“Self-righteousness” (Luke 18:9-14)

Luke 18:9-14

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 23, 2022

Jesus tells a parable. He crafts a story to illustrate the truth—the truth about ourselves—the truth about how we view others. He wants us to soberly look in the mirror. He wants us to compassionately look at others around us. He tells a parable to address a most serious problem—the problem of pride. There are two sides to this ugly coin. On the one side is self-righteousness. On the other is regarding others with contempt. Two go up to the Temple to pray. One is a Pharisee. The other is a tax collector. They have the same purpose—to pray. But their words, their hearts, and their prayers are as different as day is from night.

The Pharisee has been raised in the holy faith. He has been trained in the Scriptures. He is a community leader. He is a guardian of the truth of God. He is a defender of all that is noble and good. He stands by himself in the Temple court. He prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” For the Pharisee, getting God’s attention is a competition—a game of comparison. He throws others under the bus so that he can stand tall. “God, I thank you,” he says, “thanks be to God that I am who I am. Look at how I measure against the others. I am not like the dregs of society. I am not a member of the rabble. I am not part of the riff-raff.” “God, if you look at the scars, wounds, and filth of other people, I look pretty darn good.”

Do we think that we can distract God from seeing our imperfections by drawing his attention to the faults and sins of others? Do we think that if God takes more notice the filth in others that it will make us squeaky clean? Is God so easily fooled? The Pharisee is only fooling himself. We are only distracting ourselves from our own faults, sins, and imperfections when we look down on those around us. We are living in denial of our own need for forgiveness, life and salvation when we only see that other people have missed the mark of perfection and godliness. That is the mirror of the Law—to take a hard look into the truth of God, his word, and ourselves and realize that “all we like sheep have gone astray” and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” “No one is righteous. No, not one.” What is kind of funny is that it is not even a prayer. The Pharisee is sending his resume to heaven. He is trying to get God to read his LinkedIn profile. He is commending himself to God. God is not impressed. Apparently, the Pharisee thinks that he can eat and buy his way into God’s good graces—that by fasting and tithing he can earn and deserve God’s love, acceptance, and blessing. It only saddens God that the Pharisee is so self-deceived. We have already spoken this truth together: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The tax collector won’t even stand close to the Holy of Holies. He stands at a distance because he knows he is unworthy. As a tax collector, he likely took money from his fellow Jews and gave it to Rome, their foreign occupier. He likely collected more than he was supposed to and kept it for himself. He won’t even look up to heaven because he knows that he does not deserve God’s attention. He beats his own breast; he is self-loathing because he does not just sin in thought, word, and deed. He is held captive by sin, shame, and guilt. Sin is not just the bad things we do; it is the good things we fail to do. And even worse than that. It is sin’s power that we cannot break free of by or own strength. All we can do is plead God’s mercy. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” he prays. 

A right view of ourselves leads us to a right view of God. The Law that condemns us and our sin leads us exactly where God wants us to run—to the grace and mercy of God. He loves to extend mercy. That is what sets the tax collector apart. It is truly prayer. He speaks truth about himself and his sinful condition. He speaks truth about God who is “good and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and mercy.” He tells God what God already knows—that he needs forgiveness, deliverance, and strength. And he asks God to do what God already likes to do—to extend his love to the undeserving and unworthy. That is why he goes home justified—righteous. Maybe the Psalm of the day at the temple that day was Psalm 51 (v. 17): “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Or as we sing: “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. Naked come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”

In 1725, John Newton was born. His father was a shipowner and slave trader. John sailed his first voyage to Africa at age eleven. He says that for him the name “Jesus Christ” were merely curse words sailors barked out. John became a captain of a slave ship himself and was responsible for the death and enslavement of more than 20,000 human beings. He witnessed and was the cause of unspeakable human atrocities. During a terrible storm that threatened to sink his ship, John prayed for the first time. He simply prayed for God’s mercy—like the tax collector in our text. The storm calmed and he made it safely home. But he got more mercy than he bargained for. He began to read the Bible and pray. He became a priest in the Church of England. He renounced slavery. He wrote candidly about how horrible his own behavior and the slave trade were. He fought hard to put an end to slavery. At the end of his life at age 82 he said, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner—and that Christ is a great Savior!” He also wrote,

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

          (“Amazing Grace” LBW 448 v. 1)