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About UsLuke 18:9-14
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘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.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” |
Pharisees, Tax Collectors, Mirrors, and Prayer... |
We used to have a saying when we taught marching band, "It's not what you think you are, but what you think, you are." Last week we began talking about labels, or rather, how we live out the labels we either take on ourselves, or have been given by others. How we think of ourselves informs our thoughts, our actions, and our interactions with others. We live out who we perceive ourselves to be- and there are a whole set of expectations for ourselves that come with those labels.
We also talked about labeling God. How we see God, what kind of being we envision God to be, what we've been taught about God, and what we've experienced OF God, comes with its own set of expectation and assumptions about God... but it also inform the way we approach God in prayer. Today's scripture about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector gives us an opportunity to eavesdrop on two prayers; one by someone who is respected, and one by someone who is hated. Each has a very different perception of God, and only one goes home justified. |
Pharisees |
The word "Pharisee comes from a Hebrew word that means "separate, or "those who separate themselves." (1)
Pharisees were part of the religious community, and experts on Jewish law, but for the most part were scholars and pietists. We tend to give Pharisees a bad rap, however, "Whereas the priestly Sadducees taught that the written Torah was the only source of revelation, the Pharisees admitted the principle of evolution in the Law: men [people] must use their reason in interpreting the Torah and applying it to contemporary problems.Rather than blindly follow the letter of the Law even if it conflicted with reason or conscience, the Pharisees harmonized the teachings of the Torah with their own ideas or found their own ideas suggested or implied in it. They interpreted the Law according to its spirit. When in the course of time a law had been outgrown or superseded by changing conditions, they gave it a new and more-acceptable meaning, seeking scriptural support for their actions through a ramified system of hermeneutics." (2) "The Pharisees also maintained that an after-life existed and that God punished the wicked and rewarded the righteous in the world to come. They also believed in a messiah who would herald an era of world peace. Pharisees were in a sense blue-collar Jews , and became the fathers of modern Judaism" (3) They felt that individual prayer was important. They believed gathering in synagogues was important. They were educated- scholars, many of them. And their hearts were, as much as any of our hearts can be, genuine. They believed in what they were doing- trying to make the law accessible and sensible to everyone. All in all they don't sound too bad, right? They actually sound a lot like us. The problem was, of course, that they had started interpreting the law for their own gain... You often hear Jesus criticizing them for their loose interpretation of the law- making the law and the jewish religion and God more exclusive and less inclusive. And they liked being the ones people could rely on for all things God. You may remember in Luke chapter 11 when Jesus says, ""Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces." They liked their status. They liked being known for their piety, and prayed aloud so everyone could hear. They liked being the ones with the answers, And so as we listen In on this Pharisees prayer and it's focus on the "me", It makes more sense; (1) http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e146 (2) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pharisee (3) https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/pharisees-sadducees-and-essenes |
