Pastor B.J. Froiland
11th Sunday after Trinity
Luke 18:9-14
August 23rd, 2009
In the Name of the Father and of the Son X and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“I tell you, this [tax collector] went down to his house justified, rather than the [Pharisee]. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” How is man justified before God? Every religion seeks to show you the way that you can be righteous before God. Every faith attempts to point the way to salvation. Every belief claims that a person’s outward works and inward improvement will lead to righteousness before God. This is the religion of the Pharisee.
The religion of the Pharisee manifests itself in different ways. Traditional Judaism might say, “If you want to be righteous, be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders.” The Muslim might say, “If you want to be righteous, confess that there’s only one god and Muhammad is his prophet, and conform yourself to the regulations of the Koran.” The Roman Catholic might say, “If you want to be righteous, keep the commandments of God and the church, and if you want to be absolutely certain of your salvation, pray to the saints and acknowledge the Bishop of Rome as the Vicar of Christ on earth.” The protestant might say, “If you want to be righteous, pray and struggle until you have received another heart, and if you want to be absolutely righteous, do not rest until you are perfect and no longer sin.” The intellectual might say, “If you want to be righteous, exercise yourself in virtue and do noble works, but if you fail, regret it and better yourself.” Even an unbeliever may say, “If you want to be righteous, give each person what’s due him. If you can’t fulfill this duty, then sacrifice to the god of your choice, whatever that may be.”
Every religion seeks to show the way to salvation partly by outward good works and partly by inward moral improvement. This concept of religion could not be any farther from the truth. Every religion teaches works and improvement- except your religion. Every faith teaches works righteousness- but not your faith. You trust in God’s mercy because you say so each week: “Lord have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord have mercy upon us.” This prayer, called the Kyrie, is simple and short. Essentially, the tax collector’s prayer was the Kyrie, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Many people mentioned in the Holy Scriptures have had similar prayers: Blind Bartimaeus’ prayer was simply, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And who can forget David’s own prayer: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me … For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”
This is true religion: the religion of the tax collector. He was a beggar before the Lord. And so are you. You implore His forgiveness and mercy. St. Paul said, “… at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth.” Worship and praise to the Lord is not limited to our voice and in what we say and sing. The whole body in posture can also praise the Lord. Just like the tax collector, you humble yourself before the Lord to confess your sins. Just like this publican, you humble yourself, to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. Upon examination of the location of each of these men, on the one hand, you see that the tax collector stands afar off where his conscience holds him. Ironically, his location afar off brings him nearer to the Lord. On the other hand, the Pharisee stands proudly in the very midst of the temple. Ironically, his close and prideful location sets him afar off from God. Have you ever set yourself afar off from God?
Your sinful human nature often takes what is good and uses it for evil. Fasting and tithing are good practices, especially since they are praised by our Lord: “Thus, when you give to the needy …” and “When you fast …” These acts of fasting and giving are most edifying to the Christian life. In tithing, you give of yourself, knowing that Christ gave everything for you. Fasting is an instrument that the faithful of the Church have used together to struggle against sin and humbly look to the True Meat, Christ alone. And yet, these two noble practices, which are good in themselves, can also be perverted by man. Christ our Lord warns: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Living a pious life is not wrong, in fact, it’s very commendable and enriching for your walk in the way of God’s Word. Living a pious life before other people in order to be praised by them is vanity. Living a pious life and showing contempt for others is the Pharisaic action told in today’s parable.
And the religion of the Pharisee is based on a life full of good works. Ps. 37 says, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken but the Lord upholdeth the righteous. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.” The wicked Pharisee may abound in good works, but the righteous tax collector’s small amount of works far surpass the works of the Pharisee for “the arms of the wicked shall be broken.” The tax collector, made righteous by the Lord, is upheld by the same Lord. The tax collector is a poor sinner without any good works, but Christ says this man returned to his house justified. And you, a poor sinner, are justified only by God’s mercy.
The Lord delivers mercy to you. And His mercy is more than a mere feeling. God’s Mercy is a concrete reality. The Lord is not a god of abstraction. He is God who has located Himself in physical and tangible things. The Lord could have chosen to be located in feelings or sensations or anything else. And yet, He has located Himself in the Living Word spoken by men. He has located Himself in bread and wine and water. Dearly Beloved, trust not in the feeling of forgiveness. Trust in the tangible forgiveness that the true God gives you.
In the 2nd book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, the author came down from Mt. Sinai with the 2 tablets of the Law upon which were written the 10 Commandments. Moses heard the commotion of the people and he found that they were worshiping a golden calf. The golden calf had become their god. Moses was so angry that he broke the tablets. He burned the calf with fire and ground it up into powder and scattered it on the water. Then, he made the people drink it. Imagine that, a god so frail and weak that it could be ground to powder and drank! This god was a curse to the Israelites who worshiped it and drank of it.
But notice the foolishness of the True God. The Lord’s almighty power is seen most clearly in the crucified Christ. In Christ, the mighty God is reduced to a dying, bleeding human sacrifice in first century Jerusalem. This God forgives your sins and He does so by coming to you in a simple and visible way- in a cup full of Blood. In this drink, you receive blessing through the forgiveness of sins. In the Sacrament of Holy Communion, you witness the work of your God! Here the Lord gives of Himself in mercy to you. Here the transgressor is forgiven. Here, you and all sinners are justified, even as David said: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Amen.
The Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
XBJFX