“Something Earned or Something Simply Received?”

Deuteronomy 26:1-11           Luke 18:9-14     2013

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

 

Luke 18:9-14

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.”

 

In 1517 Martin Luther nailed 95 discussion topics to a church door,

            calling for some changes, intending to reform the church,

                 but not meaning to divide or split into separate religions.

 

The primary issue at stake in the conflict was about righteousness,

          is it something that we achieve through our good works of faith,

                   or is it something we simply receive, a free gift from God?

 

In Scripture, the terms righteousness and justification refer to

            the cleansing of our sins and transgressions against God,

                        and walking in a faithful & obedient relationship with God…

 

… and the question is,

          what must one do to achieve righteousness before God? …

            … is it something earned or is it something we simply receive?

 

According to the Old Testament prophets, the nation of Israel

            was conquered and taken into exile by the Babylonians because

                        they turned to the false gods of their pagan neighbors.

Instead of faithfully obeying the Lord who freed them from slavery,

            brought them through the wilderness, made them into a nation,

                        and gave the Promised Land to be their home,

                                    they ignored God’s Law, commandments and warnings.

 

But after the Babylonian Exile, a sect arose within Judaism

            with    a renewed focus on righteousness before God

                through strict and detailed obedience to the OT Law,

                        and by separating from any foreign or non-Jewish influence,

                             to avoid the taint of compromise or contact with sinners.

 

The word “Pharisee” means “the separate ones”,

          and their goal was to achieve righteousness through

                   their faithful diligence, obedience and religious effort.

 

In the New Testament they are often portrayed as

            the petty and fastidious hypocrites  who opposed Jesus,

                        but that may not be a full and entirely accurate picture.

 

As a group, the Pharisees were totally committed to God,

            with lives dedicated to faithful adherence to the Law,

                        and trying to obey God in every possible way and detail.

Pharisees were morally and ethically impressive,

            and generally admired for their commitment to God and to God’s ways…

                                       … and they worked really hard on their religion.

 

In the parable Jesus told, the Pharisee

            represents the very peak and pinnacle of Jewish piety.

                        He would have been highly respected and honored by all.

                             He did all the right and religious things,

                                       and held in distain  those “others ”  who did not.

 

When Jesus said that a Pharisee went up to the Temple to pray

            it was a familiar and respected image to his listeners.

 

In sharp contrast, a tax collector was the lowest of the low,

            a collaborator with the hated and brutal Roman occupation.

                             They were seen as traitors for working with the enemy

                                    and who often took advantage of their own people.

 

Under that system, a certain amount had to be collected for Rome

            and anything extra that could be extracted from someone

                was the tax-collector’s profit to keep ---

                                    --- which led to terrible abuse and dishonesty.

 

     The listeners hearing this parable would recognize the contrast;

            the one  a godly man,   and the other  a notorious sinner.

    Coming from opposite ends of the moral and religious spectrum,

            they both go up to the Temple to pray.

 

The Pharisee representing all-out effort to achieve righteousness,

            found a place to stand apart from the congregation,

                        too cool and spiritual to mingle with the unwashed…

            … while the tax-collector slips in the back,

                        rejected by most others  and surely not welcomed by God.

Jesus describes   a scene everyone can imagine, all is as expected.

 

And how different, how sharp the contrast of the two men's prayers:

            vs. 11-12

                        The 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.  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'       

 

The Pharisee’s prayer

            is a list        of his religious achievements, stuff he’s doing right.

                        It’s a very impressive list

                                    of total focus on obedience to all the rituals,

                                                and even exceeding the requirements of the Law…

                      … if you can  earn or achieve righteousness, this man did.

 

But with his focus set on his superiority over the tax collector,

            his prayer is little more than a reminder of how good  he is,

                  especially compared to the sin & depravity of the other guy.

 

In his prayer, he asks God for nothing –    for he recognizes no need.

            He seeks nothing beyond what his own piety can provide

                   for he's quite certain he's righteous enough to please God.

 

"Thank you Lord, that I am not like that sinful man over there

            for by my pious and godly achievement I really am way better,

                            and far more righteous and godly

                                    than that sinful tax collector, standing back there.

            Surely you must be pleased by the diligence of my  good works,

                        and grateful,  that I am not a sinner and outcast like him.”

 

In unmistakable contrast,

            the tax-collector can barely speak, he’s desperate.

                        He knows the shameful compromises he has made,

                                    the short-sighted decisions, the sludge of his life,

                                                and that there’s nothing good   that he can claim.

            It’s pitiful.  He just begs for mercy, he’s got nothing to offer.

vs. 13

            But 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!’

 

As much as the Pharisee modeled exemplary religious practice,

            so much more so    the tax collector exemplified sinfulness

                 and living a life that obliterated the commandments of God…

 

… and we'll miss the point of the parable if we don't appreciate

        the social distance and distinction between these two men.

 

At this point in the parable, his listeners are nodding in agreement,

            as Jesus tells the story, describing the scene and events…

                    … he’s hooked them, it’s a picture that makes sense to them.

 

Then Jesus gets subversive,

            and the story does not turn out as everyone expected,  vs. 14

                        I tell you, this man (the tax-collector) 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.

 

Possibly, our familiarity with this passage has smoothed

            some of the edge and shock that his listeners would have heard

                        when Jesus told the story for the first time.

 

          The parable turns expectations and appearances upside down,

                    redefining what it means,

                        and what it takes to be righteous, justified before God.      

 

**    Justified by God’s grace and not by any righteousness we achieve,

              as Martin Luther insisted, “Justification by grace alone.”

 

The point is hard   for those of us regularly in the church to hear,

            but it seems that this Pharisee  has just enough religion

                   to appear externally virtuous and outwardly moral,

                                      yet not enough   to be humble and grateful to God.

 

He didn't really worship God.    He was too impressed with himself,

                        … and so this very religious man left the temple that day

                               not justified, and no different than from how he came in…

… so full of himself  that it didn't leave room enough for God's grace.

 

            God wants to have a growing intimate relationship with us

              and to build something wonderful by transforming our lives.

*  True righteousness isn’t earned or achieved by our good works,

        but comes only by grace, justification is a free gift from God.

 

The point is, God loves us and is up to something great in us,

            which will surely come to pass,

                        if we will cooperate, listen, and walk with the Lord.

 

Our call is to accept and trust God and God’s gracious purpose,

            and not   through our own efforts, Christian service and works

                try to earn that which it delights the Lord God to give …

                                    … which is pretty much the theme of the Reformation.

 

We assume that  if we do more work, then we deserve more pay;

            and most certainly that is exactly how our world operates,

                        but that's not how God's grace works or the kingdom of God.

 

The misunderstanding that Jesus is addressing in this parable,

            is that sometimes we forget that grace is entirely God's gift,

                and that self-righteousness can distort that crucial truth.

 

This wonderful grace that we so welcome and affirm for ourselves,

            sometimes,  we'd like to restrict from certain unsavory others,

                 those we deem less worthy, or judge less deserving than we.

 

The danger is that like the Pharisee, prideful self-righteousness

            can block our connection with God and cut off that intimacy…

… for to be full of ourselves leaves too little room for God's grace,

          and we can forget that it’s by God’s grace that we are blessed…

                             … which is also the point of the Deuteronomy 26 passage.

 

The greatest problem the Israelites faced in the Promised Land

            was the terrible danger of prosperity, comfort and success;

                        -- mostly because they might mistakenly suppose or assume

                                                that it was accomplished on their own –

                                                            and by their own hard work and achievement…

   … and forget that God

            gave them the land of abundance and prosperity they enjoyed.

 

According to the Deuteronomy passage, each year at harvest time,

            they were to present their first fruits of harvest to the Lord,

                             and retell the story

                                    of how God heard their ancestor’s cry for mercy,

            freed them from slavery, brought them through the wilderness,

                        and gave them a home, the land flowing with milk and honey.

 

In retelling that ancient story, they gratefully acknowledged,

            “I have what I have, this first fruit of the harvest,

                        only because God heard my ancestor’s desperate cry,

                                    and God provided all of this abundance and blessing.”

 

*    But the point was not the first fruit religious ritual itself,

            but to remember with gratitude   the God who had blessed them.

 

Connecting the passage from Deuteronomy with the parable Jesus told,

                the Pharisee was more focused

                        on his part of getting the religious ritual just right,

                                    than remembering that it is all a gift from God …

   … not because we are worthy or qualified or deserve it,

         but simply because God set his heart on us – because God loves us.

The good news is that against all expectations or what we deserve,

    by God's grace alone God is building something spectacular with us.

 

Our call and challenge

            is that  as those whose life  has been touched by Jesus

                        now, we must be the affirming and inviting  people of God

                             a touching and compassionate community of gracious hope.

 

Our call and challenge is to be a people of grace and welcome

            who are capable of faithfully reflecting God's grace

                        as we learn to walk   ever more faithfully with our God.

 

In the parable Jesus told,

            the Pharisee looked down and despised  those   unsavory others,

                        those he deemed   less worthy and less deserving than he…

      … and in his self-righteous arrogance, his focus was more on

                 his own godly goodness than the gracious love & mercy of God.

 

Here’s the truly subversive part of this parable ----

            as soon as I look around and judge someone else as unworthy,

                        as soon as I recognize the Pharisee in them and condemn them,

                           I become the Pharisee basking in my self-righteousness…

            … so let me suggest three lessons I draw from this parable:

 

*first;          I need to think and rethink about how I feel about grace,

            especially toward those I see as unworthy and hopelessly lost.

As we read in Ephesians 2:8-10

            For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

*second;

   I need to give up any sense of superiority or self-righteousness.

            It is never a good idea  to compare ourselves to others,

                        for that can only lead to self-righteousness or to envy.

 

I need to remember,  the church of Jesus is a school for sinners,

            were we are all frail, feeble and wounded in different ways,

                        and surely I too need

                                    God's gracious help and mercy as much as anyone else.

 

* third;

   I need to relax a lot more and just enjoy the truth of God's love.

            Our call is to serve with joy and fulfillment and pleasure

                not to be so driven to impress or earn  God's gracious acceptance.

 

Our call is to celebrate with joy and delight and open fellowship

                        by offering our absolute best in response to God's grace,

                                    and by taking more pleasure in joyfully serving God.

 

So   where and to whom   do I need to show more grace and compassion?

                      Where do I need to let God's grace  open and soften my heart,

                         and be less like a TSA agent screening at the airport? …

 

          … because it’s not my place to doubt, question or challenge

                the grace, the wisdom,  the purpose or working of the Lord…

 

… or to say “I thank God that I am not like    that Pharisee over there!”