Sermon - October 24, 2010

22nd Sunday after Pentecost - Year C
Luke 18:9-14

Honest with Ourselves - Honest with God


Our Refrigerator is covered with photos and clippings – the sort of things you used to send one another by mail, before email spam became so popular. One of them is a clipping Laura’s mother sent us, not long after we were married. I am not sure whether its message was for me or Laura, but the message comes through loud and clear. The piece talks about all those little imperfections, possessed by one's spouse. After starting off on a humorous note, the writing shifts and begins to touch upon inadequacies which are less than endearing. The writer addresses those things which are significant, life altering faults.

But, just as you think the article is about to reach its conclusion, it shifts once again. This time the emphasis falls, not upon the imperfections possessed by one's mate, but upon one's own grievous faults. The writer concludes: “The best prescription for curing one's irritation at a partner's imperfections is every morning to look at the flaws in the face in the mirror and say, 'You're no bar¬gain, either.' You may soon realize that you're not a ten slumming with a six but more likely an evenly matched pair of sevens."

In today's gospel lesson, Jesus tells his parable about two men who go up to the temple. They are two VERY different individuals. One is a Pharisee, a man who thinks of himself as a "10" relative to religious practice. The other man is a tax collector. A despised individual, this man looks at no one. He becomes an object to the Pharisee, a thing to be used by the Pharisee in recounting his many and wonderful deeds. But Jesus' story also shifts. As it does so it places the emphasis upon an unexpected aspect of these two men. The one thinks highly of himself, too highly. He looks upon his fellow worshippers and regrets the fact that he must slum around with them. But, as Jesus points out, it is the one who takes the honest look in the mirror who leaves the temple justified.

The Pharisees were committed lay people. They took faith seriously, devoting long hours to study. Generally speaking, they were business class, merchants, white-collar workers. Fiercely dedicated to the temple, the Pharisees were the backbone of the synagogue, pillars of the community of faith. They were committed, sacrificial, and zealous in their obedience to God's Word. They were good people.

Tax collectors were different. Jesus’ reference is to someone who, while a Hebrew, was believed to have sold out to the occupy¬ing forces of Rome. Jewish tax collectors were essential to the Roman government. They became the inside eyes and ears who would identify and tax the local people. Without the assistance of such persons, the occupying authorities would never have been able to maintain order. But, in the eyes of many, the Tax collectors were seen as traders, as persons who had turned upon their families, friends and religious beliefs.

These were very different men, these two whom Jesus presents in his little parable.

Their differences run even deeper. By his own admission, the Pharisee is a model of the godly life. He's the kind of church member for whom every pastor prays. He tithes. 10% of his income he returns to God as a thank offering. And if that isn't enough, he fasts twice a week. How many of us fast once a week? Jesus sets up his parable by presenting a man who takes seriously his commitment to God, who disciplines himself and lives out all the things Moses instructed the Hebrews to do. He is no thief, rogue, or adulterer. He is the epitome of the godly life.

In all fairness, we don't know how the tax collector lives his life. Jesus omits any reference to his lifestyle, life choices, or adherence to the word of God. All we know of him is the Pharisee's inclusion of him in the list of "other people." Perhaps the Pharisee knew him, or he may have been referring to his "type". Never-the-less, the Pharisee includes him with thieves, rogues, and adulterers.

These are differing men, these two whom Jesus describes. They are like night and day. Of that Jesus leaves no doubt.

But, as important as the aforementioned differences are, they serve only as backdrop to the distinction which stands out in Jesus' mind. The difference which most marks these individuals is their prayers. The one offers a litany of his accomplishments. The other lifts a plea for forgiveness.

The tax collector probably did have more sins to confess. The tax collector's way of making a living was to overtax the people. He added a commission to the amount that Rome required. So long as he raised the sum expected by the occupying governor, he was free to tax as he saw fit. He did have sins to confess. But, in his telling, Jesus does not seem to be concerned with the amount of sin. His concern is one's attitude toward that sin. The Pharisee refuses to look into the mirror, to acknowledge that he is anything less than a perfect "10" in his religious life. It is the tax collector who understands his need for grace and pleads for God's forgiveness.

Some have claimed that it is humility which distinguishes these two churchgoers; that the tax collector is humble while the Pharisee is not. While humility may be the personality trait which lies behind their actions, humility is a difficult thing to suddenly obtain. We cannot simply "decide" to be humble. It occurs to me that while Jesus may have honored the one who is humble, his parable is in the end and instruction on the necessity of looking- honestly - at ourselves and realizing our imperfections. There is nothing wrong with the Pharisee’s actions or necessarily his pride in those actions. What is wrong is his dishonest portrayal of himself. He speaks as if he has no need for God. God cannot HELP him. God can only reward him. He is not honest with himself or with God.

Twice this week I have been in conversations which wound themselves around to the point of individual honesty. Those conversations arose as we talked about the people who come to church. It is my conviction that churchgoers are all tax collectors. That we are a collection of individuals who realize our imperfections and inadequacies. I believe we come because we know this is a place where we can be honest about our needs, where we can acknowledge our imperfections are begin to hope that our inadequacies might be dealt with. We know this, and so we come, honestly acknowledging that which separates us from the people we wish we were.

It is an honest look at ourselves that brings us to the altar and leads us to confess our sins. It is an honest consid¬eration of who we are that causes us to come together, drawing strength from those like ourselves - persons who also realize their need for God.

It doesn't really matter how much sin we have to confess. It is of no real consequence to examine ourselves as models of the godly life. What counts is honesty; honest with ourselves, honesty with our God, honesty about those who come to worship with us.

No less than anyone else, we have sinned. We stand here in need of God's forgiveness and grace. We leave justified because we have had the courage to look in the mirror and acknowledge our own imperfections.

Amen.