A Tale of Two Prayers
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Mankind has a way of convincing ourselves of just about anything we want to believe about ourselves or others. Especially though, we can convince ourselves of our own greatness. One of my favorite songs was sung by Kenny Rogers. It’s about a kid playing baseball by himself. You may remember the song. The boy says, “I am the greatest player of them all,” but as he throws the ball up in the air and swings his bat, he misses. Strike one, strike two, strike three. But he will not be deterred, because as it is time to go in, he reassess himself and his skills.
Now it’s suppertime and his mama calls. Little boy starts home with his bat and his ball. Say’s ‘I am the greatest, that is a fact, but even I didn’t I could pitch like that.’ Says, ‘I am the greatest that is understood, but even I didn’t know I could pitch that good.’”
It’s cute when it’s about a boy and his baseball skills. As we grow older though, what was once cute can become a character flaw. And as we see today, it not only harms relationships horizontally between two men, but it harms the relationship vertically between man and God.
What we have is a tale of two prayers. It was the best of prayers; it was the worst of prayers. And as we look at these two prayers, I want us to see three details. The first is the reason for the parable. The second detail is the relationships of the pray-ers. Finally, I want us to see the reconciliation of the publican.
The Reason for the Parable
The Relationships of the Pray-ers
The Reconciliation of the Publican
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Reason for the Parable
The Reason for the Parable
The first detail about this passage that is important for us to notice is the reason Jesus told this parable in the first place. It was a laser-focused parable aimed at those who had convinced themselves of their own righteousness; and the reason that Jesus aimed his laser at these puffed-up men was to warn them. He hit them where it hurt to open their eyes to the truth about their haughtiness. We see this in verses 9 and 14.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
Luke 18:14 (ESV)
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
That word in verse 9 that is translated as trusted, is the Greek word “patheo.” It certainly can mean to trust, but not in the same sense of what we often think of as belief. That is the word “pisteuo.” Patheo, what Jesus used here has the idea of persuasion. They trust themselves because they have convinced themselves of their righteousness. Like that little kid who couldn’t hit his own balls thrown in the air, they had a way to deal with reality. Redefine it. Or possibly, bend it to one’s own will.
Look at what the Pharisees were about. He says it in his prayer.
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
The law itself required one day of fasting, not per week, but per year. Only on the Day of Atonement were people required to fast. This Pharisee and many like him fasted twice a week as an effort to become righteous. They had convinced themselves that if they go above and beyond what is required, they would be righteous. Just bend reality to my own will/desires. The law required a certain tithe to be given, but not on everything. But the Pharisees tithed everything, convincing themselves that they were righteous for doing so.
Those of us who have grown up in an evangelical church, or have attended one for a long time, probably already know how ludicrous that sounds. We can’t be righteous on our own. And yet, for many of us, we still think that we can help God love us a little bit more if we were just a bit more righteous in our day to day living. If we just went above and beyond the call of duty.
But this mindset goes beyond just a vertical perspective. This also goes horizontally with those around us. We not only seek to look righteous to God, but we also have a desire to look good among our friends, family, coworkers, etc. How many of us seek to go above and beyond the call of duty so that we can gain the approval of other people?
The wife’s been gone for a week or so. The house is a wreck two hours before she gets home, but you get it cleaned up in time, and just for good measure, you also do the dusting and vacuuming. You’re out mowing the lawn with a scowl on your face because you’d rather be watching the game, but the moment the neighbor steps out it’s all “Whistle while you work” time. Or you’re at work and you’re slacking off or maybe actually doing your job exactly as required, but when the supervisor comes around, it’s all, “how can I show I’m the best employee ever?”
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
I think we can be said not only to those who are bondservants, but to employees with their employers. We don’t simply work to look good while they are around. We work with respect for Jesus. We work heartily as if it was Jesus who were our employer and our coworker. The same could be said for when we’re showing off for our spouses or neighbors or whoever. It’s not the approval of man, but a show of love and respect to our Savior.
Otherwise, that mentality is prideful. It’s a self-exalting, self-righteous attitude that harms our relationships on earth and in heaven. Let us not forget how the parable ended: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.” If we will not humble ourselves, God will humble us for us.
The Relationships of the Pray-ers
The Relationships of the Pray-ers
The reason for the parable was because there were those around who had convinced themselves of their own righteousness and needed to be warned about where that would lead: to a divine humbling. But we also see in this parable that there are relationships of the pray-ers.
Notice again in verse 9, the relationship that the Pharisee had with those around him.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
He treated others with contempt. He looked down on them. He had disdain for them. They were beneath him. They weren’t as good or pure or moral or hardworking as he was. This is exactly what self-exaltation does. It’s in the word! Exaltation. The process of raising in rank and if it is self-exaltation, then it is the raising in rank of oneself. If we raise ourselves up, that inevitably means that we are above others and must look down on others.
And we see four examples of those whom he disdains.
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
Now, understand that the Pharisee was not saying anything like “But by the grace of God, there go I.” No. He was giving tacit thanks to God, but in reality he what he was doing was using his prayer as a way of puffing himself up even more, and lowering the status of those who he thought were egregious sinners. We’ve seen this before in real life; we’ve probably at some time done this. Maybe not with a conversation with God, but probably with others. “I did such and such; he wasn’t even able to ___________.” There is this inner desire to exalt self and at the same time degrade others.
And yet, what we see throughout all of Scripture is that a prideful heart, haughty eyes, a boastful spirit is an abomination to God.
That’s why this not only affects the relationship with his fellow-man horizontally, but his relationship with God vertically. His prayer is being used as a platform not a plea. His prayer is a soapbox, not a supplication. It’s a call of celebration instead of a cry of contrition. And God will have none of it.
Then we have the tax-collector whose words, not to mention his posture, is vastly different than the Pharisee.
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
The Pharisee and the tax-collector were heading to the temple. The Pharisee seems to have made it there and literally separated himself from the people to make his so-called prayer. The tax-collector stood far off from the temple. He understood his unworthiness. Like the lepers who stood far off from Jesus, so this man stood far off from the house of prayer.
It was normal practice to look up into the sky and pray. We don’t usually do that today, as we take the posture of this tax-collector and do not lift our eyes to the heavens. We bow our heads in prayer. He beat his breast and that is the imperfect, so that idea is that he continuously did it through his prayer. It is a sign of heartbreak. People will beat their chests when the pain is overwhelming as if that heartache needs to be released, broken up, expelled to the outside.
You see, this tax-collector understood—at some point in his life, he figured it out—that the number one relationship that mattered was his relationship with God. And since that was his number one relationship, he did not need to compare himself to anyone else. He understood that what really mattered was how he compared to God himself. And rather than beating his own drum, he beat his own breast in sorrow.
Listen to those words he said. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Literally, he said, “God propitiate me, a sinner.” Find satisfaction toward me. Let your wrath that is against me be assuaged. Such a simple prayer, but so humble as well.
There can only be one God in our relationships. And try as we might, we are not him. So there is no need to try and sound like a polished orator when it comes to prayer. We need only come in humility and contrition.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
The Reconciliation of the Publican
The Reconciliation of the Publican
This leads us to the third detail in this tale of two prayers. The first was the reason for the parable, the second the relationships of the pray-ers, but finally the reconciliation of the publican. A publican of course being a Roman tax collector.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Two men went up the Mt. Zion with broken relationships with God and man, but only one came down with the divine relationship restored. Only one was reconciled. God does not despise a broken and contrite heart. But haughty eyes and prideful spirit are abomination to him. I find it interesting that the one who did not see himself as unjust, went home unjustified. But that is what happens when we display our spiritual resume before God.
The publican, this tax collector, humbled himself. And because he humbled himself, God did not need to humble him. This man went up the mountain having humbled himself. But he went down it having been exalted by God. God had granted him the propitiation—the mercy—he desired.
And he still does. Before Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross, God allowed that future death to count backwards toward those who humbled themselves having sought him with all their hearts. His death worked backwards just as much as it works forwards.
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we finish this tale of two prayers, we’ve seen the details that go with it; namely the reason for the parable, the relationships of the pray-ers, and the reconciliation of the publican. That same reconciliation has been offered to anyone who will humble himself or herself before God and receive it. We can be justified just as much as the tax collector.
But it is not us who make that happen. It is only by the blood of Christ. We were bought by the precious blood of Christ. He paid the price for our forgiveness, for our justification, for our reconciliation. He paid it all.
Prayer
Our heavenly Father,
Open up our eyes that we may see ourselves in truth. That we would not think too highly of ourselves, but also not think too lowly. Grant that we may see the truth and remind us that all that we are, all that we have, is from you. Give us the ability to humble ourselves and imitate Jesus, the greatest example of humility the world has ever known. He humbled himself and became a man, obedient unto death on the cross that your enemies may be reconciled to you. We praise for he paid our debts, and because he is risen, so shall we all be who put our faith in him.
And it is in his name, we pray. Amen.