LOOK to the LORD!

Luke 18:9–14  

Jesus tells this story for those who look down on others and are sure they’re right with God. They compare themselves to those they despise and they think of themselves as righteous in their own eyes. So these two men went up to the temple to pray. The temple was elevated from anywhere in Jerusalem, and the elevation depicts that God is far above all of us (18:9-10). Both these men went up to the temple to talk to God and the temple was that special place at that time where God could be approached. The temple was where people could come and meet with God. 

So these two men who went up to the temple to pray and one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax-collector. The Pharisee was a religious leader who was part of a popular holiness movement. They sought to strictly adhere to the law and their oral tradition about what the law really meant and required. There strict conformity was there way by which they thought to please God. They considered themselves to be ‘righteous’ and they were typically admired in society for their zeal for the law. The other man was a tax-collector and tax-collectors were widely regarded as traitors to the Jewish nation. They were considered to be collaborators with their Roman oppressors. They were considered traitors because they collected taxes from their fellow Jews on behalf of the Romans. They were widely regarded as corrupt and were considered to be more than willing to cheat their fellow Israelites. (18:9-10)

This zealous religious leader, the Pharisee, stands by himself and he prays to God. He begins by thanking God that he isn’t a thief, an evildoer or an adulterer. Let’s not be too quick to ‘look down’ on this Pharisee. He doesn’t take what belongs to others. He is concerned about what is moral and seeks to avoid evil. He is also faithful to his wife and he is faithful in his giving. Not only that, but he is engaged in self-denial in that he fasts regularly and it looks like he is not ruled by his appetites. By any human standard he is a devout person. His commitment to the God of Israel is seen in his work, his ethics, his relationships, his diet, his religious practices, and his finances. Moreover, he prays and he is thankful to God. On the other hand the tax-collector would be considered a collaborator with Israel’s Roman colonizing oppressors. The tax-collector makes his money by collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Whatever he collects above what the Romans expect from him he gets to keep. Most tax-collectors where known for cheating and making money at the expense of the common Jewish people. How can Jesus say that it was the tax-collector and not the religious Pharisee that went home right with God?

Looking again at the Pharisee’s prayer we see that he thanks God, but he thanks God that he is not like other people. Is he trying to remind God that he doesn’t steal; that he avoids evil and is faithful to his wife? Why is he telling God that he gives a tenth of all he gets, and even fasts twice a week? Why is he comparing himself to others who are lawbreakers and to the tax-collector across the room?  This Pharisee fasts twice a week, even though the law required only one fast per year and that on the Day of Atonement. So this Pharisee prays to God, thanks God that he is not like other people who are lawless, especially like this tax-collector. His sense of being right with God is based on a comparison to others. He sees himself as going beyond what the law requires, but of course this is only in selective areas. Moreover, he seems to be reminding God of what he thinks he deserves and oddly he doesn't ask God for anything. (18:11-12)  

Now in contrast to the Pharisee, the tax collector stood at a distance and he wouldn’t even look up to heaven. He stand back away from people, he looks down and beats his chest. He prays to God and he asks for what he doesn’t deserve. He confesses himself to be a sinner and in humble dependence he asks for mercy from God! As a sinful person he asks God for what he needs most; the mercy of God. He looks at himself in relation to the Holy God of Israel and he asks for what he does not deserve: he asks for mercy. (18:13)

Now Jesus gives his evaluation of the story by saying that it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who went home accepted by God or justified before God. It was the tax collector who Jesus said was rightly related to God. Jesus sums up the parable by saying that, ‘whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” (18:14)

Jesus’ verdict was that the tax-collector went home justified by God, and not the Pharisee. The parable demonstrates Jesus’ concern for outcasts, in this case a tax-collector. Jesus calls us to be humble and contrite before others and before God in prayer. God is ready and willing to receive the unrighteous who are humble, contrite and repentant. But God closes his ears to those who are prideful about their own religious practices. We can't obligate God to bless us. If we are just trying to get God to bless, then who are we actually serving. Are we serving God or are we simply serving ourselves? God doesn’t owe us anything. If we were to get what we deserve then we would have to face the just judgment of God for our sins. What we need is the forgiveness and therefore we must look to the Lord, who is gracious and merciful. God in his grace sent His Son to live the life we should have lived and to die the sinners death that we deserve to die. We can find no comfort in looking down on others or in comparing ourselves to others and thinking of ourselves as superior to other. This is a false sense of righteousness. However, the good news is that we can humbly look to our merciful God for what we do not deserve. When we as sinful people humble ourselves and ask for mercy we shall receive the riches of God’s grace at Christ’s expense!