Mercy & Humility

Luke 18:9-14

We often give the Pharisees a hard time, and not without good reason. They certainly had their faults. But it’s important to remember they were seen as “spiritual rock stars” by most first century Hebrew people.

The Pharisees emerged as a religious group in the middle of the second century BC. They were definitely more of a religious group than political, though part of the reason for their emergence was a reaction against the upper class Sadducees, who were typically well connected in the politics of Jerusalem. The Sadducees were prone to assimilation with the prevailing Greek culture, and the Pharisees were the flip side of that; they were strict followers of the Jewish Law and traditions.

The name Pharisee meant “separated one.” They believed it was important for God’s people to separate themselves from the influences of the world. And they believed that God’s Law and their traditions were to be applied to every area of life. The Sadducees were more prone to a “sacred/secular” divide. Go to the Temple on Saturday, but the rest of the week you just live your life in accordance with the ways of the world. So I would say the Pharisees had a good point there! All of life is lived before God, not just one day a week. Or an hour a week.

The Pharisees believed in strict obedience to the Law and traditions. They went above and beyond what was required, which is not wrong, if we are doing it for the right reasons, as an act of devotion to God and gratitude for what he has done for us. We see this “above and beyond” approach in the Pharisee’s prayer: “I never sin. I fast twice a week.” Technically, Jews were only required to fast one day a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees did it every Monday and Thursday. “I tithe all my income.” Only certain things were subject to the tithe, but the Pharisees tithed everything, just to be sure.

For these reasons, the Pharisees were considered to be spiritual elites. And they were popular with the common people. The conclusion of this parable would be shocking to the audience. They couldn’t imagine the Pharisee being anything other than righteous, nor could they imagine a tax collector being anything other than guilty. In modern terms, this would be like Jesus declaring that Mother Teresa was NOT righteous but a child sex trafficker went home justified. It would be that shocking.

Tax collectors were the worst of the worst in the eyes of many. Rome turned the collection of taxes over to local collectors. Each district was given a tax assessment based on population and economy. As long as the tax collector turned over that amount, Rome mostly turned a blind eye to any abuse of the position. Sometimes tax

collectors really abused it and were replaced, but as long as you kept the abuse to a modest amount, they really didn’t care. So tax collectors had a reputation as dishonest, greedy cheaters.

On top of that, they were collecting taxes for Rome. Rome who had conquered and oppressed them. Tax collectors were helping the enemy. Think about all those Afghanis who were desperate to flee the country last summer when the Taliban regained control. Who would want to hang around when people knew you helped the occupiers? Besides, those taxes paid for Roman soldiers who abused people and brought false charges against them in order to obtain bribes. Those taxes paid for Rome to build their pagan temples and offer their pagan sacrifices. Tax collectors were not just traitors against their own people, they were traitors against God!

And yet, Jesus says it is the tax collector who receives grace and not the Pharisee. Why is this? Let’s look at the details:

The Pharisee stands by himself. After all, the name meant “separated one.” But I think Jesus’ statement is not just a description of his physical posture, but also his spiritual posture. He is separate, different from other people in his mind. He even prays, “I am not like everyone else.” But in setting himself apart from other people, who are made in the image of God, he is also setting himself apart from God.

He prays, “I am not a sinner like everyone else.” Really? Well, that’s not what the Scriptures say. Romans says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Psalms and Ecclesiastes both echo the same sentiment saying, “There is no one who does good…. No one who is righteous, who does good and never sins.” And in 1 John, the apostle declares: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves… If we claim we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

I think the problem is that the Pharisee likes to compare himself to other people. And that is easy and comfortable. It’s easy and comforting to say, “Well, I may not be perfect, but at least I’m not a complete scoundrel like so-and-so over there!” We can all find an easy target for our comparisons. Politicians come to mind.

Comparing ourselves to other people is a sure road to pride. But the truth is we should compare ourselves to Christ. That is the path to humility. We can’t receive grace if we don’t acknowledge our need for it.

“I’m especially glad not to be like that tax collector over there.” There is scorn and derision without a hint of empathy. There is no feeling with others in that

statement. How often do we despise those who do terrible things rather than empathize with them?

The fact of the matter is that we are all broken people. We are broken by sin. And that brokenness pervades our lives. A good example of this is child abuse. It is well documented that most people who abuse children were abused themselves as children. Certainly doesn’t make it alright, but that is brokenness at work.

God looks on broken humanity with pity. His people should, as well.

The Pharisee sees no need for grace in his life. He imagines that he has it all together. He is righteous and lacking nothing. As such, he can’t receive grace because he can’t ask for grace. I’m not sure who said it, but someone once said, “All you need to receive Jesus is nothing, but most people don’t have it.” The Pharisee certainly did not.

Compare that to the tax collector. He is filled with grief over his sins, which he knows all too well. And unlike the Pharisee, his prayer is not a self-centered litany of his accomplishments. He only says one thing about himself: I need mercy because I am a sinner. We can’t receive mercy if we don’t see our need for it. King David committed a terrible sin in his affair with Bathsheeba and the murder of her husband, but he was still called a “man after God’s own heart” because he prayed, “I know my transgressions. Have mercy on me, according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin.” So the tax collector goes home justified; God declares him not guilty of his sins. His sins are covered by God’s grace.

The Pharisees may be long gone, but Pharisaism is not. It still exists in the Church. When we look down on others for their sins and imagine that we are nothing like them, we become Pharisaical. The 16th century English Reformer, John Bradford is credited with the saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” And it is a good saying. It is the proper response to seeing others fall into sin. The same sinful heart in those who do the most despicable things is found in me and you, as well.

There was nothing wrong with the Pharisee’s actions except this: They were done to earn God’s favor, rather than as a response to God’s favor. His attitude about his own righteousness was the problem. He imagined he was good enough for God, and that is the very essence of spiritual pride. And for the record, not all the Pharisees shared that attitude. Some, like Nicodemus, were earnestly seeking after God. And the Book of Acts tells us that some of the Pharisees became followers of Jesus. So, we shouldn’t look down our noses at the Pharisees either. They were just as human as we are.