Saturday 13 March 2010
- Bible Book:
- Luke
"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!' I 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." (v.13-14)
Background
Prayer is something that Luke's Gospel gives a particularemphasis to, with both this parable and the one that comes beforeit (Luke 18:2-8) being unique to this Gospel. Likea number of parables it consists of a contrast between twocharacters (Other examples of this are found in
Pharisees were notorious for their desire to go beyond the strictletter of the Bible's laws in terms of the quality of their lives.It would be wrong to suggest that they were trying to use goodnessto earn God's favour; they saw their meticulous patterns ofdevotion and lifestyle as a response to God's grace. The other manin the story is a tax collector, the kind of person who, bydefinition, is a no-gooder. This attitude exceeds the dislike forthe tax official which goes with the territory of the job, for thetax collectors were the agents of the occupying Roman power, sowere seen as enemies of the people. Whilst the job may haveattracted people who were already short of friends, there's noparticular reason to suppose that tax collectors were typicallyimmoral.
Standing was the normal posture for prayer. Praying aloud, but in asoft voice, was usual, rather than praying silently in oneself.Fasting was practised generally by the Jews in Jesus' time on a fewspecial days each year, and individuals might fast occasionally asa sign of devotion. But the Pharisees typically fasted on Mondayand Thursday each week.
The tax collector stands far off, perhaps in the outer court of theTemple, feeling unworthy to enter the main court of prayer. Hebeats his breast because the heart was considered to be the sourceof sinful behaviour. Beating the breast was and is seen as a signof any kind of grief or of sorrow over sin. He throws himself onthe mercy of God.
Jesus, for the first time uses the word "justified" to describe theoutcome of this man's prayer. It means that God has declared him tobe right, to have received the mercy he sought, and the reason isbecause God lifts up those who humble themselves andvice-versa.
To Ponder
How does it make you feel to think that a personwho has tried really hard to live a good life and done socreditably, might be rejected by God in the end because of theirattitude? And how do you feel at the idea that somebody who mightbe a notorious sinner should receive God's forgiveness and beaccepted just because they know they don't deserve it?
When you pray, what kind of focus do your prayershave?
What do you think this passage has anything tosay, if anything, about the value of fasting, or of tithing (givinga tenth of one's income)?