In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Luke 18.10-14
The Lord said this parable, “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”.
Our Gospel reading today recounts the well-known parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. By way of reminder: a Pharisee was one of the religious leaders of Israel, highly knowledgeable of the laws and traditions of the Jewish faith; and a tax collector, or publican, worked for the much-hated Roman oppressors of Israel, helping them to squeeze taxes from their own people on behalf of the occupiers of the Holy Land, and even more hated that the Romans as a result.
So, based on the first verse of the parable, one is the ‘good guy’ and the other the ‘villain’ of the piece. And so it proves to be; but not in the way those listening to our Lord that day might have expected. For just as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, He goes against expectations and presents the one seen by the people as their enemy as the hero of His story.
Let us look first at the Pharisee and how he prays. Our Lord makes it clear from the outset that this man does not pray to God, but to himself. He marches right up to the front of the temple and begins telling God – and telling is not praying – how wonderful he is. He gives glory to himself, announcing to the world how he is not like other men, he is not a terrible sinner who denies justice to others or commits adultery. Not him! Even better, he is not like the tax collector who stands in the temple with him. And then, having told God what he is not, he reminds Him of the good things that he does, how he fasts and pays his tithes.
This is not prayer, as the Fathers tell us. Prayer involves giving glory to God, thanking Him -really thanking Him, not pointing out to Him how wonderful we are – asking Him to help us, and, very importantly, imploring Him to show us mercy. What the Pharisee is engaged in here is a display of pride; and pride, as the Fathers assure us, is behind all sin. It was pride that caused Satan to be cast out of Heaven; and it was pride that caused our first parents to Fall.
The opposite of pride, of course, is humility. And what a contrast there is here between the behaviour of the Pharisee and that of the publican. The first stands in the front, in a prominent place, speaks loudly and boastfully, praising himself and speaking disdainfully of others; the other remains far away, not daring to approach too closely, he looks down, not even daring to look up towards heaven, speaking to God and God alone, accusing only himself of sin, acknowledging himself to be a sinner, and asking God for His mercy.
And what is the result? The Pharisee judges other, but he himself is judged and found wanting by the only Judge that matters, God Himself. And the publican, who judges admits his guilt and judges himself, but pleads for mercy, he is the one who is justified. He is saved through his humility, by knowing that he is a sinner and repenting; while the other, who sees no guilt in himself and as a result sees no need to repent or seek mercy, is condemned.
I noted in beginning that the parable was well known. Its words should resonate most particularly among Orthodox Christians, for the prayer of the publican is echoed in what we call the Jesus Prayer, or sometimes simply The Prayer – Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as you know, gave us the Our Father, in which He taught us to pray ‘forgive us our trespasses’ – trespasses, meaning, of course, sins. He also gave us The Prayer, in which we acknowledge ourselves as sinners and ask for His mercy. Do not neglect to pray this prayer of His also. If you have little experience of it, speak with your priest or Spiritual Father. The publican prayed it from his heart and went home justified. Pray it from your heart also and I cannot but believe that you will find God’s mercy also. Amen.
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