Parable 13 – The Pharisee and the Publican
In our unit complex we have a gym which I religiously use six days a week
One of the pieces of equipment there is one of those treadmill walkers
It has all sorts of fancy programming, adjust the speed, incline, personal programs
Over the years I’m sure it is responsible for a lot of blood, sweat and tears as well as a few calories being burnt off
However despite all the effort exerted, the burnt calories, and the volumes of sweat collected, no one has ever gone anywhere on it
Its just a fancy treadmill, the type they put in a rats cage
Now I know that’s not the point, but the parable we will be looking at today is a lot like that treadmill, a lot of effort expended but no headway being made
Luke 18:9-14 (NKJV) 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
The start of this parable has a familiar ring to it
Last time when we looked at the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich man, it started in a similar way
Luke 16:14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.
So we see Jesus addressing a particular attitude that permeated the ranks of the Pharisees
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Again we see another similarity. One was a respected member of society and the other a low-life tax collector. (Lazarus and the Rich man)
So these two men head up to the temple and in the same way the Pharisees made a big show of giving their donations to the temple treasury, you can imagine the Pharisee going to a prominent place in the temple precinct and praying a prayer intended for the audience as well as for God
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
• So he rattles off a long list of his accomplishments that would impress the most dedicated Jew of the day
• And to be honest, he would be welcomed with open arms in most congregations today, he’s thankful, honest, fair, faithful to his wife and not ripping off his fellowman
• But most importantly he pays his tithes, most congregations today would like this last trait
Now we come to the other man, a low life who does rip off his fellow man and worse, he works for the occupying power so he’s also a traitor
But notice where he is standing, off in the shadows, wanting to be inconspicuous
• 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
• Rather than telling God what a great asset he was to have around, this man went to God recognising his need and seeking God’s forgiveness
• In v.14 we read Jesus’ evaluation of the two attitudes
• 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Again we see some parallels with Jesus’ earlier parables. The so-called good guys are rebuked, and the low-life’s are accepted
Older Brother in the story of the Prodigal, Lazarus, and now this dedicated Pharisee
So what is the common problem that links these three that earns them Jesus’ rebuke
They looked down on their fellowman because they thought they were spiritually superior
• Usually the lesson of this parable is simply a lesson in humility
• Its not, it is instruction in the futility of religion
• Its like someone getting on a treadmill exerting all this effort and energy thinking it going to take him somewhere
• And that is the great flaw in a religionists thinking – they think they are going to get to heaven on their good record – on their church attendance, on their tithings, on their fasting
• But they’re wasting their time on a game that doesn’t even exist
• There is nothing we can do to make us right with God
• If righteousness could have been achieved through the law, it would have been unnecessary for Jesus to come and do what he did for us
• And that’s the point – our place in heaven is already assured… IT’S A DONE DEAL because Jesus has done it for us
• We can get off the treadmill
The point is that before God both men are dead anyway and their only hope is someone who can raise the dead
• The silly games religionists play is that they somehow think they are less dead than others like this publican
• Now there’s a weird concept
• The publican knew the game was up, spiritually speaking he was dead meat and needed a Saviour
• The Pharisee on the other hand thought his record of religious deeds would put him in good standing with his God
• God is not going to take this type of attitude of judging and comparison into eternity
Let’s think this “works” or “religionist mentality” through a little bit.
The whole aim of this episode of the flesh is to prepare us for heaven.
After all God’s mission statement is, “Let us make man in our image”
So let’s suppose for a moment this Pharisee showed up in heaven with all the wonderful qualities he personally had developed in his lifetime
Gone to the synagogue each week, paid his tithes, fasted twice each week
And you too arrived in heaven with all the wonderful qualities you had developed in your lifetime
And that person sitting next to you also showed up with all his wonderful qualities he had personally developed over his lifetime
What would be the result? What would heaven be like?
It would be no different from the world we live in today, and even worse if the religionists got their version of heaven, it most likely would resemble the Jerusalem of Jesus’ time
The problem with the flesh is that it is deceptive. We fool ourselves into thinking our motives are always virtuous
The Pharisee went to the synagogue each week, but did he do it for God or did he do it to be seen of men
Did he fast to humble himself or did he do it fit in with the expectations of his position and to make others feel inferior
And if we want to extrapolate religion to our time, whose version of heaven are we going to accept
o The Baptists, The Catholics, The Seven Day Adventists, The Charismatic’s
Whether or not we want to admit it, instead of wanting to fit into God’s version of heaven, we want to impose our own version on Him
Instead of allowing Him to shape us in His Image, we want to impose our image on Him
And to add insult to injury, we try to impose our image onto other men like this Pharisee did
The major difference between these two men is,
One recognised his sinfulness and his need for God
God could work with that
The other thought he would be a great asset to have around
God could not work with that attitude
One was reliant on God mercy and grace; the other was reliant on his own version of what constituted “goodness”
The simple truth is mankind doesn’t know what “goodness” is
There is only one source of truth – Jesus Christ
And ultimately, that’s why God can only accept someone who is willing to die to the old self and allow Jesus to come and rule in his heart
Being spiritually dead is the gateway to salvation
That’s why Jesus went to the cross to spiritually die for all mankind
That’s what baptism pictures – the death of the old man and the birth of the new man
A new man who is willing to surrender his life to God’s version of “in His image!”
Now we all may sit here and shake our heads in agreement, but just to show how pervasive this “works” mentality is in Christianity, let me ask you another question
The publican goes home that day all forgiven ready to start his new life in Christ and shows up at church the following week
Problem is, his week is not a lot different to his previous lifestyle. He’s still ripping off his fellowman, he’s still working for the Romans, he still yelling at his wife
And so he goes through the same routine as the previous week, head down, smiting his breast, God be merciful to me a sinner and all that
And God being the gracious and merciful God that He is, sends the man home justified again
Questions is, “Do we like that?”
And the answer is if we’re honest, is “No”. The dirty rat is getting away with it
The truth is, we all get away with it every week
You see, grace will drive you crazy if you are a religionist!
The older brother in the Prodigal, The Rich man, and now the Pharisee – grace is so unfair
And just for the sake of the argument let’s suppose he does reform his life a little bit…he only ripped off half as many people this week so he shows up at the temple to tell God what a good little boy he is
And suddenly without realising it, he is showing up praying the same prayer as the Pharisee
He has stepped onto the treadmill of religion thinking his good works are going to impress God and those around him
And the danger is, the longer we are in Christian circles and the more isolated we become from the world, the greater the tendency to fall into this trap of thinking we are spiritually superior
Leave you with Two Important Lessons from the Parable
First is to remember who is responsible for our salvation – all the glory goes to Jesus Christ
As Martin Luther said, The sinner’s only hope for salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
Its a gift from God and He’s not going to allow anyone to buy that gift – we insult God and we minimize Jesus’ sacrifice when we do
Jesus wants us to enjoy the “Rest” He has provided for us
He wants us to relax and enjoy our Christianity – not fall into the trap of jumping on the treadmill of religiosity
Second is to remember where we are in the scheme of things
In verse 14 Jesus summarized this principle in the parable: “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
The Message paraphrases verse 14 this way, “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
Let me finish with a story – Beggar who became kings chief advisor in Mesopotamia
