Then Jesus told this story to some who had great
self-confidence and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a
dishonest tax collector. The proud
Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like
everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit
adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “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.’
I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified
before God. For the proud will be
humbled, but the humble will be honored.”
Luke 18.9-14(NLT)
There are a lot of things for which we
prepare. Some years ago during a pro
football game involving the Kansas City Chiefs, a fight broke out on the
field. Bobby Ply, who was the reserve
quarterback for the Chiefs, rushed on the field to join the fray. After a few steps, he stopped, ran back to
the bench, picked up his helmet, put it on, and then dashed back into the midst of the row. He wanted to be prepared![ii]
We also must be prepared for many things in this
(and the next) life! Easter –Resurrection
Day – is one of those special times in the year when we ought to prepare for a
special time of worship.
We can better prepare ourselves by learning from
two men who went to worship – one who was accepted, and one who was
rejected. The one was a Pharisee, a very
religious person; the other was a Publican.
Publicans were Jews, but they were unacceptable
to their own people, because, they worked for the Roman government taking an
exorbitant tax and more from the Jewish nation.
The Publican was a despised Benedict
Arnold!
Notice, please, the similarities and differences
in worship between a religious man and a renegade:
They Both Stood
Both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector stood. The difference is in the meaning of the
word. In the case of the Pharisee, the
word carries a connotation of confidence.
It is the picture of a man standing erect, without any fear. The Tax Collector also stood; his word
meaning, just barely there. The Tax man was slumped over, hardly daring
to lift his eyes heavenward.
They Both Prayed
Once again
the difference between two men was attitude.
The Publican asked for mercy, while the Pharisee was there to inform all
within earshot (including God) just how good he really was.
Both men told God who and what they are – and
they were both right! The Publican told
the Lord he was a sinner. In the
language of the New Testament, the man actually said he was the sinner. This was the attitude of Paul:
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
1 Timothy 1:15(NLT)
The
Pharisee, on the other hand, simply told God that he was good and didn't need
mercy. He listed all the wonderful
things he did, and thanked God he wasn't like ordinary men, especially
the tax collector.
They Both Received
Jesus said that the Publican went away from the
experience having received the forgiveness of God.
The Pharisee also received something – that warm and fuzzy feeling inside,
that he had once again done his duty.
He'd been to church, prayed, given, fasted, lived an honest life all week,
and been faithful to his wife.
In all, he was a fine example of a Godly
man. And didn't they all know it down
there at the church house!! The only
problem was that he'd had no real meeting with God.
Herbert Lockyer said about this religious praying
man, He asked for nothing, confessed
nothing, and therefore received nothing.[iii]
Applications
If you want to understand Pharisaism, don't look
outside the church. Just look for the
people who tend to judge others and stay angry. You can recognize the narrow
mind. Some say a Pharisee's mind is so
narrow he could walk through a picket fence head first.
If you follow the Pharisee you will remain as
lost as he. The Publican recognized he
was a sinner, and asked for mercy. The
Pharisee was just completely satisfied with his own brand of religion.
If you want to do God's will, don't tell God how
good you are; tell others how good God is!
Pharisaism destroys genuine evangelism
Don't despise the resident Pharisees. Pray for yourself. Then you will be prepared for Easter!
Notes
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