Most of us will admit that from time to time we do or think
wrong things. We understand that God may not really approve of such
behavior on our part. How do we "get right" with God?
In the Book of Luke, Jesus offers us this helpful parable
(Luke 18: 10 - 14).
"Two men went up
to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank
you that I am
not like other men ---- robbers, evildoers, adulterers ---- or
even like this
tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "
"But the
tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to
heaven, but
beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "
"I tell you
that this man [the tax collector] rather than the other, went home
justified
before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and
he who humbles
himself will be exalted."
In one sense, the Pharisee certainly was a good man.
When he says he gives a tenth of all he gets, that means he's generous to the
poor. When he says he doesn't commit adultery, that means he's a faithful
husband.
But, let's look at the Pharisee's prayer ---- whenever we
write a thank-you note to someone, aren't we thanking them for
things they have done for us? However, this Pharisee
says, "God, I thank you," and that's it. That's the last
reference to God in the prayer. This prayer is all about the
Pharisee himself. This is self-worship. Underneath the
veneer of God-centeredness is utter self-centeredness. Underneath
the veneer of all that God-talk and all the God-activity and all the morality,
is adoration of self.
The Pharisee's view of acting morally right and being
righteous seems to have two characteristics:
1.) His understanding of sin and virtue is completely external.
It's completely focused on behavior and the violation of, or the keeping of the
rules. It is not looking inside. It is not
looking at character. Sin is perceived completely in terms of discrete
external actions. Notice, he doesn't say, "God, I thank you that I
am getting more patient. I'm getting to be a gentler person. I am
able to love people I used to not be able to love. I'm able to keep my
joy and peace, even when things go wrong."
2.) The Pharisee says, "I am not like other
men," implying, "I am so much better." ----- is he perhaps
looking down on those 'other men'?
Now, consider the tax collector. What can we learn
about repentance from his attitude?
If you think of sin as completely external, and compare it
to the external sin of others, as the Pharisee did, there is always somebody
who has committed more sins than you. You are only ever a sinner,
you are never the sinner. The Pharisee is
thinking of his sin in comparative terms.
On the other hand, what the tax collector is saying is,
"All I know is I am lost, and where everybody else
is, does not matter." The tax collector is not just looking at the
actions he has done wrong, he is not just looking at his discrete external
actions ---- his whole understanding of himself is that he is the sinner.
It is a part of the identity he was born with. He asks for
mercy. He sees that he depends on God's radical grace, on God's
unwarranted forgiveness. He cannot cure the problem himself ---- it is
beyond his own will power.
The attitude of the tax collector shows us that real repentance
involves real sorrow over our sins, and over the way it grieves God. Fake
repentance is merely sorrow over the consequences of sin and the way it has
grieved you. Self-pity may appear to be repentance, but it is
not.
Jesus says the tax collector went home "justified"
before God. What does Jesus mean by "justified before
God"? What is "justification"? Scholar and
Presbyterian pastor Timothy Keller says that in this parable, Jesus introduces
us to a universal problem ---- the problem of our righteousness, and then Jesus
gives us two figures, each of whom represents a particular solution to the
problem. One solution does not work, says Keller. The other one
does work.
The Pharisee is trying to justify himself by his good deeds
and by his conscientious religious practices. He is keeping God's rules,
but in such a way (focusing on the external) that it makes him feel good
about himself. So, he can say, "Now, God, you owe me."
He is keeping God's external rules as his way of getting
"right" with God. His purpose is his own benefit,
not really living for God's purposes. He is not depending on God's
radical grace. The tax collector, on the other hand, shows by his words
and actions that his commitment is not just to things he will do or not do for
himself. He is utterly depending on God's mercy.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage in you some personal growth
this year at CPC.
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