Scriptures for Sunday
Primary Focus: Luke 18:9-14
9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The scholars of the Jesus Seminar, in the The Five Gospels, point out that the introduction (v.9) and concluding remarks (v.14b) are editorial remarks against self-righteous pride and in favor of the virture of humility. The parable itself (vv. 10-14a) compares and contrast the prayers of two people...one seen as righteous by the traditional religious practices of the day. The other would be seen by most Judeans of the day as unrighteous, dishonest, disloyal and disregarding of religious duty.
Whether the parable itself was told by Jesus is an unsettled debate. Many feel the story is a product of the Jesus Movement. This is the only parable that has one character be a Pharasee. This is also the only time the term "justified" is used in the gospels with reference to an individual. Paul, on the other hand, loves to use the term "justified" in his letters, so this, it is argued, indicates that the parable is more reflective of the early Christian movement.
Raymond Bailey draws an uncomfortable comparison between Pharisees and "good elders, stewards, or deacons. They are the ones who do the work of the church and provide the financial support necessary to support religious institutions. Pharisees were devoted to God and righteousness, and most of their faults were the result of overstriving for holiness. Their zeal was often misguided, but at least they had zeal in their desire to please God". When religion became the end instead of the means (as it so often can) these leaders could easily lose their way, as the Pharisee praying in the Temple evidently did. The same pitfall on the journey of faith endangers us in the church today.
Who are those, in our churches, in our denomination, in our society, from whom we stand apart when we pray?
Whichever side we are on, in any question raging in the life of the church, how is God calling us to find that common ground of radical dependence on God’s grace that enables us to pray together, recognizing ourselves, whether Pharisee (religiously righteous in our practices) or tax collector (living outside the bounds of proper society and rules)?
What issues divide us and keep us from this kind of shared prayer, this kind of shared recognition tha we all belong to God?
And if we do belong to God, how can we leave church this day, thanking God that we are not like that prideful, self-righteous Pharisee?
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