Parables From Luke: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

As you think about the difference between the self-centered Pharisee and the truly humble tax collector, you might enjoy this humorous video - if you can accommodate videos and sound, check it out! (It is less than two minutes!) Try this one also!

I guess we are on a humor roll this week, because I found this list - compiled by Warren & Debi King - I'll just share part of it - it's called "You Might Be a Pharisee..."

You might be a Pharisee if...
...you think you are the only one who does any work in the church
...you try to catch your brothers or sisters in Christ in a sin
...you call the members of your church "they" instead of "we"
...your prayers for others are lengthy, but acknowledgment of your own sin is short or not at all
...you want to be a leader or else you get your feelings hurt
...you are easily annoyed by other people's children
...you condemn the motives of others without getting all the facts
...you think arguing in class is getting to the meat of the word
...you love for everyone to know about your own good deeds
...you are more concerned about what others think of you than what God thinks
...you are offended by these comparisons!


Read the words of the old hymn "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" written by Joseph Hart in 1759.

How do these words stir your heart? What is about the words that seem a bit uncomfortable in our 21st century approach to faith?

Here are some eloquent thoughts shared by William Loader:

"The story (of the Pharisee and the tax collector) is meant to be subversive. It deals with self righteousness. It goes a little further than that in that it connects such self righteousness with an understanding of religion which serves to reinforce the self assuredness. Religion can be very dangerous. It can produce self delusion. It can lead people to do terrible things; or better, people can use it to inspire themselves to do terrible things, as we have seen on 11 September. But the collusion with self delusion comes in many other forms. It is there where Christians are thanking God they are not like ‘those Muslims’. It is there where individuals and communities are defining their identity by their enemies and in the process, like the Pharisee, refusing to see their own foibles and failings.

"The message of Jesus is quite sharp: bolstering one’s sense of identity by disparaging others (even when they are terrible sinners) so easily leads to illusions of grandeur and a failure to see ourselves as we really are. It is a kind of goodies and baddies game. The answer is not to pretend the toll collector has done no wrong, but to accept our common humanity and to know that our real value is in loving and accepting ourselves as God loves us and not upping our value by downing others. The toll collector is also a person of worth. We can forget trying to earn credit points with God and establishing our worth on a relative scale. When we do so we will have so much more time and space and energy for compassion, both receiving and giving it. ‘Pharisees’ need it - as much as toll collectors."



The tax collector is a great example of true humility - no false pride - utter dependence on God. In the "Rule of St. Benedict," we read about the twelve degrees of humility. (The Rule of St. Benedict has been used as a guideline for Christian community in monasteries and convents since the sixth century.)

The Degrees of Humility (paraphrased and abbreviated):

1 - I always have the fear of God before my eyes, being mindful of what God has commanded.

2 - I do not love my own will, nor am pleased to fulfill my own desires, but seek to carry out the will of God by my deeds.

3 - For the love of God, I subject myself to a superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord.

4 - If hard or distasteful things are commanded, I accept them with patience and even temper.

5 - I hide from my superior none of the evil thoughts which rise in my hear nor the evils I commit in secret, but I humbly confess them.

6 - I am content with the lowest of everything.

7 - I not only declare with my tongue, but believe in my soul, that I am the lowest and vilest of men.

8 - I do nothing but what is sanctioned by the common rule of the monastery and the example of my elders.

9 - I withhold my tongue from speaking, and do not speak until I am asked.

10 - I am not easily moved to laughter.

11 - When I speak, I speak gently and without laughter, humbly and with gravity, with "few and sensible words," and not loud of voice.

12 - I let my humility appear to all - always having my head bowed down, eyes fixed on the ground, ever holding myself guilty of my sins, always saying to myself what the tax collector said - "Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up my eyes to heaven."

PLEASE NOTE that these were not rules for everyday Christian life - but rules for the monks who surrendered to the very disciplined life of the monastery. Having said that - as different as our daily life is from the twelve degrees of humility, is there nevertheless something that we could learn from St. Benedict?


Jesus' parables from Luke cause us to question our relationship to the things of this world. I am always challenged by the thoughts of Christian speaker and writer Tony Campolo. If you dare, read this interview with Campolo - where he addresses this provocative question - "Would Jesus Drive a BMW?"

Parables From Luke: The Prodigal Son

Read again the story of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32 (this version from The Message may help you to hear the story in a new way).

See if you can locate Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The Capitol of the World." This appears to be the story in which Hemingway told the story of the estranged father and son. The story begins with the line "Madrid is full of boys named Paco."

Here is the short version as quoted in today's message:

There's a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father. On Saturday 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers.


Here is a long article by Frank Johnson - called "Wayward Sons and a Prodigal God." It is full of interesting insights on this parable.


After you have been in the culture of church for a while, it is so easy to forget about the "lost sons and daughters" of our world. Some of them have left Bellville - and perhaps we think to ourselves - "out of sight...out of mind." Others may be living right here among us, but may still be forgotten or overlooked.

Andy Stanley suggests that this story can become a paradigm for how we do church. He proclaims a value called "Invest and Invite." He challenges us: "Have you joined with the Father in the search? Or are we just sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, talking about the search, maybe even studying books about the search - but never searching? Sometimes it's a lot more fun to hang around with other searchers than to go out there and actually search."

Along these lines...have you ever read the parable of the lighthouse? Read it and reflect upon how that connects with the experience of congregations which often begin with a strong spirit of touching the lives of hurting folks.

"INVEST AND INVITE" - Invest in at least one person, outside of your immediate family, who is lost. Make them a priority in your relationship. Pray for that person every day. Built a relationship with that person. It is not your job to go out and save them. Just go out and invest yourself in them.

Invite that person to your church. Do everything possible to remove obstacles that get in the way. Do everything possible to make sure that your congregation is an INVITING place to be, so that they are welcomed to the banquet table of the Lord!


Commenting on the parable of the prodigal son, John Wesley gave this advice. He suggested that none of us turn into "elder brothers," complaining at the way the Father treats others. Instead we should welcome the prodigal back into the family!

Likewise, those who are welcomed home should be careful to wander no more, and do their best to emulate the piety and discipline of those who have served the Father for many years.

Parables From Luke: The Rich Fool

Read once more the parable of the rich fool, found in Luke 12:13-21.

Click here to read more about the inspiring story of Oseola McCarty.

Click here to read some of the tributes to her generosity.

Does reading her story begin to kindle some thoughts inside you? What kind of legacy would you leave if tonight your soul were to be required of you?

Richard Foster is a noted writer on spirituality. In his book The Challenge of the Disciplined Life, he comments that as we mature in our faith, something changes. We often begin by asking - "How much of my money should I give to God?" As our faith matures, we may be able to reframe that question - "How much of God's money should I keep for myself?"

You may have heard the testimony John Wesley gave about how he managed his possessions. He frequently gave the advice to "earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can." He lived by that rule.

When he was at Oxford, he had an income of 30 pounds a year. He lived on 28 pounds a year, and gave 2 pounds away. When his income increased to 60 pounds, he lived on 28 pounds, and gave away 32 pounds. When his income, increased to 120 pounds, he still lived on 28 pounds, and gave away 92 pounds!

In 1776, Wesley was contacted by the authorities concerning an excise tax upon the household silver. This was his response (a copy of this letter remains to this day):

SIR,--I have two silver teaspoons at London, and two at Bristol. This is all the plate which I have at present; and I shall not buy any more while so many round me want bread.

Some Christian financial planners suggest the 10/10/80 plan for young people. Knowing that the tendency in the U.S. is to live on 110% of our income - this plan suggests that we give away 10%, save 10% and live on the remaining 80%.

How would our culture be different if we were to follow this plan?

See the Crown Ministries website for more information about how to put biblical principles into practice in the management of your household.

Ancient Christian writers made the following comments upon this parable:

"The redemption of a man's soul is his riches. But the bellies of the poor are much safer storehouses than our barns." (St. Augustine, 354-430)

"Since the days of this life are short and the time uncertain, death should never be unexpected." (Leo the Great, bishop of Rome in the 5th century)

"The things that we cannot take away with us are not ours either. Only virtue is the companion of the dead. Compassion alone follows us." (Ambrose, bishop of Milan in the 4th century, and teacher of Augustine)

"Covetousness is a pitfall of the devil and hateful to God. It is a snare of evil spirits, by which they drag a person's soul to the nets of hell." (Cyril of Alexandria, 5th century)

Parables From Luke: The Good Samaritan

We find the parable of the Good Samaritan here in Luke 10:25-37. Some background information will be helpful.

JERICHO ROAD was a notoriously dangerous road. Over a 17-mile stretch the road drops nearly 3,300 feet. There were narrow passes at points, so there were numerous places where bandits could hide out and terrorize travelers.

PRIESTS AND LEVITES were the religious leaders who, nevertheless, failed to stop and render aid.

SAMARITANS would have been thought of as highly unlikely heroes. They were regarded by the Jews as an unclean people - descendants of intermarriage from the time when the Assyrians settled in the fallen "northern kingdom" of Israel.

THE LAWYER is not really identified - but his questioning is described as a "test" of Jesus. Although his efforts might have been cynical in nature, he nevertheless gives a pretty good answer to his own question about what must be done to receive eternal life - namely, to love God with heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

At this site you can find links to many artistic depictions of the Good Samaritan across the generations.

Explore this parable in depth at this "New Media Bible" site.

We talked Sunday about four different ways Christians have chosen to put the message of this parable into practice, in terms of how we relate to individuals in need:

1 - "I'll help anybody who asks for it, without judging their motivation."

2 - "I never hand out money, but I will give to charities so that I know the money doesn't go for the wrong thing."

3 - "I will work for a just society, through legislative and other means, doing everything possible to prevent these situations from occurring."

4 - "I will carry a $20 bill in my pocket every week, and ask God to show me an appropriate way to use it to bless someone."

We talked about how option #4 can be even more exciting when done anonymously - where the individual does not know where the money came from!

Steve Bell writes, concerning this approach: "When specific personal needs are met in unpredictable ways, such events are always spiritually significant - not just for the recipient, but for the benefactor as well...You and I have within our grasp the opportunity to encourage fellow believers to experience God's participation in their lives...How? By ministering to them in secret...doing anonymous acts of kindness."

Sunday we also talked about the two "inappropriate responses" -

1 - "It's not my problem."

2 - "Charity begins at home" (which frequently ends up meaning that charity ends at home).

Finally - what would it mean to be a "Good Samaritan" congregation?

In what ways do today's churches sometimes resemble the priest and the Levite, going about our "religious business" while leaving others on the side of the road?

In what ways do today's churches resemble the innkeeper, being good stewards of the charity of others?

In what ways do today's churches resemble the lawyer, craftily asking how much - or how little - I can do and still be justified?

And in what ways do today's churches resemble the Samaritan, simply finding a need and filling it?

Blood, Sweat and Tears

Here are the Scripture references that refer to Jesus' blood, sweat and tears:

TEARS

John 11:35 - "Jesus began to weep."

Luke 19:41 - "As he [Jesus] came near and saw the city [Jerusalem], he wept over it."

SWEAT

Luke 22:44 - "In his [Jesus'] anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground."

BLOOD (there are many references beside those listed)

Matthew 26:27-28 - "Drink from it [this cup], all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

John 6:54-56 - "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them."

Hebrews 9:22 - "Under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."

Hebrews 10:19-20 - "We have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)..."

When have blood, sweat or tears been lifted up by someone - and you were blessed?

When (if ever) has God called forth blood, sweat or tears from you - and a blessing was the result?


We also thought together about the "fine line" that we walk in observing appropriate allegiance to earthly kingdoms - such as our national, state, and local governments - but in keeping our primary allegiance always toward the Kingdom of God.

Although I grew up seeing the national flag frequently placed within the Christian worship space, I was surprised to learn that it is difficult to follow both flag etiquette (where the U.S. flag should always be placed in the primary place of honor) and worship protocol (where the symbols of our faith are never overshadowed). See this article by Hoyt Hickman for more thoughts on this dilemma.

This article by the late Baptist professor Henlee Barnette is also helpful.

The United Methodist Social Principles (lifted up to us for faithful study and reflection) offer guidance in how Christians relate to earthly governments.

During our hymn medley, we quoted both Romans 13:1-7 (from the translation The Message) and some of the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham - go this site and scroll down to the part that has the subtitle - Be A Good Citizen.

How do you balance your earthly commitments and your Kingdom allegiance?

Finally, here you can find some practical suggestions for Celebrating Independence Day in your home.