You do realize that we are supposed to “like” the sinner. We are to side with the hated and the despised tax collector.
Imagine, siding with the tax collector – I thought that was something only reluctantly done…and usually begrudgingly after an extremely difficult audit has occurred!
The Pharisee by pointing out someone else – by pointing beyond himself -actually condemns himself.
When you think about it – we all carry enough baggage and garbage with us – that we all should never be pointing the finger at anyone else.
Very much like the tax collector – we all have our own burdens to bear – our own stuff.
You can never compare yourself to others – because it would be like comparing apples to oranges it doesn’t work. We are all too different and have different journeys.
I am not you and you are not me…that’s just the way it is!
So, if I have this right. We are to be against the religious guy. Who gives much of what he owns for the good of others.
The guy who tries hard to keep all the laws of God …the laws of Moses and to not break them…we are to be against him.
Is perhaps because of our Lutheran understanding – that we know that the law cannot save us?
If we are to be saved it is only by the grace of God and has absolutely nothing to do with our doing.
We are not saved by our works…
This is a very Lutheran understanding of this text. The law cannot save. The gospel or the good news frees us!
Saved by grace. Saved by faith. Saved by God. …“how very Lutheran” of this text.
And then it occurred to me that God usually sides with the under-dog. With the one who at least tries. The one who is sincere. The one who beats his chest publicly — the one who seeks God out in humility…and with respect and honor and awe.
Isn’t our God, the God of the disenfranchised? The God of those on the margins? The God of the weak, the poor, the impoverished? The God of the hated and the despised? The God of the outsiders?
Rather than the one, who makes a big “show” out of everything…
Is it a matter of sincerity versus insincerity?
But who would have ever thought – God the Almighty One would apparently side against one of his own? One of the faithful?
Wasn’t the Pharisee trying? Wasn’t he only doing as he had been taught, as he had been schooled? As he had been trained – by some of the best in all Israel?
Was his downfall depending on himself and not being more dependent on God?
If that’s the case – then perhaps you could say that this generation is in trouble?
How much do we really rely on God?
How much do we really rely on ourselves?
Don’t we consider dependency to be bad? Co – dependence bad. Independence – good.
Is it maybe about viewing others with contempt?
If that’s the case, again we are in trouble…
Look at how critical this generation has become. How we put others down. How we see ourselves as being better than some…
All one has to do is to look at the political race that is before us…
We all have baggage. We all carry garbage. We all carry stuff. None of us are perfect. All of us are sinners and sinful beings…
The Pharisee had baggage.
The tax collector had baggage.
My God is the God of baggage, garbage and stuff. He knows what we each carry, what we each have to endure. In a sense we are all disenfranchised, we are all marginalized, we all live on the fringe.
My God understands, he sees, he knows…he gets it…far more than we…do…
My own personal take is not to judge either of them, at the end of time God will sort it out…
Both men have time to repent and grow in their lives of faith. Change is possible for all of us…and them as well.
I see this parable more as a cautionary tale. It is meant to make us think and bring us to our knees. Pray that it does…exactly that! Amen.