The Pharisee is farther away from God, not closer to Him

Sermon for Trinity 11

1 Corinthians 15:1-10  +  Luke 18:9-14

After He rose from the dead, Jesus told His apostles that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Repentance and remission (or forgiveness) of sins should be preached. Two things had to be preached. First, to repent—which means both admitting that you’re a sinner worthy of death (you might call that a half-step of repentance), and being sorry that you’ve sinned against God (you might call that the full step of repentance). The second thing that had to be preached was, to have faith, that is, to trust in the mercy that God has promised to all sinners, to forgive them their sins for Christ’s sake. These two steps, if you will, are necessary for any sinner to be saved. (And I’ll say from the beginning that no one can take either of these steps by his own reason or strength.)

That means that some people are two big steps away from salvation, neither penitent nor believing. Some are one and half steps away, admitting they’re sinners but still not sorry for it, nor believing. Some people are one step away, sorry for their sins, but still not trusting in God’s mercy through Christ. While still others, having taken both steps, are counted among the righteous, among the saints of God.

The parable before us today in the Gospel is directed mainly at the people who are two big steps away, but its message is intended for everyone. It’s told, according to Luke, to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Lots of people think they’re “righteous,” that they’re good and decent people whom God has accepted because they’re so good and decent. But the Scriptures are clear that no one on earth should ever think that, because it just plain isn’t true. No one is righteous, God says, no, not even one. No one loves God with his whole heart or fears God or trusts in God as he should. No one puts God’s word and will above all things all the time. From the sinful, diseased, twisted nature with which we’re all born, to the sinful, selfish, thoughts we have, words we speak, deeds we do, we’ve ruined any chance of earning God’s favor or forgiveness. That’s the reality, as God sees it.

The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable represents all those who deny this reality, and thus they are two whole steps away from salvation.

The Pharisees, as you recall, were a faction among the Jews. They were very active in the Church of Israel, zealous at keeping God’s commandments, although only in external, visible ways. They followed hundreds of extra laws, too—laws which weren’t written in the Law of Moses, but were written by rabbi’s as an interpretation of and addition to the Law of Moses. The Pharisees were well-respected in Jewish society. People thought the Pharisees were closer to God than the average person. The Pharisees themselves surely thought that! You see a prime example of it in the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, who dared to stand up before God and praise himself. I thank You that I’m not like other men! Basically, “I thank You that I’m so great! “

But before God, Pharisaism was dreadful, first, because they denied their sinfulness and thought highly of themselves, thinking arrogantly that they could earn God’s favor with their obedience, denying their own sinfulness. And second, because of that, they didn’t trust in God’s mercy for Christ’s sake, and, because of that, they also failed to reflect God’s mercy to others, which made them even guiltier before God. Two enormous steps away from salvation.

The tax collectors were a small percentage of Jewish society, but were still an infamous group of people. The vast majority of them were involved in legalized theft, and they all knew it. Engaged in tax collection practices that were immoral and illegal according to God’s Law, but legal according to man’s law. Socially, it was very bad to be a tax collector, and before God it was bad, too, because, like the Pharisees, they were living in open sin, either because they didn’t care about God at all anymore, or because they despaired of God’s mercy, thinking there was no way that He could ever be reconciled with people who had done the things they had done. The only real difference between the tax collectors and the Pharisees is that, while they were all sinners, the tax collectors knew that they were sinners.

But knowing you’re a sinner is a half-step closer to salvation than denying it. It still isn’t godly contrition—sorrow over sin. The tax collector still needs to feel the burden of his sin, still needs to be crushed by God’s Law. That would be the full step of repentance. Society judges the Pharisee to be better than the tax collector. But God sees things differently. Admitting that you’re evil and wretched before God doesn’t save you. But it’s a half-step better than pretending to be a good person before God.

The tax collector in Jesus’ parable didn’t merely acknowledge that he was a sinner. His trip to the temple and the way he beat his breast as he prayed showed that he had been brought to true repentance by God’s Law. He knew his sin. The burden of its guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders. That was step one. But he also knew and believed God’s promise to be propitious, to be merciful for the sake of the sacrifices that were made in the Jerusalem Temple—sacrifices which all pointed ahead to the coming Christ, whose blood would be the true atoning price for the sins of all people. By the working of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the Word, this particular tax collector had come to trust in God’s mercy, and for that very reason he beat his breast and humbly prayed in the temple, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” That was step two.

Now look what Jesus says about this tax collector: 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. The tax collector took both steps, all by the grace and working of God, who brought him all the way to repentance and then all the way to faith. And so, even though society may condemn him still, while praising the Pharisee for his outward show of righteousness, God sees things very differently. It’s the sinful man who humbled himself before God whom God forgives. It’s the tax collector who is now counted among the righteous, among the saints of God, while the Pharisee is still living under God’s condemnation.

What’s the point of all this? The point is very simple. God forgives, accepts, and is pleased with the humble and penitent, no matter how sinful they are, no matter what their record or their history. On the other hand, God does not forgive, accept, or favor the ones who think they’re righteous. The people who think highly of themselves because they’re outwardly good people are not closer to God than the outwardly sinful people out there; they’re actually a half-step farther away.

At the time of Jesus, I’d say most people in Israel—no, most people in the world recognized, at least to some degree, that they were sinful and needed saving. The Pharisees were a vocal minority. What about the times we live in? There are still plenty of people who know they’re sinners, but I would say that Pharisaism is much more common today than it used to be. Our society is intentionally trying to take a belief in sinfulness and personal accountability out of the people’s minds and hearts. You’re not supposed to take the blame for things anymore. You’re supposed to blame other people. Everyone is special. Everyone is a winner. No one deserves to have bad things happen to them. No one deserves to go to hell. The world is full of virtue signaling, people trying to prove that they’re more righteous than others. It applies to political and social issues. It applies to religious issues. So, so many people trusting in themselves, that they are righteous.

Learn from Jesus today that such people will not be accepted by God. Only the humble who acknowledge and are sorry for their own wretchedness, who trust in God’s promise to be merciful for Jesus’ sake will be justified before God.

Therefore, humble yourselves before God. Everyone. Always. And never think of yourself as more deserving of God’s acceptance than someone else. And if you’ve lived for a while as a Pharisee, take heart! So did the Apostle Paul. But God humbled him, and he found forgiveness in Christ Jesus. And even afterwards, as one of the greatest apostles, he continued to think of himself, not as great, but as “the least of the apostles.” Think of yourself as undeserving before God, and you will find that God’s greatest gifts are reserved for the undeserving, even the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Amen.