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June 1, 2009 - Knowing Your Place

In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
 13"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.'
 14"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."

This parable is a study in contrasts. The difference in their posture reveals plenty. The Pharisee “stood up” and the tax collector “stood at a distance” and would not even look up to heaven. The tax collector clearly knew his position before God; it was one of submission.

The Pharisee chose to compare himself to other men and found himself thankful for his own apparent holiness; the tax collector compared himself to God and realized his need.

The Pharisee chose to brag about his works, as if God would be impressed; the tax collector had nothing to offer except the acknowledgement that he was sinner.

Whenever I read this parable, I am struck by the audacity of the Pharisee. (I’m guessing that was part of Jesus’ strategy – to make a dramatic point about the one who wasn’t justified before God.) When you think about prayer, and especially WHO you are praying to, doesn’t it strike you as a bit funny that the Pharisee camps out on comparison and bragging? In fact, the footnote on the word “about” in verse 11 is rather telling of the Pharisee’s heart: the word “about” can be translated “to”. So the Pharisee “stood up and prayed to himself.” And of course it is telling to consider to whom Jesus was targeting this parable:  those who were confident in their own righteousness (braggers), and who looked down on everyone else (comparers).

When you pray, do you really pause to consider your place? In our 21st century Christian faith, we see God as so approachable that I sometimes wonder whether we haven’t forgotten to appreciate His holiness. When we realize WHO we are praying to, it can only result in a response of humility.

Have a great week ! Kristi