Such a label is a favored accusation of Christians against the other 'wrong' Christians. We associate many things with Pharisaism: Love of money, obvious self-righteousness, rejection of others, over-religiosity, ect. There are a lot of things we like to point to and say "Behold, a Pharisee!"
And it's fitting. The heart of the Pharisees has, truly, outlived the Pharisees themselves. It was, in fact, older than the Pharisees, as the account of the prophet Jonah exemplifies. So when we see certain characteristics even today, we can immediately, and accurately, attach the age-old label to it as well.
With that in mind, then, I'd like to take some time and look at Christ's portrayal of a Pharisee from a particularly unique vantage point: his prayer. In our passage, we are also going to meet another person whom Christ describes for us in stark contrast: the sinner. Luke 18:9-14 introduces both of these people to us while they are doing the exact same thing in the exact same place: praying in the temple.
In this passage we are shown two different people, two different prayers, and two different products.
"And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:'Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get," But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" I tell you, this man went to his house justified, rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. ' "
First of all, we encounter two very different people. Now, most of what we are going to take into account about these two men is found in their prayers, but it is also important to know that these two were from very, very different lifestyles. Pharisees were religious people who were faithful to the nation Israel, while tax collectors were viewed as traitors because they served Rome by gathering taxes from Israel. Tax collectors were sinful outcasts. The Pharisees were, on the other hand, both very particular about their religiosity and loyal to Israel. The Pharisees were very, very 'godly' people. What I mean by that is that they had soaked their philosophy of life with teachings and practices pertaining to God. They took what they read the Word of God to say, and did it - at all costs. These were the good people. These were the ones who weren't on drugs, hated immorality, had clean language, ect.
The Pharisee
So what does a Pharisee say when he talks to God?
1) He does indeed address God.
The Pharisee worshiped the right God -YHWH. He came to the temple with the intent of praying to the same God that the tax collector did. He wasn't in with Baal or anything of that sort, but he had in mind the true God as he knew Him from the Old Testament. He didn't err there. Further, this Pharisee had not only the right God, but also the right spot to come to God - the temple (vs.10). So far, nothing is wrong.
2) He thanked God for his righteousness, which others didn't have.
According to the Pharisee's self-examination, he was not to be categorized with the majority, because he was different. How? Well, unlike the majority, he was not a swindler, he was not unjust, he was not an adulterer, and he was not like the tax collector who was also praying to the same God in the same temple. He thanked God for all this. Notice that he never thanks himself here. Instead, he looks at his life, observes his sinlessness, and then turns to God and says "thank you!" Interestingly, he ascribes gratitude to God's ultimate sovereignty for his good works and lack of sin. By his own admission, then, God was somehow to be of credit for his standout personal holiness.
So where was the error? Is God not responsible for one's good works? Should He not be thanked for that? Was the Pharisee inaccurate in laying out the sins of the majority, or criticizing the tax collector? No, he was actually right - the people truly were those things, and the tax collector truly was contemptible. That part was right. What he says about others wasn't wrong.
But look at what he says about himself:
"God, I thank You that I am not like other people..."
He saw himself in contrast to the majority whom he had accurately identified as sinful. He was a different kind of person, his behavior was different than the rest. This Pharisee said "this is what all those people are - but I am not...". Here is the Pharisee's error. The heart of his sin wasn't how he viewed others, but himself. The foundation of his error didn't lie in where he thought others stood before God, but where he thought he stood before God. He wasn't wrong in saying other people were sinful, that much he got right. But he was wrong in saying he was not. He misunderstood his own heart, and that was his problem. This Pharisee had downgraded acceptance by God to something that he not only could attain to, but had attained to. The Pharisee was so convinced of this reality that he presumed God agreed with his assessment, as demonstrated by the fact that he unashamedly thanked God and gave Him credit for his fortunate situation.
So, on a practical point, don't accuse someone of being a Pharisee merely because they've observed the error of another person (i.e. being 'critical'). That is not enough to classify someone as a 'Pharisee-like'. What's closer to being a genuine 'Pharisee' is when you think you have done something to gain God's approval, and other people haven't, thus making a distinction between them and you. Two groups form: God, you, anyone like you, and then everybody else.
To go on, the Pharisee thanked God not only for all the sins he didn't do, but all the good religious acts that he did do. He had a relationship with God, he was religious, he practiced frequent and generous acts of piety toward YHWH.
"I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get."
As we look at this statement under the umbrella of the Pharisee's opening words "God, I thank you that I am not like other people...", we get a further look into this man's mind. He described himself as distinct from other people not only by what the sins he was not involved in, but by the habitual religious acts he was involved in. He was different not only because he lacked sin, but because he was spiritually active throughout his weekly life. He was personally committed to God, unlike the rest.
Even unlike the tax collector. It is interesting to note that the Pharisee both noticed the tax collector, and mentioned him in his prayer. He saw the tax collector come to the temple to pray just like he did - and still criticized him as inferior. The fact that that sinner was there and engaged in the same religious act as he was did not atone for the sin of the tax collector in the Pharisees' mind. He must have had the larger picture of the tax collector's life and habits in mind, as he did his own. Remember, the Pharisee came to the temple with his entire weekly lifestyle as his resume ("I fast twice a week"...). He contrasted his lifestyle with that of the tax collector, and this one act of prayer on the part of the tax collector was not enough to change that.
The sinner
The Pharisee had quite a bit to say. That makes sense, though - he had a lot to be grateful for. The list of differences between him and everyone else was of respectable size. But not to far away from him was the sinful tax collector, with only seven words to say:
"God, be merciful to me, the sinner!"
In his few words to God, there is only one person this tax collector makes any mention: himself. He didn't bring into account other people's stand before God - he knew he was "the sinner". He didn't come to God grateful like the Pharisee, but desperate. He walked into that place with a heavy heart, and when he got there he broke down. He didn't stand comfortably praying to himself like the Pharisee. Any confidence he had to stand before God was gone. He had no words of personal accomplishment, nothing to say about anything he had done, only a broken, desperate plea for mercy. He didn't ask for a cleaner life, or to be made like the Pharisee. He never makes mention of a specific sin or sins that were in need of forgiveness. The tax collector didn't limit his need for mercy to a specific act or habit, but his very nature. He knew that this is who he was - the sinner. He requested no personal reformation or revival, he didn't ask anything to be improved in his life, only mercy. That's it. Unlike the Pharisee, he understood who he really was, and that burdened him. The Pharisee, remember, was able to identify the sinfulness of everyone around him except himself. This broken tax collector, on the other hand, was conscious of his own sinfulness, and makes no mention of anyone else.
So what does God think about the two?
"I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."
Regardless of what either of these two men thought about themselves, God stood as the final Judge. God knew the true condition of these men apart from any influence of their own self-evaluations. Yet, only one of the two individuals left that temple just in God's eyes'. Both came to the same place to speak to the same God, but they each had very, very different things to say. They both needed to be justified, but only one knew it, and only one got it.
In closing, then, may we consider ourselves. To take information like this and say "I knew it! So-and-so is a Pharisee" would not only be ironic, but would miss the most beneficial part of this passage. Do we, individually, know who we are before God? Are we broken sinners, or the confident religious? Are we content to know that we are good, nice Christians, and assume God will be to? Or, do we realize that regardless of anything we do or do not do, we have no standing before God unless He declares us justified? Are we desperate, or content? Perhaps our religious activities don't look exactly like those of the Pharisee. Maybe, instead, we go to church, pray, read our Bibles, do nice things to people, or whatever. Fill in the blanks, but if we are not desperate before God, we have some very serious things to consider. May God make us broken, desperate people. When we come before the Lord, may we do so knowing who we really are, and Who the God we are worshiping really is. Then, like the tax collector, will we find the only thing we can hope for: mercy.
"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and 'you will find rest for your souls'."
~ Matthew 11:28-29
No comments:
Post a Comment