Word to the Wise
Saturday, March 1, 2008 - Saturday in the Third Week of Lent
[Hosea 6:1-6 and Luke 18:9-14]But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner."
The gospel tells us right off that "Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else." The Pharisee in the parable begins his prayer, "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity......." No matter how much good that Pharisee might claim to do, he is already lost. In essence he is saying to God, "Thanks for helping me 'arrive' - I can handle it by myself from now on." The tax collector admits his need for God. The Pharisee is simply informing God of his own (the Pharisee's) righteousness - as if his actions were what made him righteous! Jesus tells us that it is the tax collector who goes home justified. He knows his place and his need for God's mercy. His sober self-estimate will enable him to do things out of mercy and compassion. His faith is genuine and his relationship with God is actually closer even though he stands further away. In a day when our cultural adoration of "self-esteem" is so prominent (cf. J. Gardiner's famous: THE CULTURE OF NARCISSISM), the tax collector would be seen by many as a loser. Not so by Jesus in the gospel. I think I'll put my wager on the tax collector! AMEN
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