two characters trudge up the hill to the temple to pray. The societal pariah, the tax collector, and the prideful Pharisee. Each one takes their turn praying out loud to God.
The
Pharisee spends his time 'thanking' God that he is better than other people in
his community, and reminding himself and God, that he is an admirable 'rule
keeper' because he fasts twice a week and faithfully pays his tithe. He spends
no time confessing his sins or admitting any areas in which he could benefit
from any assistance from God. He is clueless. He's a sinner whose not looking
for a Savior...because he feels as if he measures up pretty well when compared
to his neighbors and friends. He lacks humility and an an honest assessment of
who he is...so it is doubtful that his life can be spiritually transformed.
It's hard to teach people when they think they already know everything.
But what
about the tax collector? By reputation, he was in a profession know for usury.
Although tax collectors were permitted to charge friends and neighbors tax
assessments, many of them had free reign to charge whatever they could leverage
out of them and many times they severely overcharged their neighbors. We have
to assume the tax collector label in the story was intentional in order to show
a contrast.
So, what
does the tax collector do when given the chance to pray out loud in the temple?
He does several things right. First, he admits in unequivocal terms that he is
a sinner. Second, he asks for forgiveness. Third, he approaches God humbly by
bowing his head, and pounding on his chest in sorrow. Unfortunately, the story
does not conclude with the tax collector vowing to be more fair or forgiving in
the collection of his tax accounts; nor does he promise God that he will
abandon his career or start a non-profit for orphans and widows with the
punitive profits he amasses.
Nevertheless,
Luke concludes that only the tax collector walks home from the temple truly
clean because he confessed his sin before Almighty God. Luke warns us of the
moral of the story, that if we lift ourselves up, we will be put down, but if we
are humble, we will be lifted up.
Honesty,
humility...two tough lessons to master on our spiritual transformation journey.
While I don't have trouble with the honesty issue, humility is not a word many
of my friends would use to describe me. One of my greatest strengths, a
seemingly confident personality, is often times my greatest weakness. I find
it's hard to be meek and confident. What about you?
Action
Steps:
1. Do you truly agree that ALL
sin is equal? (Murder and adultery as serious as cheating on your taxes or
telling a white lie to spare a friend's feelings) If you are having trouble
with this one, ask God to help you remember that God still loves the sinner,
even though he despises the sin.
2. Do you have trouble confessing your sins? Is
it because you don't recognize sin in yourself or is it more of a refusal to
admit it? Ask God to help you confess one sin every day.
3. Do you, like the Pharisee, get side-tracked
when confessing your sin by comparing yourself with others or justifying you
sin? Ask God to reveal to you when you are comparing or rationalizing or
justifying your sin before God.
4. Do you, like the tax collector, have an
ability to sorrowfully confess your sin, but draw the line when it comes to
truly changing your behavior? What is God telling you through the discussion of
this parable? Is He calling you to change professions? Is He calling you into
some type of ministry where your sin can be transformed into something
sensational? Ponder and brainstorm this topic with a friend in whom you can
confide. Then pray and act on it.
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