Shepherd of the Springs
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

. . . everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (vs 14)

Do you see yourself primarily as the problem in your life?. . . or do you see yourself as the person who mostly has to put up with problems from others around you? This is the key question that I would invite you to ponder in light of the parable that Jesus tells in our Gospel this morning. When you ponder and become alarmed about the problem that sin poses in the world: Do you see yourself as the main problem . . . or do you see the problem of sin mostly attached to others around you? I invite you to reflect on this question as you analyze and understand the Pharisee and the tax collector in Jesus’ story.

Two men - indeed two religious men - the Pharisee and the publican, went up to the temple to pray: one to offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving, and the other - well, the other is there for petitionary prayer. The Pharisee prayed a prayer of thanksgiving; thanking God that he was not a great sinner like many others who engage in gross sins like extortioners, adulterers and . . . well, like the tax collector he spied with him in the temple. To present as evidence to the Lord that he is indeed much better than these, he offers his regular fasting and his habit of offering tithes of all that he has. By contrast the publican - or tax collector if you will - standing in the rear, beat his breast as his head hung low in remorse, and begged God to be merciful to him a sinner. It is this latter wretched fellow that Jesus indicates goes home justified.

There is a seeming disparity here. The good guy loses, and the bad guy ends up a winner. Its not supposed to be this way. Approved religious wisdom would dictate that the seeming good guy, the Pharisee, the one who is really being successful in striving to live a good upstanding life, should be the one who goes home justified, not the manifest sinner. But, Jesus simply does not tell the story according to approved religious wisdom. Moreover, in the punch-line at the end, Jesus extends the disparity into a paradoxical generalization: everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Clearly, this is not a story about conventional religious wisdom, nor how we might usually size up people and ourselves in everyday life. Jesus told parables as riddles about how we should view ourselves in relation to the Kingdom of God. And when it comes to the Kingdom of God, conventional religious wisdom gets stood on its head. Lets, explore this some and see why and how this is so.

Lets begin by indicating some things that this parable is not about as it contrasts these two who go to the temple for prayer. First of all, this is not a story just about any two people. It is a story about religious people - people who do pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But, it is not a story of religious people - where one group thinks that they are perfect and without sin, contrasted by the other that think they still need improvement. There is nothing in this story to lead us to believe that this Pharisee thinks that he is perfect. Rather, the Pharisee represents that group of religious people who think that they are in the improved and improving category. These are the kind of people who think that they can see an improved condition about themselves over against others whom they see as in need of much more improvement. But now on the other side, there is nothing to lead us to believe that the publican thinks he must improve and is resolved to do so. The tax collector represents the kind of religious people who honestly think that they are lost causes - that is, that they are beyond anything that improvement could remedy. The tax collector represents those who think that regardless of what they might accomplish, even with God’s help, they are still hopelessly lost sinners.

Secondly, this parable is not about decorum or manners in God’s house of worship. It is not suggesting that petitionary prayer is the preferred way to pray, as if prayers of thanksgiving for God’s blessings in life are really out of place. Nor is Jesus implying that it is of no importance whether or not you are leading a pious life. He is not advocating grace as a license for sin. Well, what then is this parable about?

This is a story about attitudes and focus among two groups of religious people - both of which recognize that there is indeed much sin in the world and that they themselves are not perfect. It is about two kinds of religious people. The first kind are those who know they are not perfect, but are convinced that they are in a much improved state and therefore, that they are much better than some others they can think of, and they are proud and thankful about it. They are those who think that life with God is a matter of self-improvement with God’s help and they are in the program enthusiastically and are doing well. . . . And in contrast, it is also a story about those who know that they are at the bottom of the barrel. . . those who cannot think of anyone worse off then themselves. When they think of the great sinners of this world and those who are especially in need of God’s mercy, they think first and foremost of themselves. This story contrasts those who think they are not perfect, but are on the road to recovery and getting better all the time with God’s help . . . over against those who are quite convinced they are completely out of the running. Each of us are invited this morning to answer the question: Where do I sit? Where do I find myself in this division? Thus we return to the main question: How do you see the problem of sin? Are you the main problem or do you have to put up with them occasionally with people around you?

The parable wants to grant the point that everyone acknowledges that there is a problem of sin and evil in the world, even a major one. People are not what they should be. Most everyone is alarmed about this problem in one way or another. And that is the crux of the matter. When you go casting about to put the matter of sin in the world into focus before God: who’s sin bothers you the most? Who’s sin are you most alarmed about . . . your’s or others’?

Now if you are like the Pharisee, if you simply have to put up with people who are the real problems in life . . . well then, you will become one - a problem . . . a big problem for which there is no solution. You see, Jesus died for the guilty perpetrators, not the innocent victims who know, of course, that they are not perfect. He died for the bad guys and girls not the fairly good ones who are doing better than most. The outrageous truth of the parable is that there is hope for the wretched perpetrators, but not for the innocent victims who have done little seriously wrong and see much to their own credit. The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus died for the ungodly, not the mostly godly or even the semi-godly. Where do you find yourself in this division? Are you the problem, or do you just see them around you a lot in life?

If you see that you are the real problem of sin . . . the temple of the Lord has a solution for you in the grace of Christ. If you are one who can identify with the publican, if you see yourself as one of the hopeless ones who is out of the running and realize that you will live by the grace of God or not at all . . . well then, you may go home today knowing that you are justified. God is gracious to those who are themselves the real problem of sin in the world and desire only the mercy of God. Jesus does not say to you, Oh, come on now . . . you’re not really as bad as that, cheer up, you’re OK really. You’re becoming better all the time and I am helping you. No, Jesus says to you: Yes! You are the problem, but I am the solution. Yes, you - along with St. Paul - are chief of sinners, but I am the chief of saviors. My forgiveness and righteousness are yours. You are OK - not because you are improving nicely or need little improvement - you are OK because you are in me and my righteousness, and I am OK. Humbled by your sin, you are exalted in Me and my righteousness.

The key point is this. Your attitude toward your own sin, not your attitudes about the sin of others, is what determines your receptivity to the grace of Christ. When you see yourself as doing rather OK over against the greater sinfulness of others - this creates an obstacle to humble repentance. Hunger for the Gospel is a function of animosity and regret toward your own sinfulness, not that of others The repentant heart is the heart that is hungry for God mercy, not God’s assistance in self improvement. If you do not have an appetite for grace, the lack of hunger is due to a sense of self-sufficiency. Boredom or ambivalence about the Gospel is a function of feeling OK about yourself. And if you feel OK about yourself, the pure righteousness of Christ is a bore.

When Jesus says that the one who humbles himself will be exalted, He did not mean that humility is some kind of justifying virtue. Humility does not cover a multitude of sins. The issue here is not between virtues and vice. Humility simply asks for the graciousness of the Lord - and that is what covers a multitude of sins. The humble are exalted in and through the righteousness of Christ.

And so we conclude with the question: Are you the problem or do you just have to put up with them occasionally in life? If you are the problem. No problem! Christ is your solution. You may go home this day and everyday knowing that you are justified, an exalted member of the Kingdom of God, now and forever. A-men!