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Archives: October 2009
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Archives: October 2009
The Pharisee & the Tax Collector...
By Jon Dean
Read Luke 18v9-14
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 18v14
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is a tale that I have heard in many a Sunday school lesson from my younger years, and one that I would rather not have read ever again. Until recently, that is.
We read of the two men praying at the temple: the Pharisee delighted with his spiritual achievements that week, the tax collector so down on himself that he couldn't even lift his eyes heavenwards.
Which person is justified by God, Jesus asks? "The tax collector," we reply, perhaps being well seasoned in our Sunday school answers.
And what lesson do we learn? That we should never be like the Pharisees, because they were a religious, law-obsessed, lifeless people who needed to wake up, smell the coffee and see that they had missed God's point.
But is that all we can learn from the passage? I don't think so. Have we ever thought that looking at the Pharisees in such a judging way could possibly encourage us to be exactly what Jesus was speaking against?
I believe that at the heart of this parable is an invitation to always come to God as the tax collector did, broken and totally aware of his sin.
He knew exactly what it was like to be a sinful human being, to be in the dregs of society and bottom of the spiritual ladder. He certainly wouldn't have looked down on his fellow visitor to the temple, if he looked at him at all!
But how often do I come to God like that? I can remember numerous occasions of comparing myself to other churchgoers, making sure that they aren't doing as well as me, and then thanking God that I'm not failing where they are.
I need to stop looking sideways and judging my life by other people's standards, and start looking to God and judging my life by his standards. When I do this, how can I still think that I'm doing OK in light of God's awesome holiness?
Jesus is calling us to complete humility in everything we do, knowing that in God's eyes we have all fallen short of his glory.
I am now challenging any attitude in myself that would say that I am better than a particular person or group of people.
Of course, it doesn't mean that we have to go around submitting to anyone we meet, accepting that they are right and we are wrong. Jesus definitely didn't live like that!
I believe it does mean, however, that when we meet God and see his purity, we cannot help but live in a continual state of gratitude and humility for what he has done for us, cleansing us from our sin by his blood.
This should lead on to a love for his people, not condemning, judging or point scoring, but encouraging one another towards the goal of Christ-likeness:
"Above all, let us look to God and be transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Cor 3:18)
About the writer
Jon Dean is an Englishman from Scotland. He's part of the Soul Survivor team and serves as International Coordinator as well as a bunch of other stuff too.
Soul Survivor is a Christian charity that puts on events for young people. Our registered charity no. is 1080720. We are also a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales. Our company registered number is 03991111, which is nice. Thanks for caring.
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