For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 18:14 (NLT)
Luke 18 – Us vs Them Series – Part 3
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable, in which a tax collector went to the temple to pray.
Unlike Pharisees who enjoyed somewhat of a hero status in the community, Jewish tax collectors were considered public enemies, traitors, conspirators and the scum of the earth. In Roman-occupied Israel, tax collectors were Jews who decided to work for Rome and collect taxes from their conquered countrymen to give to the nation who had overcome them. They were rich, well off men, with beautiful homes and plenty to eat. But often with no one with whom to share their table.
Sinners. Shamed. Resented. Outcasts. Deserters. Tax collectors.
When I look at this man in this light, I tend to judge him too, just as Jesus audience would have. Of course, as was Jewish custom, he was free to go to the temple. But I’m not sure anyone would have expected him to. Everyone had presumed that this man had turned his back on their culture and beliefs. He was a sellout.
We’ve all talked about these people, right? (Maybe, if we look hard enough, we might confess that some of us have been called sell-outs too). People who once lived the way of the righteous, and then turned aside to pursue selfish endeavours. People whom we believe have made the wrong decisions for all the wrong reasons. They don’t add up or live up to our standards. They are the ones on the other side of the line. The wrong side. Opposite to our side. Us versus Them.
Up to this point in the parable, I don’t identify with the tax collector, and neither does Jesus audience in Luke 18.
Then, the tax collector prayed.
“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’” Luke 18:13.
As he prayed and beat his chest in anguish and private confession, begged for mercy and forgiveness, he became my fellow man. I identify with him completely. We could be the same person with the same story.
Would our tax collector leave the temple a changed man? Or would he return to a life of disgrace? We don’t know. What the parable does tell us is that as the tax collector sat and cried his private prayer for mercy to God, while the Pharisee diminished the man's act of surrender by deeming it unworthy purely because of who the tax collector was. Drawing lines in the sand, taking sides.
And this is the Pharisee's downfall – that he judged a man who did not live the same as he.
“I tell you that this man (the tax collector), rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14.
Jesus placed the emphasis of his parable on the humble heart, rather than the righteous life. The tax collector left the temple right with God, not because he lived perfectly, but because he wasn’t comparing his life to anyone else. It was just him and God in that prayer room, at the moment of divine exchange. The Pharisee DID live a life that pleased God. He lived the way that was required of him due to his religious position in the community. He was obedient, surrendered, and disciplined… but in his righteousness, he grew prideful and arrogant. He compared himself to others and deemed himself more worthy of God’s approval. On the “right side” of life, as opposed to the wrong side.
Now this parable has me judging the Pharisee and identifying with the tax collector. I’m a sinner in need of mercy too; I’ve beat my chest and prayed that prayer too many times to count. I've been judged by “Pharisees.” I’m on the tax collector's side as opposed to the Pharisee's side.
Herein lies the parables hook: the moment we judge the Pharisee for condemning the tax collector, we become the Pharisee in our judgement.
Perhaps there is no definitive line in the sand and no sides to take.
Over to you.
How does this parable challenge you? Leave us a comment below.
Go to Part 4 – Collector of Taxes »
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