law, but he exceeds those requirements. While God’s Law required God’s people to fast once a year— on the great Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27; Psalm 35:13) — he fasts twice a week! While God’s Law required God’s people to give back to their Lord a tenth of everything that grew in the fields and on the trees and a tenth of all the offspring of the flocks and herds (Leviticus 27:30, 32; Deuteronomy 14:22), his offering to the Lord consisted of a tenth of everything he was “acquiring,” a tenth of everything he was “gaining.” His arrogance, his pride and his ego led him to be convinced in his own mind and in his own heart that he was “righteous” before God — especially compared to all the “others.”
Now it’s quite easy for us to sit here in God’s house today and shake our heads as we listen to this Pharisee “pray about himself.” What is far more difficult and yet far more necessary is to realize that this is who we are— by nature! Our old sinful nature is the most self-righteous little Pharisee that we will ever meet. If we do feel guilty about something we have done, our old sinful nature simply looks around until it can arrogantly say, “Well, at least I haven’t done anything near as bad as what so-and–so did!” And to bolster our own egotistical opinion of ourselves our old sinful nature proudly keeps track of what we have done and what we are doing: “I am in church pretty much every week. I have served on pretty much every board and every committee there is. I am sure that I am one of the biggest givers in the congregation. I…I…I…. That is the focus of the sinful nature that lives inside each and every one of us. While we may not want to admit it, our old sinful nature is no different than the self-righteous Pharisee here in this parable.
Let me give you an example of how this plays out in real life. This is a true story. A pastor once told the story about a man whom we will call “Joe.” Joe was a part of the “core” of the congregation that this pastor was serving. If the pastor needed anything he called on Joe. If the congregation needed anything Joe was right there. The time came when Joe was dying. One night Joe’s wife called the pastor and asked if he could come over to the house. Joe was not doing well. As the pastor sat at Joe’s bedside talking about what was waiting for Joe after he died, Joe said something that makes a pastor’s heart smile. He said, “Pastor, I am not afraid to die.” But then, before the pastor could say another word, Joe continued, “I’ve done everything I was supposed to do. I always agreed to serve on whatever board the congregation needed me on. I always gave as much as I possibly could— whether it was time or money or whatever. I’ve done everything I was supposed to do. I’m not afraid to die because I don’t have anything to worry about.” Shocked and completely caught off guard the pastor tried to point Joe to the cross and remind him of what Jesus had done for him there, but Joe wanted nothing to do with it. He was convinced that he had nothing to fear because he had done everything the church had ever asked him to do. Frustrated— and yes, a little bit angry— the pastor put on his coat and hat to leave. But before he left he turned around and said to Joe, “When you get to hell, don’t say hi to the devil for me!” No sooner had the pastor gotten home when the phone rang. It was Joe’s wife. She very quietly said, “Will you please come back? He’s crying.” The pastor went back to Joe’s house and shared with him a basic Law/Gospel message emphasizing the simple message of the Gospel— the Good News of what Jesus had done for him. Joe died soon thereafter and now the pastor was able to give him a beautiful Gospel-oriented Christian funeral. But imagine, my friends. Imagine if Joe had died suddenly or unexpectedly. Imagine if Joe had been in a car accident or was the victim of a violent crime. Imagine Joe standing before the Almighty Judge of the living and the dead, the eternal Son of God who shed His holy precious blood to pay for all of Joe’s sins. Imagine Jesus asking Joe, “Why should I let you live in My heavenly Home?” only to have Joe say, “Because I did everything I was supposed to do!” Not good. Not acceptable.
That true story reminds us of how important it is for us to remember that by nature we are Joe. By nature we are the Pharisee here in Jesus’ parable. If we do not recognize that truth, if we put our confidence in thinking that we don’t have to fear death because we have done everything we’re “supposed” to do, if we put our confidence in thinking that we don’t need to fear death because at least we’re a whole lot better than a whole bunch of other people we know— we are in for a very rude awaking when we die.
Thankfully, there is another part to Jesus’ parable! Look at verse thirteen of our text. Jesus says, “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”
The tax collector is the spiritual polar opposite of the Pharisee, isn’t he. He didn’t want to get too close to the other worshipers and perhaps disturb their worship by his mere presence. He didn’t want to hear nor did he need to hear what the Pharisee was praying. He already knew all too well what people said about him and what people thought of him. He didn’t pray about himself. He didn’t compare himself to others. He didn’t even allow himself to lift up his eyes to heaven. Since he knew who he was by nature, he stood at a distance, kept beating his chest and kept asking God for just one thing— “mercy.” “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
As disciples of Jesus we come here to God’s house confessing who we are by nature— “sinners.” As disciples of Jesus we come here to God’s house recognizing that in God’s eyes a sin is a sin is a sin. Just because we have not committed the same sins as Sally, just because our sins may not be as obvious or as public as Joe’s that does not make us any less guilty in the eyes of a holy, just, perfect and all-knowing God. At the same time, however, when we come here to God’s house confessing who we are by nature and then like this tax collector we beat our breast and cry out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” our Savior God always answers the same way. He gently lifts up our eyes to the cross of His Son and He softly says to us, “My dear child, look— I already have!”
Do you know what that means, my friends? It means that as disciples of Jesus we know who we are— purely by the amazing grace of the Lord our God! We are forgiven! We are “justified”! We have been “Declared: Not Guilty!” by the Almighty God Himself! We are the dearly beloved adopted children of the heavenly Father. (Pointing to the Baptismal font) No matter what anyone else says about us, no matter what anyone else thinks of us, no matter how anyone else treats us, no matter how many times Satan reminds us of what we have done or what we have failed to do, this cross reminds us of who we are— by grace!
My prayer then this morning, my friends, is that as disciples of Jesus we will indeed be conscious of who we are! When we recognize that our old sinful nature is no different than the proud self-righteous Pharisee here in our text, then I pray that we will daily ask the good Lord to help us keep that old bugger in check. And when we recognize that purely by His amazing grace the Lord our God daily showers us His mercy, then I pray that both the actions of our life and the words of our mouth will reveal to everyone around us that we are humbly wearing that precious, priceless, invisible name tag which says, “A Forgiven Child of God!”
To God be the glory!
Amen
