October 24 from Joe

1. Luke 18:9-14, – The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

2. Resources for this Sunday go to: http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk18b.htm

3. Interpretation by Bill Long: http://www.drbilllong.com/LectionaryIII/Lk189II.html

There is no doubt in Jesus' or Luke's mind who the "good guy" is in this parable--the tax collector. He went home justified. The tense of the participle translated "justified" is interesting--it is in the perfect passive tense. This tense suggests that his justification had already begun by the time he left the temple area and headed home. And Luke slips in two words at the end of v. 13. Not only does it say that the tax collector went home justified, but he did so "instead of that one" (i.e., the Pharisee). It would have been enough to say that the tax collector went home justified without having to specify the fate of the Pharisee. But he wants to make sure we understand what is at stake here: Pharisaic attitudes and words lead to a reversal, the reality of not being justified. Thus, I think we can conclude by saying that Jesus' point is pretty clear--that the "big people" are going to be put down from their lofty situations while the "little people" will be exalted. But I think we can also conclude that it isn't very clear into which category we fit. I am afraid that most people with whom I associate are more like the Pharisees than they think they are, despite the fact that we all want to identify with the tax collector. Maybe that is why I like them. How about you?