Sermon
Us Weekly used to have a feature called “Stars—They’re just like us!” Maybe they still do. It appeared in every issue, and it showed several pictures of celebrities doing normal things: they go grocery shopping! They walk their dog! They take out the trash! They wear socks with sandals!
The idea, I guess, was that readers could feel a connection to their favorite celebrity, that they really aren’t all that different from us as they seem.
I tried going online to see if this was still a thing that Us Weekly does, but when I checked, their online media was filled up with pictures of the Met Gala, and it’s very hard to feel that the stars are “just like us” when you are looking at photos of them arriving at the Met Gala…
So, let’s turn our attention to today’s Bible story…
⚪It is the story that our campers will study on day two at Camp Walter Scott. And it’s a story that, I think, is intended to make us think: “Pharisees? Tax Collectors? They’re just like us!”
My initial reaction to the people in the story—the Pharisee and the tax collector—is that I really don’t have much in common with them. Either of them. They’re not like me, and I’m not like them. But after studying and reflecting on the story, I realize that I—that we—have more in common with them than we might think.
First, let’s introduce the characters…
The Pharisee: what do you know about Pharisees? … (This is what we’ve been taught! The Pharisees often appear in scripture as adversaries to Jesus!)
So it might surprise you to know that first century Jews saw Pharisees as: leaders of integrity, worthy of respect; leaders who were influential in the way they helped shape Jewish life.
Many of the Pharisees believed in and supported Jesus. Paul was a Pharisee, and remained proud of his status as a Pharisee his whole life.
Pharisees were respected, like a pastor, a teacher, a police officer, an Eagle scout…
The tax collector: what do you know about ancient tax collectors?
First century Jews saw tax collectors as sell-outs; people with no integrity. They were Jews who turned their back on their own people. They collaborated with the Roman oppressors, to cheat the people of their money, and grow rich themselves… they only cared about themselves. They didn’t care for anyone else.
So when Jesus tells this story, those listening would have a favorable impression of the Pharisee, and an unfavorable impression of the tax collector.
So when the Pharisee prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income…” When the Pharisee in Jesus’ story prays all that, the people listening to Jesus wouldn’t bat an eye.
The story seems straightforward. Because Pharisees generally were better than thieves, rogues, adulterers, and tax collectors; And Pharisees were disciplined in practicing their faith. They did fast twice a week, and they did tithe their income.
And the people wanted to identify themselves with the Pharisees. They aspired to be like them. The Pharisees were at a higher level, but the people would have liked very much to hear: “Pharisees—they’re just like us!”
And, like the Pharisee in this story, the people would have tried to put some distance between themselves and the tax collector; “thank God we are not like those tax collectors!”
And to go before God and give thanks for these things… well, it’s right to give thanks, isn’t it?
At the same time, there is something off in this Pharisee’s tone. Just slightly. He is, perhaps, a little too thankful, too aware, of his status before God.
It reminds me of my college choir director. He was a remarkably intelligent musician; the most musically intelligent person I think I’ve ever met. It was easy to be in awe of his musical genius. The music majors all wanted to be like him. They all wanted to be near him, hoping some of his talent and genius would rub off on them.
Yet, at times it was apparent that he was a little too aware of just how good he was. He was arrogant. Condescending.
I think this Pharisee may have been like that. He knew that he was a good person, and therefore, he didn’t worry about his status before God, whether or not he was, as the scripture says, “justified” before God. He just assumed, because he was a Pharisee, and because he was a good person, and because he fasted and tithed and did all the things he was supposed to, that things were all good between him and God.
Some Christians today are like that. They read their Bible, they go to church, they do all the right things. And they think that makes them better than others. In many ways, they are better than others. They could easily pray, “God, thank you that we are not like those who steal, who cheat, and who don’t go to church on Sunday morning.” They do the right things, by not stealing, by not cheating, and by going to church on Sunday mornings… and yet, there’s something wrong with their attitude, isn’t there?
So, that’s the Pharisee…
Then there is the tax collector. The tax collector knows that he is a sinful person. He carries the weight of his sin with him into the temple. See how he’s bent over in shame! He can’t even stand upright, with his head held high—that’s how great his sin is, and how aware he is of his own sinfulness.
He has cheated and defrauded his neighbors, his fellow Jews.
He keeps his eyes down, and he beats his chest, and with great anguish, prays: “God! Be merciful to me, a sinner!”
It is a cry of desperation. Perhaps he feels that he shouldn’t even be in the temple at all. He worries that the Pharisees and the other “good people” there would shoo him away, or that God himself would intervene to bring disaster upon him, for daring to bring his sinful self into the holy temple.
And, perhaps those listening to Jesus tell this story would agree. WHAT DOES this sinful tax collector think he is doing, coming into the temple to pray! It’s offensive to the holiness of that sacred space!
Yet: in every parable Jesus tells, things get twisted in a way that shocks and rattles those listening. The parables never end the way we expect. Every parable leaves those who hear it uncomfortable, because it shatters their preconceived notions, and turns their world upside down.
Jesus ends this parable by saying: this tax collector left that temple justified before God, and not the Pharisee! Which is, just, crazy talk, because everyone knows that it’s the Pharisees who are right with God. Everyone knows this, it seems, except Jesus.
But Jesus stands by his judgment, and ends this parable by saying: “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The thing is, the tax collector wished he were more like the Pharisee. He saw the Pharisee, living all righteously, with all the respect and admiration of the people, and the tax collector lamented that he wasn’t like that, that his life was so far from the good and perfect life of a Pharisee.
He wanted to be seen as right and good in the eyes of the people, and in the eyes of God.
Yet because of his honest, humble prayer, he was seen as right and good in the eyes of God… if not in the eyes of the people. No matter what you do, there will always be some people who don’t like it.
And what the world admires and idolizes isn’t always what pleases God.
There’s a lot of pressure today about “being seen.” Young people, especially, feel the pressure to be liked, to be seen positively.
For some, social media provides an easy way to gauge how well they are liked. The more “likes” and “comments” you have, the more followers you have, the better off you are.
And the richer you are, too, if you’re really good at it. Some people have so many followers that they make tons of money simply by posting online. Their popularity and success leads to riches and fame.
For others, social media is a place of humiliation. If you’re not sexy enough, or cool enough; if you don’t have enough followers; then maybe you shouldn’t even show your face online. Maybe you shouldn’t show up at all.
Just like that tax collector, who shouldn’t have shown up at the temple the way he did.
But God doesn’t care about society’s “shoulds.” God doesn’t hold your past against you. God doesn’t care how many followers you’ve got. (Jesus himself only had twelve close followers, after all!)
And it is those who are humbled who often find themselves right with God, while those who are exalted often find themselves, well, in need of a little humility.
It’s all part of the strange, upside-down way things are in the kingdom of God. The first are last, and the last are first. The mighty are brought low, but the weak are given strength. The hungry are satisfied, but the rich leave with empty stomachs.
In my many years as a pastor, I’ve developed great respect for those who come to me, worried that there is something lacking in their faith, that they have too many unanswered questions, or too many doubts, or that they just aren’t good enough.
And sometimes, they are hesitant to join the church, or get baptized, or accept a leadership position, because of their doubts, because they don’t feel certain about things, or because they worry that they don’t quite measure up to all those “good church people.”
The Pharisees were “those good church people.” But sometimes, being a “good church person” can go to one’s head.
And sometimes, being a humble sinner who pleads with God for mercy, can exalt you in the eyes of God.
None of us is fully the Pharisee… and none of us is fully the tax collector. But one thing we do have in common with both the Pharisee and the tax collector is that we are all in need of grace and mercy; and we worship a God who freely bestows grace and mercy; a God whose love is steadfast and unconditional.
And we are justified before God not because of anything we do or haven’t done. We are justified because God chooses to justify us. We are justified because God overlooks past wrongs, and accepts all acts of contrition.
We are justified before God, because we are made by God; made in God’s image; made beautifully and wonderfully. God made us and pronounced us good, and God always sees the good in us, even when we can’t see it ourselves…
That’s the amazing thing about God’s grace and mercy and love.
So, in that sense, the Pharisees and the tax collectors are just like us. And the celebrities we read about in the magazines and online are just like us. And our elected officials: our mayors and legislators and president… they’re just like us. And people living on the street, and people struggling with addiction: they’re just like us.
Everyone is just like us, in that we all have received and have been blessed by God’s amazing grace.
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