Luke 18:9-14
Jesus is a realist.
Jesus knows what can happen to the best of us.
Jesus knows full well that “being good” can be bad.
Have you ever thought about that?
Being good can be bad…?
Jesus tells a story to those who are “confident” in their own goodness.
Because Jesus knows that goodness can be bad.
Goodness can take a wrong turn.
On that day in the temple, says Jesus, a showdown.
Two men.
One obviously good by all the standards of the day.
One not so good, by all the standards of the day.
The religious leader - well-educated man, good and decent.
The tax collector - a collaborator with the enemy, a quisling … tax collectors were employed by Rome to raise money … how much they raised was up to the tax collector, whatever the market would bear, as long as Rome got its share, the tax collector could keep the rest.
It was a cozy deal for the tax collector who had Roman soldiers standing nearby to strong-arm anyone who didn’t want to pay.
The tax collector was a collaborator with the enemy.
Of these two, which would you prefer to have as your neighbor?
Of course, the religious leader.
We probably wouldn’t like him all that much, and he probably wouldn’t like us either, but he’d keep his lawn mowed and his children quiet.
But let’s push on …
That day in the temple, two men.
The religious leader stood alone!
And he prayed:
God, I thank you that I’m not like others – not like that tax collector over there.
The tax collector stood alone, too, off at a distance … not even looking up to heaven, beating his breast, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Of the two men in the temple,
One claims superior status; the other claims nothing.
One thinks he has everything.
The other knows he has nothing.
That day, says Jesus, The tax collector goes home right with God.
Because of a simple truth:
All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The religious leader failed to realize that whatever he was, and whatever he possessed, it was all from God.
He failed to recognize the source of his goodness.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life [Ephesians 2:8-10].
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures [James 1:17-18].
All good things in this life are from God.
The good works we do.
Even our faith in God.
Pure gift.
Given without strings.
Freely given as God determines.
A bounteous rain, falling upon the good and the bad alike.
For there is no partiality in God.
No favoritism.
Just an outpouring of goodness and grace.
For God so loves the world.
The religious leader prays.
That’s a good thing.
But of all the prayers in the Bible, this one prayer is never repeated in the liturgies of the church.
I don’t think a Sunday School teacher has ever taught the students to pray, Thank you LORD that I’m not like other people.
Yet, I wonder, how many times has this prayer been repeated in our hearts, in some form or fashion.
For years, I carried a little paperback Bible in my car, and when I stopped for a light, I would pick it up and read a few verses.
One morning, on my way to church, at a light, I picked up the Bible and was reading.
In the car next to me, a seedy looking guy, cigarette dangling out of his mouth, long hair, loud music, and for one fleeting moment, I thought to myself, “What a good little Christian boy I am, a whole lot better than that clod next to me.”
In that moment, I forgot!
I forgot that it’s all from God.
In that moment, I exalted myself.
Whatever goodness any of us possess.
It’s all from God:
The Father of Lights, as James says.
The Father who bestows upon us the good works – good works prepared before hand, given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Let’s be clear.
The religious leader was good.
Very good.
The tax collector was bad.
Maybe even very bad.
But that day, only the tax collector went home right with God.
It’s a good story for all of us.
Because most of here are good.
Really good.
We give and we serve.
We love Christ and obey the commandments.
We volunteer and make this a better world.
We’re really good.
But Jesus reminds us.
Remember who you are.
You are not self-made.
You didn’t choose me. I choose you!
We are made by God.
And the good we have, and the good we do, is all from God.
To God be the glory is always the story!
How different that day in the temple might have been.
If the religious leader could have looked upon the tax collector with kindness, and offered a humble prayer of thanksgiving, There, but by the grace of God, go I.
Maybe we all need a good dose now and then of Garrison Keillor’s Lutheran humility … to keep things in perspective, and look upon others with a kindly eye.
Perhaps the religious leader might have gone over to the tax collector … put an arm around him and wept together for the difficult days in which they lived …
The religious leader might have said, I see you’re having a bad time of it … but I’m glad you’re here. We’re both sinners saved by grace.
Karl Barth says we’re all sinners … even if we’re moral and devout, we’re only “moral and devout sinners,” still in need of grace. [Ethics, p.343].
As Martin Luther put it: “We’re all mere beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.”
In the relationship of God with us, it is always God who is the Giver, and we who receive [C. Leslie Mittton, James commentary, p.55].
All the good things of life and faith are from the Father’s hand.
The kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit.
Faith, hope and love.
Grace, mercy and peace.
All are gifts from the hand of God.
Maybe you’re wondering, “So what?”
“What’s the value here?”
But have you ever worried about your faith?
Especially in a bad time?
Have you ever wondered: “Will my faith survive?”
Have you ever feared losing you faith in tough times?
Have you ever been afraid of voicing your doubt, your unbelief?
Over the years, people have said to me, “I worry about my faith.”
“I worry about losing my faith.”
But the glorious reality is this:
We don’t have to worry about keeping our faith, or losing it.
Faith is God’s business.
And what God gives to us God preserves.
What God creates in our life, God will see it through to the very end, and then some.
Our faith in God is God’s faith in us.
Period!
Faith may take a lot of hits, faith may bleed, as Jesus did on the cross, but faith never goes away, and we can never lose it. Beat it, kill it, bury it … but on the third day, God rolls the stone away … and faith is born again!
We need never worry about our faith in tough times ... it wavers, it changes, but faith is God’s business, and what God has started in our life, God will finish, and finish just fine.
If we needn’t worry about our faith in hard times, then we can’t boast about it in good times.
Because faith is always God’s business.
So the next time I’m in my car thinking high and holy thoughts about God, and someone pulls up next to me who is not likely to be thinking of God, I’ll not engage in comparison. I’ll not exalt myself, nor put anyone else down.
I’ll remember that faith is God’s business, not mine.
To be glad to be thinking of God, and not wondering what anyone else is thinking about.
And maybe we can be a blessing to someone today.
And the person next to us?
Who knows what sorrows they carry in their heart.
What burdens they bear.
Just like you and me.
Trying hard to make something of life.
So who are we to every judge the other?
And by the way, if the religious leader made the mistake of thanking God that he was not like others, let’s not make the mistake of praying: “God, I thank you I’m not like the religious leader.”
To look upon one another, even the religious leader of our story, with kindness, generosity and hope … hope that we all can be a little better today than we were yesterday, and that tomorrow morning, our hearts will be a little bigger with God’s love and our thoughts a little kinder toward one another.
To breath a simple prayer at the end of the day:
LORD, I’m grateful that you made me to be me.
I claim nothing, O God, for myself.
When I thought about you today, it was only because you were thinking about me.
Whatever goodness I have, comes from your heart to mine.
Whatever kindness I gave today, I was only passing it on from you.
Whatever truth I know, you taught me.
Whatever strength I have, you gave me.
Whatever faith I have in you, it’s only because you have faith in me.
Help me, dear God, to be good.
Good for others, and good for you.
And, dear God, when I’m not good, forgive me.
And when I am good, help me to keep my head on straight.
Amen and Amen!
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